operation missing link

Al Gore was at Stanford on April 23 to give a lecture on the climate crisis and the democratic crisis. He was also there to honor a friend.

Gore was there for my late mentor, advisor, employer, and intellectual father, Stephen H. Schneider’s memorial lecture and bench dedication.

Steve left us unexpectedly on July 19, 2010. He was one of the world’s most brilliant and intrepid leaders on climate change science and risk assessment. He continues to lead through all who were touched, uplifted, and transformed by him. I’m fortunate to be one of them.

I know I’ve been spoiled by Steve. I seek his caliber of leadership everywhere and find it sorely lacking.

At Gore’s lecture, I sat and absorbed his eloquent summary of cutting-edge research on symptoms such as extreme weather events and drought that show how the climate system is failing. I heard him make scathing remarks about how badly American democracy has been “hacked.”

Evidence keeps mounting that eliminating animal products from our diet is the single best thing anyone can do to immediately start fighting climate change. For some reason, climate leaders have chosen to ignore this important issue, which may be in large part because they, themselves haven't adopted a plant-based diet. This may be changing.

Al Gore image © Tom Raftery via Wikimedia

It was recently reported that on a speaking tour, Al Gore had specifically requested that vegan meals be served to him and his entourage. A couple of vegan meals does not a vegan make. So, it remains to be seen whether it was a one-off thing or if Al Gore has finally seen the light.

At a Climate Reality Project gathering of over 900 people from all over the world, Al Gore said, "Eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables." That is a direct quote, provided to us by Sailesh Rao who was in attendance. Wait a minute! you say. Hasn't he already been saying this? Actually, no. All he has ever said is that animal agriculture is part of the problem, and only when asked about the subject. His phrasing has made animal agriculture sound like a benign tumor; not wanted, but not terribly important to get worked up over.

As, we have mentioned in past articles, animal agriculture is a huge problem, and not to give it equal time and importance as renewables and carbon credits is doing a great disservice to people looking to find solutions in which they can participate. After all, not everyone can afford to buy solar panels, but everyone can change what they eat.

As we have demonstrated before, one of the serious dangers facing the planet today is climate change. And, one of the largest contributors to climate change is animal agriculture. One would wonder that if eliminating or greatly reducing one's consumption of animal products is better than hybrid cars, why aren't more people doing it?