I first thought of this idea about two and a half years ago, way before
An Inconvenient Truth came out, or the climate crisis was considered a "hot topic" (pardon the pun.) I have always known in my heart that Al Gore is sincere and dedicated to this issue and has been trying so hard to bring this issue and warning with hope into the forefront of our consciousness for many years. I believe advocating and making great changes on this issue is now his destiny. It may even be what all of the previous years and hardships he faced in them personally and politically have brought him to. The success of An Inconvenient Truth certainly appears to be validating that as well. And while I support other notable and distinquished environmental leaders being considered for such a post if it ever came to be, I will continue to support this endeavor in supporting Al Gore as our first UN Global Environmental Ambassador.
More below.
First posted here on our blog: Petitioning Al Gore To Be Our Global Environmental Ambassador
This caricature is used with the permission of Fred Harper.
I first thought of this idea about two and a half years ago, way before An Inconvenient Truth came out. I have always known in my heart that Al Gore is sincere and dedicated to this issue and has been trying so hard to bring this issue and warning with hope into the forefront of our consciousness for many years. I believe advocating and making great changes on this issue is his destiny. It may even be what all of the previous years and hardships he faced in them personally and politically have brought him to. The success of An Inconvenient Truth certainly appears to be validating that as well.
We sent out our first letter to Kofi Annan at the UN last November. Of course, I did not expect a reply as I know things move slowly and also considering all the business the UN attends to. I am also under no illusions that I will ever get a response. However, that does not mean it was not read or even considered, therefore I am not letting that deter me in my mission to see this happen if at all possible. It is the will of one person that can actually make great things happen. I always believed that, and I always will.
Therefore, our second letter to Kofi Annan at the UN will be sent out this weekend. I will then try to contact the UN by phone, and if necessary will try to deliver our petition in person to show our conviction on this issue regardless of who may be selected for this post, but to also show our support for that person to be Vice President Al Gore:
Dear Secretary-General Annan,
Climate Change is an ever present spectre threatening many areas of our world and its effects are now beginning to be seen clearly. Mr. Annan, as a Secretary-General who has advocated for sound solutions to this problem, you have also seen the damage it has done and is doing on every continent including the Arctic. This is not a crisis that will be solved even within the next few years, and it will then require a joint effort of all world leaders coming together, including those countries that cannot efficiently and effectively meet this challenge due to poverty, disease, and political turmoil to seriously enact a global strategy for sustainability.
Climate change is also more than just a phenomenon that will affect temperature, as you well know. This is the most important issue we as a species will face in the 21st century, and the peoples of the world need a leader on this issue to coordinate efforts on a global scale of equality that benefits all. We also need a global leader that will educate, inform, and inspire people for this common cause.
Therefore, we hereby petition you to consider establishing a new UN post for the 21st century: that of Global Environmental Ambassador. We also then petition you to consider the Honorable Al Gore Jr., former Vice President of the United States, statesman, environmental advocate, and author as our first UN Global Environmental Ambassador.
Vice President Gore has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, the United States, and Australia, in the cause of the environment and to speak truth about climate change. His movie and book entitled," An Inconvenient Truth" sounds a clarion call to the world about the future we face in the wake of our own actions and the hope and will we need to face this crisis head on together. He is well respected throughout the world, and because of his stature and vast knowledge of this crucial subject he can relay important information regarding it to people in terms they also can understand, which is very important considering so many are still unaware of how it truly effects their lives and futures.
His background in foreign relations, the economy, and in governing makes him more than qualified to lead our world as a Global Environmental Ambassador. He has also been a leader on this issue since his days in the United States Senate over twenty five years ago. He has devoted his life to this cause, and fully understands and realizes that all other issues are affected by the environment.
Stronger storms caused by climate change warming ruin crops, erode land, and cause damage that can severely stifle an economy, which Hurricane Katrina already proved right here in America, and which has been predicted by climate scientists. Diseases caused by changing weather patterns that bring unknown diseases to areas which have not experienced them before also cause health crises which also effect economies and take lives. The depletion of natural resources (specifically water) due to weather conditions which cause famine (as we are seeing in Niger and many African countries right now,) drought, floods, mudslides, etc. can also lead to corporate privatization of those resources, which then effects the very livelihoods and lives of those under the control of corporations and governments that would seek to use such conditions to their political advantage, which then leads to war.
