May 1, 2007
McAlister Auditorium
Tulane University
New Orleans, La.
Family and Friends,
In a city with mixed expectations about its future, some might think Al Gore has gone off the Global Warming deep-end.
New Orleans-the symbol for the 21st Century Green City? The Big Easy doesn’t even have a sustainable recycling program yet.
But, as Gore would like to see, New Orleans should be the leader in eco-friendly reconstruction post-KATRINA.
Today, in front of at least 3,000 at Tulane University, Gore gave his famous “Inconvenient Truth” lecture; the doomsday tale of our man-made catastrophe knocking at the world’s collective door.
Global warming is threatening to erase the Western Antarctic and Greenland in the next 40 years, Gore says. His high-tech graphics depict a 20-foot rise in the ocean depth if this happens.
The prediction isn’t pretty. San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, New Delhi and almost any coastal city in the world would be under water. Over 400 million people would be displaced.
We can stop it, he says.
Citing the late author Kurt Vonnegut, Gore said, will people look back 100 years from now and ask why were so lazy? Or will they commend us for our struggles to change, ensuring safety and humanity for future generations.
A girl asked if he would rerun for President. He gave his “it’s a difficult decision but I’m not a politician anymore” stump.
President Scott Cowen of Tulane University called Gore a “Great American” and a “Great example” for the students.
I’d agree. The fabric of America is capitalism and Tulane has a blue-chip business school.
Gore’s standard appearance fee is $120,000, although University sources have told me he came here for half that mark.
He gave the lecture eight times last week—and about 1,500 times since taking it on tour.
Former Vice President Gore has made over 80 million in the name of the green revolution.
But, I wouldn't put 100 million out of reach.
Good for him. Success like that is in our American veins.
But, for the Green movement to take off on the scale savior scientists want it to, other individuals, companies and multi-national corporations need to figure out what Gore already knows.
How to make a boat-load going Green.
If the publicly-traded companies can’t figure it out, we might have to use that boat for something else.
Best—
Robert
Rent Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth.” Dollars for him, education for you.
Photos by Paula Burch-Celentano, Tulane University
