Inconvenient, but true

Fair game, or a political stitch-up?

On Sunday night, Al Gore climbed up onto the stage by Leonardo DiCaprio to pick up his Oscar for the global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", leaving the door tantalisingly open for a tilt at the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination as he appealed to Americans to fight climate change.

Next day, an "independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan" think tank announced that it had got hold of the former vice-president's energy bills for his 20-room Tennessee mansion and found that Gore and his wife Tipper used a stunning 221,000 kWh of electricity last year.

"Al Gore’s Personal Energy Use Is His Own 'Inconvenient Truth'," ran the headline on the communique from the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.“We wanted to see if he was living by his own recommendations and walking the walk," said the group's president, Drew Johnson.
Reaction to the news, which was brought to wider attention by the Drudge Report, was entirely predictable - the liberals cried foul at the intrusion of privacy while the conservatives cried: "Hypocrite!"

According to the Department of Energy, the typical US household uses 10,656kWh of electricity a  year - 20 times less than the Gores. With gas included the former second couple spend $30,000 a year powering their mansion (not to mention their other two properties).

We checked with the Energy Savings Trust and the average household consumption in the UK is a paltry 3,300 kWh - barely enough to heat/light/cool one of the Gores' eight bathrooms. That's not to say we couldn't all do better. UK homes emit an average of six tonnes of carbon dioxide - enough to fill six balloons 10 metres high.

Curiously, neither Friends of the Earth or Greenpeace was prepared to comment on the Gore controversy. A spokeswoman for Friends of the Earth, which is organising screenings of An Inconvenient Truth at a London cinema, said: "We don't tend to comment on individuals." Greenpeace, normally  said its climate team were all unavailable, but perhaps Friends of the Earth could help?

Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for the Gores, did not dispute the figures but pointed out that both Mr and Mrs Gore liked to work from home, that they purchased only 'green' electricity and also used carbon offset schemes to reduce the family 'carbon footprint' to zero.

“Sometimes when people don’t like the message, in this case that global warming is real, it’s convenient to attack the messenger,” she added.

Comments

[Tadd Peake]

It's a lot of fun reading these comments a few weeks after the fact. Yes, folks, The story is true.

If our minister had been caught stealing and seducing our daughters, we would be rightfully outraged. And so it is perfectly reasonable to expect Mr. Gore, who is trying to shame us into buying into his power grab, to practice what he preaches. If you don't understand that, you are too gullible by far.

p.s. The article didn't mention Al Gore's Zinc mining holdings and the carbon offsets (remember Papal Indulgences?) bought for him so that he can claim his actions don't matter.

[Ian Thorpe]

I'm not a fan of Gore and think that like most politicians he is a self serving hypocrite with an eye for an opportunity.
The report however is typical American media misrepresentation. Both Al and Tipper run offices from the mansion and so have staff there. Dare we hope our media will speculate on what the carbon footprint of Clarence House or Buck House is when Prince Charles next chooses to lecture us on environmental issues?
Society is very unbalanced now, with the very rich (like the Gores) living wasteful and self indulgent lifestyles. But that does not mean the less well off can stand back and point fingers while we do nothing.

[Francis Scalzi]

This article ignores the pertinent facts in the case. The Gore houshold is run almost entirely on "green" energy sources that cost the Gores more than the coal burning and polluting energy produced by the TVA. The "carbon footprint " of the Gore household, despite the fact that is a large (320 room) mansion, is near the average. Al Gore is no ordinary citizen; certainly the UK would not expect its M. P.'s to live in condominiums ! Check out Kieth Olberman commentary on TV (MSNBC),
mediamatters.com, and Tennessean.com for the correct facts. Do not be taken in by right wing Republican attempts at character assination.

[Javier]

I agree with second post, even if he is an offender, and a hypocrite, the message is nonetheless true. Why do so many people worry about his mansion, worry about your own homes, collectively of course, and its wrong that he uses that much electricity (gosh now I see how poor of a college student I am when someone can afford 30,000 dollars a year in electricity alone) but let that be his problem (now it definitely will become a problem he will try to manage thanks to all of this negative publicity and the fact that he will want his image restored). The problem isn't JUST him, it is him, but him along with many others, if we save lets say 1000 kWh per year (for simplicity just 300 households) regardless if he continues to use 221,000 kWh, it doesn't mean that 300,000 - 221,000 = 79,000 kWh are saved, no, it means 300,000 kWh are saved. I'm not sure if this is factual but I would say the ratio of people who cant afford such luxuries as 30,000 dollars in energy versus those who can, leans a little on our side (non-rich side). It would seem as if we suffer while they just keep their lifestyles but the energy we save is helping the Earth that we live in, care not about the politician, but care for your children and the future generations whose future does not look very promising and or safe.

