Gore Wins Peace Prize Amid Criticism
Former US vice president Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Despite what some believe to be a dignified issue, the award is escorted by plenty of criticism.
Gore’s efforts to make global warming a forefront issue began just four years ago, shortly after his infamous loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election. Since then, he has trotted the globe preaching that if we as humans do not change our selfish, consuming ways, the world will suffer some sort of immeasurable catastrophe. He also won an Oscar for his disputable documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which has suffered much scientific backlash.
Historically, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to individuals who significantly cultivate an atmosphere to advance peace throughout the world. Such recipients include President Teddy Roosevelt (1906) for negotiating a treaty between Russia and Japan, Ferdinand Edouard Buisson (1927) for founding the League of Human Rights, The American Friends Service Committee (1947) for its missionary work, Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964) for his civil rights endeavor, and Mother Teresa (1979), Leader of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity.
On the other hand, for the past three decades, the organization has come under harsh fire for awarding several individuals who arguably work against furthering peace. Many believe that the award has turned from a badge of honor, into a political popularity contest. For instance, the 1990 recipient was Mikhail Gorbachev “for ending the cold war.” However, he lost that war. Ronald Reagan won the cold war, but was snubbed by the Nobel committee. Then in 1994 the prize went to PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, for signing the Oslo Accords. Again, instead of promoting peace, these accords only aided Arafat in assembling a terrorist regime in the West Bank and Gaza.
According to a nomination invitation on the American Friends Service Committee’s website, the criteria for choosing an award-winner are “…commitment to nonviolent methods, quality of character, sustained contributions to peace, justice, human dignity, and the integrity of the environment, and global impact. A candidate’s relation to crisis areas in the world is also considered, as a Nobel Prize may, by its timeliness and visibility, offer valuable support to a solution to the crisis.” It goes on to say, “Although these various templates guide our search, ultimately, we seek to identify some person or organization who manifest the divine spark in action in the human family…”
Boerge Brende, Member of Parliament, and former minister of environment said, “A prerequisite for winning the Nobel Peace Prize is making a difference, and Al Gore has made a difference.” Many do not agree. Much of the backlash has to do with wondering how warning about global climate change has bettered humanity.
Further, there has long been condemnation of his Oscar-winning documentary, raising concerns about the validity of some the science that is presented as authentic. In fact, just one day before the award was announced, a British High Court judge ruled that while mostly factual, the movie contained nine significant errors. The ruling came down on the heels of a challenge from a UK school official who believed it was wrong to show the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” as part of the school’s curriculum.
In addition to criticisms of his movie, many are wondering just how passionate Gore himself is on the subject. His credentials have been scarred by reports of his excessive living: a 10,000 square foot house with 20 rooms and 8 bathrooms in Nashville, and a second home in Arlington at 4,000 square feet. He also owns a third home in Tennessee. He toured the globe in his private jet (another cardinal sin to global warming advocates) while promoting his film. But he insisted he purchased carbon offsets while doing so. Unfortunately the carbon offset market is another topic of scandal.
Amid all of the criticism, Gore still has a cadre of supporters, which is indisputably very influential. Many do believe that the reversing global warming is pertinent to bettering humanity. Gore has pushed for climate measures like the Kyoto Treaty, which would essentially limit the acceptable amount of greenhouse gases for signatory nations. He has also raised global awareness about how our actions now could possibly affect future generations with regards to the environment.
Gore will officially accept the award, as is traditionally done, on the December 10th anniversary of the death of its founder, Alfred Nobel.
Gore’s efforts to make global warming a forefront issue began just four years ago, shortly after his infamous loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election. Since then, he has trotted the globe preaching that if we as humans do not change our selfish, consuming ways, the world will suffer some sort of immeasurable catastrophe. He also won an Oscar for his disputable documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which has suffered much scientific backlash.
Historically, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to individuals who significantly cultivate an atmosphere to advance peace throughout the world. Such recipients include President Teddy Roosevelt (1906) for negotiating a treaty between Russia and Japan, Ferdinand Edouard Buisson (1927) for founding the League of Human Rights, The American Friends Service Committee (1947) for its missionary work, Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964) for his civil rights endeavor, and Mother Teresa (1979), Leader of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity.
On the other hand, for the past three decades, the organization has come under harsh fire for awarding several individuals who arguably work against furthering peace. Many believe that the award has turned from a badge of honor, into a political popularity contest. For instance, the 1990 recipient was Mikhail Gorbachev “for ending the cold war.” However, he lost that war. Ronald Reagan won the cold war, but was snubbed by the Nobel committee. Then in 1994 the prize went to PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, for signing the Oslo Accords. Again, instead of promoting peace, these accords only aided Arafat in assembling a terrorist regime in the West Bank and Gaza.
According to a nomination invitation on the American Friends Service Committee’s website, the criteria for choosing an award-winner are “…commitment to nonviolent methods, quality of character, sustained contributions to peace, justice, human dignity, and the integrity of the environment, and global impact. A candidate’s relation to crisis areas in the world is also considered, as a Nobel Prize may, by its timeliness and visibility, offer valuable support to a solution to the crisis.” It goes on to say, “Although these various templates guide our search, ultimately, we seek to identify some person or organization who manifest the divine spark in action in the human family…”
Boerge Brende, Member of Parliament, and former minister of environment said, “A prerequisite for winning the Nobel Peace Prize is making a difference, and Al Gore has made a difference.” Many do not agree. Much of the backlash has to do with wondering how warning about global climate change has bettered humanity.
Further, there has long been condemnation of his Oscar-winning documentary, raising concerns about the validity of some the science that is presented as authentic. In fact, just one day before the award was announced, a British High Court judge ruled that while mostly factual, the movie contained nine significant errors. The ruling came down on the heels of a challenge from a UK school official who believed it was wrong to show the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” as part of the school’s curriculum.
In addition to criticisms of his movie, many are wondering just how passionate Gore himself is on the subject. His credentials have been scarred by reports of his excessive living: a 10,000 square foot house with 20 rooms and 8 bathrooms in Nashville, and a second home in Arlington at 4,000 square feet. He also owns a third home in Tennessee. He toured the globe in his private jet (another cardinal sin to global warming advocates) while promoting his film. But he insisted he purchased carbon offsets while doing so. Unfortunately the carbon offset market is another topic of scandal.
Amid all of the criticism, Gore still has a cadre of supporters, which is indisputably very influential. Many do believe that the reversing global warming is pertinent to bettering humanity. Gore has pushed for climate measures like the Kyoto Treaty, which would essentially limit the acceptable amount of greenhouse gases for signatory nations. He has also raised global awareness about how our actions now could possibly affect future generations with regards to the environment.
Gore will officially accept the award, as is traditionally done, on the December 10th anniversary of the death of its founder, Alfred Nobel.
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