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This just in: Al Gore is joining forces with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in a new venture to promote clean energy technologies. From Fortune (via CNN):
…Gore appears utterly comfortable with this drill, but in fact he’s engaging in some on-the-job training. The recovering politician, environmental activist, and Nobel laureate is adding another title to his résumé: venture capitalist. After “a conversation that’s gone on for a year and a half,” according to Gore, he has decided to join his old pal John Doerr as an active, hands-on partner at Kleiner Perkins, Silicon Valley’s preeminent venture firm….
According to Doerr, by 2009 more than a third of Kleiner’s latest fund, which was raised in 2006 and totals $600 million, will be invested in technologies that aim to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Already Kleiner has invested more than $270 million from various funds in 26 companies that make everything from microbes that scrub old oil wells to electric cars to noncorn ethanol. Twelve of Kleiner’s 22 partners now spend some or all of their time on green investments.
In turn, Doerr, the master networker whose greatest hits include initial investments in Netscape, Amazon (Charts, Fortune 500), and Google (Charts, Fortune 500), will join the exclusive advisory board of Generation Investment Management. That’s the $1 billion investment company Gore started three years ago in London with David Blood, the former head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, to analyze and invest in publicly traded “sustainable” companies. Over the past five weeks Gore, Doerr, and Blood agreed to give Fortune an exclusive look at their new alliance.
Already they’ve begun to pool information. Generation came across a small company engaged in carbon trading that Kleiner is analyzing, and Kleiner has shared intelligence about which startups could threaten the established companies in Generation’s portfolio. In the long term, though, they want to help drive something much larger, “bigger than the Industrial Revolution and significantly faster,” as Gore puts it.
They argue that to halt global warming, nothing less will be required than a makeover of the $6 trillion global energy business. Coal plants, gas stations, the internal-combustion engine, petrochemicals, plastic bags, even bottled water will have to give way to clean, green, sustainable technologies. “What we are going to have to put in place is a combination of the Manhattan Project, the Apollo project, and the Marshall Plan, and scale it globally,” Gore continues. “It’d be promising too much to say we can do it on our own, but we intend to do our part.”
So that pretty much answers the lingering questions about “will he or won’t he,” doesn’t it?
(Photo via AlexdeCarvalho.)
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Fitz
Sigh.
where do I sign up?
Much as I would have loved for him to be president, I never really thought he would run again. And much as we need someone like him as president, he can do much more for the world at large outside of office.
Good news, but a little sad.
I’d rather have him there, working for good in global capital. Gore won’t have the constraints he would have had as President.
And frankly, the role suits him better than that of President.
If this works the way I think it might, this could do more to reduce CO2 pollution than anything else Gore’s done. I’m convinced that the technologies are available but have been bought up & trashed by oil cos. What is needed is a financial interest on the other side, to get these technologies into practice.
If Gore makes big money, and if big money continues to run our politics, he will get another shot at running the country. I’m not saying this is the reason for his venture, but it could be an unintended consequence.
So sad. Had hoped for better news, even though this is good news.
I hate feeling this resigned before the primary season has actually launched.
OldCoastie @ 3
I’m with you on that.
I think it sounds like he’s making a choice that will use his time well, and I wish him (and us) good luck.
Now, we just need a President that will be supportive of the fight to save the planet. I think Edwards has a similar plan for tackling global warming to that laid out by Gore.
There are a lot of green technologies waiting to be brought to large scale. It’s time for a massive investment. Too bad the Bush Administration had other priorities.
It just seems to me if we had taken 1/10th of the dough it’s costing to fight in Iraq, we could have these technologies in no time at all… instead we have this (from the WSJ):
scory @ 6
Ding!
eCAHNomics @ 7
Bingo. I’m with you completely in this regard. There has been a number of very promising technologies out there but they seem to have gone no place. I think Al Gore has found his “place in the universe” and being president is not going to get him there. I think Gore’s thinking is too large to be contained in a presidential bid.