[Jessica]

The hypocrite, here he is lecturing the masses on saving energy while he uses 221,000kWh of power a year. Surely he should start taking some of his own advice.

[Mike]

His alleged hypocrisy doesn't make the contents of his documetary any less true....

[Darek]

The more I know about people and their attitude to the environment; the more I hope that the greenhouse theory is incorrect. Otherwise the future looks gloom.

[D. Lewis]

We need leaders whose personal lives reflect the morality that they advocate others live by. Oh but for a few righteous men and women in positions of leadership and the world would be different. If it were not for the suppression of all manner of energy-saving technologies by big business (the oil companies and auto makers) as well as the profiteers who put personal gain above justice and principles we'd almost be living in a golden age. We need leaders who have the moral fiber to stand up to big money.

[Francis Scalzi]

Message to TIMES ONLINE:
Your reporters should check the facts much more carefully before printing a hit piece on Al Gore by a right wing Republican "think tank", the Drudge Report, and FOX NEWS. If you wish to see the real facts, watch Kieth Olberman in MSNBC and visit mediachannel.org.
These honest and accurate news sources lay out all the details indicating that the Gores purchase "blocks" of "green" energy for their 20 room mansion (a house the serves as offices for Gore and his wife, rooms for his visitors and family, and requiring security). The effluent of polluting gases produced by these "green" energy sources for the Gore home is no more than the everage large home. The Times and its readers have been snookered once again, as have most careless newspapers in the USA and the UK, by the Republican Party slime machine. You should know better by now than to swallow the bait before spreading the manure. The Guardian will also have to do better if UK newsprint is to be believed. Leave the tabloid excrement to Rupert Murdoch.

[Bink]

It isn’t fair to compare an average American household to an average English household when it comes to energy consumption.
First England doesn’t face the temperature extremes American homes face. How many English families have central air-conditioning? How many English homes don’t even have a window air conditioner? How mild is an English winter compared to the bone numbing cold that whips across America’s heart land.
You also must take into account how tiny the average English home is compared to the average American home. Plus English homes tend to be built in rows, all connected to each other so there are only two walls exposed to the elements.
Then look at how miniscule English appliances are, what does the average refrigerator hold in England? A quart of milk, a stick of butter, and a six pack. Then look at the average American refrigerator, almost six feet tall with a freezer going down the length of one side. While the other dispenses water and ice right on the door.
American retailers are just starting to stock florescent energy efficient light bulbs, so now the the American consumers actually have a choice, I expect you will see more and more people switching their lamps over to non-incandescent bulbs. That alone will make a huge difference in the amount of electricity used in the U.S.

[Luis Passoni]

No surprise. When it comes from US it is either hypocrisy or lie. Anyway, the important information is that an average US family spends 10,000kW/year while in UK 3,300kW/year, not bad for Britons, but try to compare this with average African or South American countries, "paltry" will be better applied in these cases. This is the real discussion if we are to build a better word for all, not only for northern people.

[Jose Latour]

As a Cuban who lived forty-three years under Communism, I can attest that the same happens in my country. The Maximum Leader and his henchmen ask Cubans to save energy and preserve the environment, but there are no blackouts where they live and work and Fidel Castro rides his fleet of Mercedes Benz everywhere. He used to send Cuban young men to "liberate" countries, but none of his sons died abroad "fighting imperialism."

More often than not national leaders talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Which is why many don't trust them.

Thanks, Tennessee Center for Policy Research

[Luke Ryan]

The American attitude towards energy saving is laughable, it is a completely alien concept to the average citizen. I recall whilst I was serving in the RAF employed as an arms control inspector. An American army major joined our team for an operation, he was accommodated in the officers mess on our base in the UK. I asked him if everything was "OK" with his billet, he answered " I can't figure out how to have a shave in warm water when you have two faucets, one cold, the other scalding"(mixer taps being the norm in the US). I explained that it is necessary to use the plug in the sink to achieve the desired temperature. He was truly shocked to think that us "Brits" didn't use running water to wash and shave with. This was the attitude of an intelligent man, what hope is there for the rest of the populace ?

[Jake]

As a New York State resident, I think it is terrible that the "nonpartisan" groups are beginning again to work at digging up all the dirt that they can in order to ruin peoples reputations.

On the other hand, even by offsetting your carbon footprint, you are still emitting all that Carbon. It is better to try to redue your own carbon than only to offset it.

[ca]

This has all the hallmarks of a Republican "dirty tricks" stitch up.I would discount it.
Remember how John Kerry was hit by the later discredited Swift Boat scam?