Former US vice president Al Gore compares climate change battle to other 'great moral causes' like slavery, gay rights and women's suffrage
By Emily Crane For Dailymail.com
Published: 19:13 BST, 13 July 2017 | Updated: 20:05 BST, 13 July 2017
Former US Vice President Al Gore has compared the climate change battle to that of other 'great moral causes' like slavery, gay rights and South Africa's anti-apartheid movement.
In an eco summit speech in Australia on Thursday, Gore said the movements he mentioned had all been met with 'ferocious resistance' at some point throughout history as he likened them to the ongoing climate challenge.
'The climate movement, not least in cities, is right now in the tradition of all the great moral causes that have improved the circumstances of humanity throughout our history,' he said.
Former US Vice President Al Gore has compared the climate change battle to that of other 'great moral causes' like slavery and gay rights during an eco summit in Australia on Thursday
'The abolition of slavery, women's suffrage and women's rights, the civil rights movement and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa...
'The movement to stop the toxic phase of the nuclear arms race and more recently the gay rights movement. Some of you may disagree with that. I don't. I did earlier in my life.
'But all of these movements have one thing in common. They all have met with ferocious resistance and have generated occasional feelings of despair from those who knew the right direction and wondered whether we could ever get there.'
Gore was invited to give the keynote speech at the EcoCity World Summit in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday.
Audience members were reportedly banned from filming Gore's speech and were stopped from taking photos of him. A full transcript of his speech was posted online by Climate Depot.
Gore also made mention earlier in the week of President Donald Trump's recent decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement.
The former US Vice President, pictured on a Melbourne tram on Thursday, was invited to give the keynote speech at the EcoCity World Summit
He said he was pleased to see the group holding firm on the 2015 agreement signed by 196 nations that pledged to reduce carbon emissions.
'Of course it would be so much better if the president of the United States would help to lead the world instead of being off isolated in the corner by himself,' he said.
'But the rest of the world gets it, the rest of the world is moving forward.'
Renewable energy was high on the list of topics Gore discussed at the summit.
Gore said earlier in the week that given the availability of solar, wind and batteries as renewable energy sources, and their dramatic fall in cost, it makes economic sense for countries to switch from heavy-polluting fossil fuels.
'Those countries that take a leadership role will benefit most from the new jobs that are being created,' Gore said.
'The fastest-growing jobs in the world are in renewable energy. In my country solar jobs are growing 17 times faster than other jobs in the economy.'
Gore is in Australia ahead of the release of An Inconvenient Sequel, the follow up to his Oscar-winning 2006 documentary on global warming.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Melbourne on Thursday night in recognition of his global warming efforts.
Gore was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Melbourne on Thursday night in recognition of his global warming efforts
Al Gore compares climate battle to great moral causes | Daily Mail Online
