Al Gore has learned a lot since his Presidential bid ended in failure 7 years ago.  Of course, he’s learned more about the political process,to his chagrin, and about the environment, to his even greater chagrin.  But he has learned something positive:  how to write a good speech.  His delivery is still far from oratorical perfection, but the subject matter was so compelling that it lifted his performance above his usual level. 

The speech began with a long explanation of the problem.  The earth has a fever, and it is rising, said Gore.  He pulled quotes with the help of "Mr. Google," as he said in an interview, from writers all around the world, giving a nice universality to the message. 

The only aspect of the speech that rang oddly in my ears was Gore’s insistence on calling global warming a ‘moral’ problem.  It probably is that, but it’s a very practical life and death issue first.  Why not keep it on that plane?  As soon as you invoke morality, you run the danger of getting bogged down in discussions of whose morality counts or is to rule the day.  And that’s a pity, because we really need to do something, actually a lot of things, and fast, if we’re going to save ourselves from creating a hell on earth out of the Eden we were given lo these many years ago. 

He was a little vague on what the solution might be, except that it’s already late, we have to move fast, and we have to act both individually AND collectively.  That was a nice touch, because many writers and speakers on the environment leave one with the impression that it’s up to us to turn off lights and turn down the thermostat or else the world is a goner.  That makes most people feel guilty, and they may change their behavior slightly, but it doesn’t affect governments, corporations, and other large organizations that are using massive amounts of energy that dwarf anything you or I can do with our lights or thermostat. 

What’s needed is both governmental carrots and sticks, and individual green behavior, not just one or the other.  That’s an important point, and Gore made it well.   

He ended with a plea for action, real and fast.  It was a good speech.  When are we all going to get to work?