Green Technology is the only industry left that will save our country from plummeting to third world status & the total destruction of the middle class. But that is what the GOP wants. I just wish all the indy’s out there could wrap their brain around that when they walk into the voting booth.
SadieSue @ 4
Well precisely. I never really understood the draft Gore push, to be honest.
Sounds very interesting.
Had to chuckle at the “recovering politician” line, though. So true!
Morning, all. Workin’ on my cup of coffee before going out to conquer…my house?
OldCoastie @ 13
What a shock!
eCAHNomics @ 7
Ding ding ding.
I’m *positive* that this is basically the reason we haven’t seen much in the last thirty years. Everytime we start to hear about something interesting, it silently disappears soon after. We need something big enough to keep the oil co’s at a distance and still bring out their stuff.
How to buy in is the question? That 403B money has not been invested yet…
Very interesting and exciting. 100 per barrel oil is a good wind at the back of this enterprise.
1,656 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen Hardin Smith:
“So that pretty much answers the lingering questions about ‘will he or won’t he’ doesn’t it?”
Does it…are you sayin that Gore could not legally distance himself from the investment group if he ran and wouldn’t it be advantageous both for the investment and for the cause for Gore to occupy the White House and control the domestic politics of conversion to alternative fuels?
I still think he will enter the race unless Edwards wins in Iowa (which is a distinct possibility)…if Edwards wins Iowa look for an immediate endorsement from Gore and a hint from Edwards that Big Al would be VP in an Edwards administration.
The proximity of this White House to the oil industry makes it difficult for anyone to delimit another administration from proximity to non-existent alternative energy businesses.
KEEP THE FAITH…SOME OF THE GOOD GUYS (AND GALS) ARE SMARTER’N THE FASCISTS!!
A close family friend refitted his car to be electric in the 1970’s. Some of these technologies have been sitting idle for a long time.
OldCoastie @ 13
I’m just shaking my head & repeating (for the umpteenth time) – just when I think they can’t possibly surprise me, they do. Unbelievable.
Gore’s picking the perfect time to do this — silicon, the basic material used in most solar cells, is about to go into big-time production with a corresponding price drop that will make solar energy cheaper than oil, even with oil’s massive subsidies.
From http://seekingalpha.com/articl…..lar-flare:
peanutbutter @ 19
Back in the first oil crisis (73-74), an economist who worked for a Japanese securities firm asserted that Japanese auto makers would, within a couple of years, produce cars with 60-70 mpg. More than 30 years later, it still hasn’t happened. Anyone guess why that might be?
Our military is not only a dumb approach to foreign policy, it is horrible destructive to the environment. Their equipment consumes enormous amounts of diesel, kerosene, jet fuel and gasoline. And they have created vast toxic sites from dumping.
Downsizing the MIC MUST be done to save the environment.
Peak Oil is here and things are heading for a quick slide as the economy dives from high energy costs.
If the economy can be moved to a green one, perhaps there can be a soft landing. But we are so into the internal combustion engine and the suburbs and exburbs and shipping goods around the world, it’s hard to envision that the change can deal with green economical transport.
Each person who flies from NY to LA uses 100 gallons of fuel!
Egregious
Some of the first cars ever sold were electric. They had a downside- you couldn’t drive em very far without recharging. That’s the same problem we have today. Without new battery technology, electric cars are limited to 50 miles or so. Not enough to be viable.
The energy sector is cashing out as fossil fuel prices go through the ceiling. They are loving it as long as they can… and have done everything possible to ride this high till the end… the planet be damned.
egregious @ 23
sitting ‘idle’ for a long time.
egregious @ 23
Who Killed the Electric Car is a must-see PBS video.
Electricity is largely produced from fossil fuels. Plastic are produced from petroleum.
We have some major re dos ahead.
Batteries are nasty as far as the environment is concerned. Storing electricity in a clean manner is yet another problem aside from increasing their efficiency.
