Nobel Peace Prize laureate Al Gore has called for a campaign of civil disobedience to stop the construction of new coal-fired power plants that lack the technology to capture carbon and store it underground. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, Gore said, “(T)he world has lost ground to the climate crisis… I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration.” The former U.S. vice-president also called on attorneys general in individual states to investigate whether utility companies could be prosecuted for stock fraud if they continue to play down the urgency of the climate crisis and coal’s role in it. Gore, who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made his remarks while addressing the opening session of former President Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative, which assembles leaders from various fields to address the world’s most pressing problems.
Gore Urges CampaignTo Stop Construction of Coal Plants
More From E360
-
INTERVIEW
Will U.S. Push on Seabed Mining End Global Consensus on Oceans?
-
Biodiversity
In Mexico’s ‘Avocado Belt,’ Villagers Stand Up to Protect Their Lands
-
Food & Agriculture
How Herbicide Drift from Farms Is Harming Trees in Midwest
-
Policy
U.S. Aid Cuts Are Hitting Global Conservation Projects Hard
-
INTERVIEW
How a Former Herder Protected Mongolia’s Vast Grasslands
-
Solutions
A.I. Is Quietly Powering a Revolution in Weather Prediction
-
RIVERS
On a Dammed River, Amazon Villagers Fight to Restore the Flow
-
Biodiversity
With the Great Mussel Die-Off, Scientists Scramble for Answers
-
ANALYSIS
Recycling Nuclear Waste: A Win-Win or a Dangerous Gamble?
-
CONFLICT
In War-Torn Sudan, a Gold Mining Boom Takes a Human Toll
-
Opinion
With NOAA Cuts, a Proud Legacy and Vital Science Are at Risk
-
Biodiversity
Imperiled in the Wild, Many Plants May Survive Only in Gardens