Sierra Club leader says global warming debate has reached 'tipping point'

5:05 pm: AP Interview: Sierra Club leader says global warming debate has reached 'tipping point'

By TERENCE CHEA | Associated Press
June 21, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The debate over global warming has reached a "tipping point" in the U.S. as more citizens, politicians and companies see climate change as a serious threat, the leader of the country's most influential environmental organization said.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said Tuesday that over the past year the debate has shifted from whether global warming was a real problem to what must be done to lessen its potentially devastating impacts.
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Al Gore's new documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" _ along with a slew of news stories about melting glaciers, raging wildfires and record temperatures _ has also provoked public discussion of global warming, he said.
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"You're seeing more and more politicians embracing the idea that we have to act on global warming," said Pope, who criticized the White House for having its "head in the sand."