Mitigation of these factors by way of sound management, education, global cooperation, and sustainability principles is key to addressing the two most crucial issues we face in this century: the climate crisis and the water scarcity crisis due to population increase, depletion of resources due to waste, terrorism, and political and corporate exploitation at the expense of the poorest in our world.
Vice President Gore has the expertise and dedication to lead on this issue, and also sees the spiritual side to this issue which is the essence of it which is also very important to many cultures around the world. The position of Global Environmental Ambassador would then be no small post. This post would be a huge responsibility combining knowledge, experience, and commitment to all areas of our world and the impact of the climate crisis on it as a whole. Having a unique understanding of government, foreign relations, the environment, and especially technological advances, is in my view the perfect combination for such an esteemed position.
We would then be most grateful if you would respond to this most serious and sincere request. Our Earth is now in critical need of all of us coming together to face this threat to our very existence. It will take a coordinated effort of all led by one with exemplary economic, technical, scientific, and governmental skills, and someone who also understands the spiritual symbiosis we share with this planet, our only home to effectively take on this challenge and work with others.
That person is the Honorable Al Gore Jr., and we have every confidence that should this position be created and he appointed as our first Global Environmental Ambassador of the 21st Century, that he would serve the world and its peoples honorably, sensibly, and passionately regarding this issue.
Thank you.
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You may still sign our petition
here if you agree that our world is now in need of true leadership on this issue on a global scale. Someone who can unite and inspire peoples from all over the world to for once join in a common cause to save our planet and our civilization. Also, if you think this a viable idea then you can also send a letter to the UN to support it with whomever you believe would be the better choice to you. The bottomline to all of this is, that the window closes a little bit more every day. It is now time to begin our work in keeping it from closing all the way by doing, acting, advocating, and calling our leaders to lead on this issue as well as ourselves.
This is the address I have used:
Stephane Dujarric
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary General
UN Headquarters
First Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY 10017
Thank you.
UPDATE:
I just bought his book, An Inconvenient Truth today, and it is EXCELLENT. And no, I'm not just stating that because I am biased, I am stating it as fact. I just bought it today and I am more than halfway finished with it already. I can say from my preliminary impressions of this book, that it is not Al Gore selling himself to run for political office again. It is Al Gore setting the past right, setting people straight regarding the misconceptions, and tying it all together to show people that the mistakes of the past and the unheeded warnings cannot be repeated. His urgency on this issue shines through, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind now that this man was destined to lead on this issue at this time. Almost losing his son, losing his sister, and living the life he has in the beltway taught him a very important lesson about priorities.
I can in a way corrolate events in my own life in the past decade regarding my own health, almost dying in childbirth, losing loved ones, and other personal events to fully understand what he is talking about in being given a second chance. Once you go through a life changing experience, you suddenly must make a decision. Do you go on as usual, or do you take that experience and learn from it and reassess your priorities? That is the question and inspiration behind this book. I thought Earth In The Balance was his soul on paper, but this book goes far beyond that excellent book. It tells us that before we can see into the soul of our planet to heed the warnings, we must first look into our own souls.
I will give a longer review after I am finished with it, but I will state that I am drawn to tears in reading the dedication this man has to warning people about this crisis. As someone who has also thought about this practically everyday of my lofe since I was a young girl, while I am filled with trepidation for the future I am also filled with hope because people like Al Gore have decided to take it upon themselves to continue to be the missives alerting us to what we must now do to bequeath a better world to our children. I feel by reading this book that we are on the edge of something very cathartic, and how we now choose to prioritize it will decide our fate.
I am writing an inscription in this book and handing it over to my son to read and keep once I am finished with it. I am also going to instill in him that this must be a mission of his in his life as well as mine as he grows older... for him and his children. Only through our children can we now ensure that our planet will be saved. Thank you Mr. Gore for inspiring me and filling me with a hope I had not had for many years regarding our Earth. Let us hope it is contagious enough to once again pull our planet from the brink of disaster.