Wisconsin Public Radio's program "Here on Earth" broadcast an interview with Al Gore today, with commentary by John Nichols, and you owe it to yourself to listen to it. The rebroadcast is at 9 pm CDT tonight (details on that below).
Besides talking about the ideas in his book,
Assault on Reason, about how our public life is being corrupted by turning away from reasoned discussion, Al was asked to explain two of his projects that I hadn't heard about before. One is called Digital Earth, a concept he pioneered to bring together all the available digital information about the planet. A speech he gave in 1998 outlined it and offered some of the ways it could be used to transform our understanding and use of Earth:
We have an unparalleled opportunity to turn a flood of raw data into understandable information about our society and out planet. This data will include not only high-resolution satellite imagery of the planet, digital maps, and economic, social, and demographic information. If we are successful, it will have broad societal and commercial benefits in areas such as education, decision-making for a sustainable future, land-use planning, agricultural, and crisis management. The Digital Earth project could allow us to respond to manmade or natural disasters - or to collaborate on the long-term environmental challenges we face.
http://www.isde5.org/al_gore_speech.htmAnother project is the Generation Investment Mangagement firm he has started (with co-founder David Blood, so it is nicknamed Blood and Gore). As Al said in the interview, they assemble a portfolio of stocks from firms that respect the environment and abide by ethical standards in business. He believes it's possible to be responsible and make money at the same time:
Transparency, innovation, eco-efficiency, investing in the community, nurturing and motivating employees, managing long-term risks, and embracing long-term opportunities are integral parts of a company's enduring capability to create value. Business leaders who align their business strategy and technical development with sustainability and social accountability will deliver superior long-term results to shareholders.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Investment_ManagementThis is such a thoughtful, well-educated, wise man! During the last six years, with no official position, he has done infinitely more good for the world than the Current Occupant who took his place in the presidency. In the second half of this broadcast, John Nichols (the brilliant writer for the
Nation) discussed the possibilities for Gore's return to politics. Al had given his standard answer about not planning or expecting to run, not ruling it out, but not trying to be coy. About that, John Nichols said, of course he's being coy. You really should listen to the whole hour...
Live streaming here:
http://wpr.org/webcasting/live.cfm under Ideas Network. Members of WPR can download an MP3 file by going here:
http://wpr.org/wcast/ (a small donation online will make you a member and you can get this program and others, many of which are very good).
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