Gore still at it

Just learned that Al Gore has launched the Alliance for Climate Protection to continue spreading the word about climate change. Embarking on a $300 million marketing blitz called the "we campaign," Gore & co. intend to continue applying pressure on world leaders to do something about climate change. (Their website can be found here.) Go, Al!

I hope Gore's partisan opponents lay down their arms. Its refreshing that, as the Worldwatch piece points out, there exists a commercial in which Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson unite to rally citizens and policymakers to take action against climate change. An interesting pair, to say the least -- representing different religious groups (if the same religion) and political parties. Goes to show that indeed a growing number of religious leaders previously unconvinced about climate change are now coming around.

On a related note, I recently came across an old Wall Street Journal article (11/2007) about how under the successor to the Kyoto Protocol, manufacturing countries like China might be untrammeled of some of its huge emissions reduction responsibilities by shifting the burden to importing/outsourcing countries like the US. Granted, this is old news, but I don't believe it was resolved in Bali and will presumably be raised again in Copenhagen. It represents a mixed bag for China. On one hand, who wouldn't want other countries to shoulder the Herculean task of cleaning up its air? On the other hand, as the article points out, manufacturers might decide to instead set up shop in other developing countries not beholden to such clean-air restrictions. (I can't access the WSJ article online, but if you'd like to see it, I can e-mail you the PDF.)