Former Vice President Al Gore entered the classroom where we waited to have a question and answer session with him with such ease and so little ceremony that it caught us off guard. When he finally arrived, we were shocked to see him standing in front of us, and we forgot to stand to welcome him like we had planned.
Mr. Gore seemed interested in our questions about greenhouse gas emissions and nuclear power plants and eager answer them, as if he hasn't been speaking about the same topics all over the world for the past few years.
All in the context of climate change, Mr. Gore drew diagrams of neurotransmitters and computer systems on the whiteboard, quoted a German philosopher, and made references to internal combustion engines, political campaign budgets, the evolution of print media, government propaganda, and the recent Mexican tortilla riots. He implied that climate change is not only an environmental issue, but a political, economic, social, technological, and moral concern of great prevalence.
Mr. Gore acknowledged that demonstrations on college campuses may be an effective way to get attention to the issue of climate change saying that "…students have a superior ability to see through to a conclusion." He encouraged us to use reason and added "If I was a college student right now I'd be out there organizing."
-- by Molly Kane '09
