A Generational Challenge to Repower America ( We Can Solve the Climate Crisis, July 17, 2008 )
Summary: In this July 17, 2008 speech, Al Gore calls for the U.S. to convert to all renewable electricity in ten years. He stresses the immediacy of the current climate crisis, and voices his support for switching from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable electricity.
Topic: Renewable Electricity Policy
Category: Institutional (Non-Profit)
What is it? A Speech by Al Gore
Title: A Generational Challenge to Repower America
Author: Al Gore
Publication Information: We Can Solve the Climate Crisis, wecansolveit.org, July 17, 2008
Location:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/17/ST2008071701337.html
Accessed: January 29, 2009 at 10:00 PM
Support:
1. Scientists with access to data from Navy submarines traversing underneath the North polar ice cap
2. Distinguished senior business leaders
3. Two major studies from military intelligence experts
4. 27 senior statesmen and retired military leaders
5. Scientists in the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science at Tel Aviv University
6. one OPEC oil minister observed
7. President John F. Kennedy
8. the world’s scientists
In Al Gore’s speech, “A Generational Challenge to Repower America,” he cites several sources. However, many of them are rather vague and unhelpful, like “distinguished senior business leaders,” and “the world’s scientists,” for example. Nevertheless, the sources listed work well together to build support for the speech.
Source Analysis: Founded by Al Gore, We Can Solve the Climate Crisis is a non-profit project of The Alliance for Climate Protection. According to wecansolveit.org, their goal is to “build a movement that creates the political will to solve the climate crisis — in part through repowering America with 100 percent of its electricity from clean energy sources within 10 years.” Al Gore’s speech was targeted toward his actual audience in Washington D.C.’s D.A.R. Constitution Hall.
Usefulness: This source is useful for many reasons. This source was formed as a speech intended to persuade the audience to agree with a certain viewpoint. This speech was intended to reach the greatest number of people possible, thus it was uploaded onto Youtube.com, and other cites. On YouTube, the speech has recieved 201,296 views, to date. This speech would probably appeal to a more liberal/environmentally-friendly audience. A specific audience or target demographic, however, is not specifically indicated. Al Gore’s speech argues that the U.S. can convert to 100% clean, renewable electricity by 2018. It leaves out some crucial information. Specifically that pertaining to the current state of renewable energy mandates. However, Al Gore’s speech is still useful as a source.
Works Cited:
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.wecansolveit.org/content/pages/304/
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