Will our next president address the climate crisis?

On Thursday, July 17th, Al Gore set an ambitious goal for the United States of America:

He proposed that we can operate on 100% renewable energy in the next ten years.

This plan is exciting and challenging, aggressive and provocative. Gore himself acknowledged that it would surely be met with much criticism. But will Congress accept this challenge? As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said two days later, "It is absolutely possible to do so," ¹ We agree that an imminent crisis requires a dramatic solution -- without a strong commitment to change, the future of our nation and our planet is in grave danger.

Of course, the naysayers have already begun to smear Gore, writing comparisons like this one: "That statement is about like challenging your 2 year old to finish college by the time she is 12. Not exactly practical, more than a little crazy, and likely to be either ignored, or if you push it, to cause lots of therapy sessions by the time she is 8."²

Fortunately, one notable figure has expressed his belief that Gore's plan could happen: President-Elect Barack Obama. Obama said Gore's plan "will leave our children a world that is cleaner and safer." ³

But verbal nods are not enough. We need to know that our next president will be serious about fighting the catastrophic effects of global warming. Sign this petition today to ask President-Elect Obama to pledge that, as our next president, he will work to implement Gore's plan to switch to 100% renewable energy by the year 2018. Tell President-Elect Obama that we expect real leadership on this issue. The generations who will follow us deserve nothing less.

Sources:

1. "Appealing to Bloggers' Influence, Gore Asks for Help in Promoting Energy Challenge" by Katharine Q. Seelye

2. "Is Al Gore Nuts?" by Neal Dikeman

3. "Al Gore lays down green challenge to America" by Zachary Cole