“Who killed the electric car?” was great- although I didn’t buy the whole premise. The idea that GM had a commercially viable product but stopped production cause it would destroy it’s dealer’s service business ignores the fact that GM has never given a shit about it’s dealers.
SanderO @ 32
Plastics can be made from plant products, such as corn (though other plant materials would work better). As for electricity, see my comment #25. Solar will be priced on a par with — if not cheaper than — oil in five years’ time.
Here’s an Aptera, a hybrid made in Carlsbad, CA. My brother is checking these out. 20K.
“What we are going to have to put in place is a combination of the Manhattan Project, the Apollo project, and the Marshall Plan, and scale it globally,” Gore continues. “It’d be promising too much to say we can do it on our own, but we intend to do our part.”
Gore is going to move the earth under our feet.
what I don’t get is why the oil companies don’t see themselves as “energy companies”… and invest all that money they are making into the new technologies instead of resisting it endlessly…
how dumb is that?
It amazes me how many bright shiny 14 mpg SUVs we see being driven home- with $100 per barrel oil already here.
You would think that people would reject paying $500 per month for gasoline- but apparently not..
We need basic research into american dementia.
Those bright shiny SUVs? Mostly Cadillacs it seems…they still don’t realize they’re being laughed at! They still think they’re the cool kidz. (And watch how many are repossessed.)
OldCoastie @ 38
I’m with you there. From a long term planning aspect, it makes no sense for the oil companies to NOT get heavily involved in wind and solar — their current fuel source is basically going away. We had a wagon company in my home town in the early 1900s – they moved into making trucks and became Brockway, which eventually was bought up by Mack, but still, if they’d stayed in wagons, they’d have only been a footnote in the local historical society. As it was, they produced product into the 1970s before they were bought and closed by their competitor.
Just read a story about how Toyota is going over to the dark side- opposing MPG regulations- why? Because the Prius doesn’t make any money- so they think they need to hook their future to 14 mpg pick-me-up trucks that yield $10,000 per pop profit.
BP (British Petroleum)is among the leaders in marketing solar panels.,
rwcole @ 42
Wow – I guess all of their talk about hybrids in every segment was trash, then. Too bad – a good bit of their mystique is their commitment to green.
Lets see… lose to Hillary (not a foregone conclusion – but these folks deal with odds and bookmaking) and have Bill never invite you to any more parties – or make a few billion dollars… hmmm.
rwcole @ 43
You mean BP “beyond petroleum”. Marketing? or for real?
Oil companies are run by geologists (strangely enough). They have no particular expertise beyond finding oil and getting it out of the ground- and bribing govts. That’s what they do.
Knut Wicksell @ 8
coulda woulda shoulda…
Rod- No- they actually have a fair market share in panel sales.
SadieSue @ 4
Unfortunate though I think it is that in order to save the earth, we may have to sacrifice our country and our way of life, even this sort of alliance must have an affiliate in the Oval Office. Mr. Gore will have to form some sort of alliance with the President and the leadership of the House and the Senate in order to pass the type of reform legislation needed for the types of programs he has proposed.
He says he hasn’t talked to any of the candidates yet, but he will be a potential king-maker for sure. He must get a feel for candidates’ priorities and how they can meld the real world with the future world. This is so challenging, what with the war and the Constitution all potential pitfalls, actually more like sinkholes waiting to happen. I am very much worried about the loss of our civil liberties and lawbreaking from the Oval Office becoming the norm without Gore’s leadership to head the ship of state. Currently, the only two candidates that have talked enough about these issues are Dodd and Biden, IMO, and so now I’m leaning all the more in Biden’s direction, although Edwards has potential, as does Obama.
I know one thing for sure. I would love to be a fly on the wall in some of the back room meetings that will go on at the Democratic National Convention!
rwcole @ 28
Plus you have to produce clean electricity.
The Prius isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty damned good. Costs $20K- is heavy enough to be safe (cars under 3,000 pounds are dangerous on american roads)- can carry five people and a fair amount of shit—-and gets nearly 50 mpg..
