Gore wins Nobel
I’m a little torn over Gore winning the Nobel Peace Price. On one hand, it is a lot of fun to watch all the wingnuts go into convulsions over it, even if it is getting a little old. I mean, just this week, they've went into convulsions of rage over a 12-year old and the SCHIP program, convulsions of rage over lighting the Empire State Building green for Ramadan's end, and now convulsions of rage over Al Gore winning the Nobel. They're just rage-aholics looking for the next thing to get enraged about.
Still damn fun to watch, though.
Anyway, back to Gore and the award.
There's no question that Climate Change will have a major effect on conflicts all over the world. It will cause resource scarcity in many heavily-populated regions across the planet, causing enormous strain, starvation, privation, and fighting over what will be left. To prevent that, or at least mitigate it, is a goal worthy of the Nobel.
So raising awareness of Climate Change is laudable, but it is only part of what I think is needed to be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. Because so far, awareness is all that’s been changed. For the most part, nations and people haven’t made the changes they need to to stop emissions from rising.
If the film and the panel’s reports actually lead to real changes in emissions, then they will be deserving of the prize. Until then, it is little more than words, and I think the prize is better given to those whose actions have already led to real change or prevented real bloodshed. It seems that the Nobel Committee has just decided to help raise awareness themselves, rather than award an accomplished peace-maker.
All in all, I find the award this year to be . . . premature. Here's hoping it won't be a wasted effort.
