Greens: award to add impetus on climate talks

THE Green Party yesterday led the Irish political tributes to former US Vice President Al Gore following the announcement that he was the joint winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The party also warmly congratulated the other joint winner, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for its work in raising awareness about climate change.

Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley, who met Al Gore at a UN summit on climate change last month, said: “This is a fitting prize for the courageous work carried out by Al Gore and the IPCC. Together they have proved the science and delivered the message that we have a decade to agree and implement measures to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change.

“The award should give a new impetus to the United Nations climate change conference in Bali in December and highlight the need for all governments to sign up to a post-Kyoto agreement to tackle climate change.

“As political leaders we will be judged by future generations on how well we responded to this challenge highlighted so clearly, conclusively and effectively by Al Gore and the IPCC.”

Mr Gormley went on to say that he hoped the prize would convince doubters who mistrust the concept of climate change, that “it is happening, it is here and we have only a short time to do something about it.

“I congratulate the Nobel Committee for choosing the panel and Al Gore, as this can only bring even more attention to the issue,” he said.

Mr Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, was shown at the Green Party conference last February.

The party also made numerous references to the film during its general election campaign.