So the question is—why don’t more people have one? Until that problem is solved- we’re goin no where.
Rayne @ 9
Me too! But I should mention that I commend him for putting his money where his mouth is!
OldCoastie @ 38
I know! You’d think they’d realize they were perfectly positioned to keep investing in the next and newest technologies with all that money they’ve got.
But I suspect part of the answer is that so many of the alternative energies are much more distributed. Where’s the central control (and moola) on a distributed solar grid?
Yes, I know, they fail to take into account someone’s going to have to make and install and maintain these panels. *shakes head* They want an energy dispenser with all of us lined up, hats in hands, waiting for what little they will deign to give us at maximum dollar…
At the moment i’d love an electric alternative. I just got the prognosis that my car is toast. Compressor gone in a 12 year old car, and i’m one of those stuck living paycheck to paycheck.
I’d bet there’d be a whole new set of problems with electrics or even hybrids, but THIS drives me nuts along with the cost of gas. So many issues with the internal combustion engine it isn’t funny.
I would like to see our country making and producing clean technologies. The fact that we don’t build anything any more really bothers me.
If the entire world is hungry for more energy, doesn’t it seem like it would be lucrative for us to be producing it?
simple concept.
First primary in what? Seven weeks? It’s a bit late for anyone to jump into this race. Once we have Iowa- we’ll have a candidate within two months.
Phoenix Woman @ 25
Huge disconnect, though, in the estimate about the silicon…the largest single consumer of electric power in Michigan is a producer of silicon for solar collectors. They are threatening to take their business out of our state if they cannot get a coal-fired energy plant in order to provide cheap electricity for their furnaces. Coal is a bargain compared to natural gas; if natural gas rises above $7/Mcf (and it has been this year, if memory serves), coal becomes cost effective for electricity generation.
Ugh.
There may be suppliers willing to come on line, but if natural gas spikes, there will not be much silicon produced and we’ll be literally over a barrel.
rwcole @ 53
I looked into this recently. Trust me, right now the Prius is a dealer’s market and you are not going to get one for $20K. More like $23K or so. Plus you can’t get the clean air stickers anymore for the carpool lanes, so it’s actually the case that used Prius with the stickers can command *more*.
Also, not too many people seem to know this, but the hybrids do not function (as hybrids; they switch over to gas with the corresponding drop in mileage) in cold weather or high altitude.
That said, there’s TONS of Prius and a respectable smattering of Civic hybrids on the southern California freeways.
There’s plenty of money to be made- but the winners will have to buy government support. Govt. subsidies will carry the day.
egregious @ 12
It’s what happens when the Supreme Court chooses two oilmen for the top offices in the land. Heaven forbid that they choose the guy with the most actual popular votes in the country.
oh wait, I forgot! oil companies can’t control the sunshine!
OldCoastie @ 62
ding! :-)
As to a Gore run? I don’t think so either. And I find myself stuck with the presidential possibility of a Republican devoid of political quality running against a Democrat who’s voting record I don’t like and whom I don’t trust.
Peanut.
Yeah- they’re not perfect- but they’re way better than the alternatives- and they’re clean even when under gas power.
I think hybrids have something like 2% market share- not enough to lead a charge.
rwcole @ 53
I can tell you that my husband and I recently went to two different Toyota dealerships in our area and here are the results:
Dealer 1: Had one, 2007 on the lot. We came armed with Consumer Reports Car Pricing report. They refused to talk anything under sticker price.
Dealer 2: Had two 2008s available. Same deal at first. We made them an offer; they laughed and kept repeating the sticker price. We walked. They called back the next day and offered to split the difference.
I don’t know about anyone else’s experience, but it seems that Toyota dealers do not feel they have to negotiate at all on the Prius.
