Wondering Why Al Gore's In Oslo?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.10.07
Recycled aluminum sculpture in front of the Nobel prize venue at Oslo City Hall
Alfred Nobel may have regretted his actions in creating dynamite, and thus he left the bulk of his fortune to funding the future Nobel prizes. As nearly everyone knows, Nobel was a Swede, and this year's medals and cash prizes are to be given out today at lavish ceremonies in Stockholm.
Except, that is, for the peace prize, which is decided upon and given out by Norwegians. Nobel never explained exactly why he put the peace prize in the hands of the Norwegians, though in his day Norway and Sweden were in a political union - perhaps he was just trying to keep the peace. OK, bad pun over. Nobel said the peace prize was to go to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations...[or] for the holding and promoting of peace conferences."
That's why Al Gore's not in Stockholm but in Oslo, where he'll pick up the medal and prize money he'll share with Indian IPCC scientist Rajenda Pachauri and the rest of the IPCC committee. For once, Gore rode a commercial airliner to get to Oslo, and took the high-speed train from the airport into town instead of a private limousine. Of course the bigger (and unanswerable) question "does Gore deserve the prize?"
Who knows? The peace prize is frequently a magnet for controversy, and Gore's again getting more scrutiny than ever for his energy-eating homes, his private jet, and his slightly silver-spoon method of climate offsets - instead of just purchasing them, the company of which he is chairman of, Generation Investment Management, buys offsets for all of its employees' emissions through the Chicago Climate Exchange and the Carbon Neutral Company.
After a private meeting on Sunday with Norway's foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Gore at a press conference didn't criticize Norway's climate record or its dirty new gas-fired plant, though Pachauri did comment that the country is an extremely high per capita emitter of CO2. Perhaps hoping to forestall the criticism, Norway used the occassion (or at least the day) of the prize-giving to announce it would give 3 billion Norwegian crowns (US$ 560 million) to rainforest preservation efforts, thought to be one of the least-expensive, fastest and most meaningful ways to reduce the release of CO2 into the atmosphere.
In addition, while Gore and the Oslo and Stocholm events are hogging a lot of media oxygen, Stockholm was also the venue last Friday of the Right Livelihood awards - at which Sri Lankan judge Christopher Weeramantry was honored for landmark work and opinion on the use and threat of nuclear weapons; the Grameen Shakti company was awarded for bringing sustainable light and power to thousands of Bangladeshi villages; and farmer Percy Schmeiser got a award also for defending biodiversity and farmers' rights by standing up to Monsanto around seed rights. Go Percy! Via ::Aftonpost.no/English
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My graduate advisor told me that the reason why there's no nobel prize for math, and people like Nash win their prizes in economics, is because Alfred Nobel's wife was having an affair with a Mathemetician. Wholly unrelated to the post, but I thought I'd share anyway.
Does he really deserve the prize? No. It should be taken away from him and left to The United States Supreme Court to determine that George W. Bush is much more deserving. And if you choose not to post this comment on the grounds it may be uncivil then check your own civility.
A big stink was made over the Gore's home last year. If you look into it, since then it has been re-insulated, solar panels added (after city passed ordinance) and geothermal wells drilled on the property. These changes were in the planning stages before the negative publicity. The improvements earned the place a Green Building Council certificate.
You haven't pointed out why Gore wouldn't deserve the prize. And I'm pretty sure he rides commercial a lot.
Needless to say... whoever thinks george bush deserves a nobel prize needs to be shot for their stupidity.
And Al Gore's energy use came from renewable sources anyway, which costs thousands more for a home his size.
It's good to question things... But Al Gore has done more than anyone to raise awareness, and all this jumping on the bandwagon to save the environment didn't happen until after he put a face on environmental issues.
eh... "should be shot" might be a little too extreme... my apologies. but you get the point.
Ohh boy!
I don't know if it is comment baiting or what but the idea the Al Gore does not deserve the Nobel Peace prize is simply ridiculous. If there is one thing that the environmental movement lacks the most is a unified front. We should cheer when anyone like Al Gore gets recognition - but instead we focus on how his house is not energy efficient or how he should fly commercial. We need leaders and he is a leader - he has inspired many and continues to inspire many to change the way we think about the planet we love.
There are enough people out there trying to cut him down - trying to convince the public that climate change is not happening - I don't think we should be on that list. Stop trying to show off how smart you are by trying to find flaws in the man and show that you are strong and get behind him - get behind all of those that a trying to make a difference.
"The devil doesn’t need an advocate. The brave need supporters, not critics." (Seth Godin)
Cheers,
Eric
The post that gives the reason why there is no prize for math is simply an urban legend. Alfred Nobel never married, so therefore, he wouldn't have a wife who could cheat on him with a mathematitian.