Breakthrough: Special Feature: Al Gore's Climate and Energy Speech

In a landmark speech on July 17, Al Gore called for the country to produce all its electricity from renewables within the next ten years. He finally embraced large public investments to make clean energy cheap, and in doing so, may reframe the debate for climate activists worldwide.

But can it be done in a decade? A cursory look at the state of renewable technologies today suggests a much longer road to a clean energy economy. In this sense, Gore's dishing out the same old reassuring adage that solving the climate challenge will be easy. At Breakthrough, we know it will take a massive, sustained effort, and it will involve small failures along the way. But we also believe that being honest about what it will take is the only way to get America on board.

The Birth of a Google Gore on Climate?
Gore's call for investment to drive down the price of clean energy is akin to Google's goal, "Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal." Absent from Gore's speech was mention of the inconvenient truth he named his film after: sacrificing our standard of living. Will the Google Gore replace the Gaia Gore?

Gore Issues "Moon Shot" Call...
Al Gore can become a major ally in our ongoing effort to build consensus around an investment-centered approach to solving our energy crisis and inspiring our nation. His rallying cry to the American people was incredibly strong, and his ambitious plans vague. Much more will be revealed when he lays out the details.

If we can go to the Moon . . .
Breakthrough Senior Fellow Frank Laird takes issue with Gore's comparison of the energy challenge to the moonshot. "Going to the moon was almost a purely technological project. A single agency had to produce an event for one client who would give the agency almost any budget it wanted."

A 10-Year Quick-Fix to our Energy Woes? Get Real, Gore.
Breakthrough Senior Fellow Marty Hoffert takes on Gore's oversimplification of the problem. "In my opinion, it's better to be honest about our country's utter technological unpreparedness to tackle climate and energy."

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