WASHINGTON (October 12, 2007) - The Wilderness Society today commended former Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for receiving this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for their work raising public awareness of the global climate change crisis.
“From Alaska to Florida, global warming threatens the integrity of our parks, forests, and other public lands,” Wilderness Society Executive Vice President Don Barry said. “This award serves as further proof for the Administration that the science on global warming does matter, not only ecologically but in the broader context of global political instability and world peace. The federal government must do a much better job in integrating global warming into all aspects of their work in managing our public lands and wild special places for future generations.”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has lead important international efforts to provide the most complete and accurate assessments of the impacts of climate change. Former Vice President Al Gore helped place climate change at the forefront of the American policy debate through his book and Oscar-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”
“Their work illustrates why we must tackle this crisis head-on or risk dramatic changes to the world’s habitats and ecosystems,” added Barry, a former assistant secretary at the Interior Department.