Toby Wollin @ 44
How about this angle … The Big 3 Execs get lulled even further into producing gas guzzlers and writing themselves fat bonuses while Toyota stealthily converts their entire lineup into hybrids or Plug- Ins … oh wait, that’s already happening …
rwcole @ 53
Speaking only for myself (as to why I don’t have one) – they are much more money than I can afford (I typically buy used for $5-6K & keep them for years), they are really ugly (from a design perspective), & I find all the electronics a bit disturbing. On the other hand, I live in a village so I can walk to almost everything & only have to drive when I need to do major shopping or want to go to the movies. I figure it balances out my older car. And yes, I know hating the design is shallow but since both Rick & I are designers, it’s hard to buy things we don’t find well-designed on both a working & a visual level.
Toyotas are great cars, but typically the dealers really suck.
Toby Wollin @ 41
They DO see themselves as energy companies; I know at least one actively advertises as such. Royal Dutch Shell has been planning based on alternative energy scenarios for nearly 2 decades, has been trading in alternative energy futures.
But we are at a point where alternative energy still costs more than fossil fuel, making it very easy for energy companies to game the system. They are speculating heavily right now, making money while demand for both alternative energy and fossil fuels are high, and in some cases, thwarting alternative energy production by siphoning off money that could be used for venture capital into investments in existing energy production.
Hence Gore joining a VC; he knows this is part of the bottleneck that needs to be unstopped.
rwcole @ 52
It’s the design. Same reason people quit buying the Oldsmobile. I realize being aerodynamic is really important, but the Prius is not a good-looking car imo.
OldCoastie @ 38
They’re not dumb, they are shrewd businesspeople. They sell the idea of “Peak Oil” to get the most $$$ for every drop of crude, knowing only too well that they have an enormous supply of the Black Gold.
I hate to say it, but chimpy may have done us a great big favor getting oil prices so very high… it’s going to hurt for awhile, but there may be a payoff down the road.
NorskeFlamethrower @ 22
What an interesting idea, Norske
The planet is going to have to go green. We should be in the vanguard of this global effort.
It is the right thing to do and good business.
Gore is a visionary.
Rayne @ 71
Exactly. And Gore, as a part of a VC, can direct investment to companies that are both viable and sustainable — and ethical.
RE: #26
There was a man who made an engine run on garbage I remember seeing on the Ed Sullivan Show…
Our tantrum throwing infant in charge is once again upset.
The Bush administration is losing patience with Gordon Brown over Iran, with senior American diplomats frustrated by his reluctance to declare bluntly that the Islamic state must never be allowed nuclear weapons.
Allies of Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, have told The Sunday Telegraph that the Prime Minister should emulate France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy and warn that Iran may face military action, in order to help avert a new war in the Middle East.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new…..ran111.xml
If another neocon, like say Ghouliani, makes it into the WH, or the ones currently there don’t leave, how can Gore’s VC enterprises be successful? They must be banking on a definite regime change in the US. JMHO
OT..This should be fun:
It’s official: embattled State Department Inspector General Howard “Cookie” Krongard will finally testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday.
TPM
Loo Hoo. @ 72
I’m not good looking either, but the wife says I’m a fairly good ride …
Hiya Loo Hoo … is it too early for innuendos ?!! *g*
I don’t exactly see a place for Gore in a Clinton administration.
Petrocelli @ 68
Bill Ford is an environmentalist and I think Ford would be much farther ahead environmentally (and they do have the only hybrid SUV) if not for the downturn in the economy and also the stockholders…
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2…..print.html
I think Gore may actually be taking on too much and projects are starting to suffer. Current TV has already begun sliding into crap because the TV people are taking over and turning it into a TV channel spewing out MTV crap rather than a collaboration between independent web producers and the audience to get stuff on TV.
It seems these days that most of the best people steer clear of political office. This was not always the case.
rwcole @ 53
thats one question, but here’s another one – for how long will suburban and exurban communities be viable with gas headed towards $10 a gallon in a couple years?
Many think that demand is now exceeding supply , and therefore prices will only go up. Then there are market disruptions and hoarding, if you really want the frighteners.
maybe the era of Happy Motoring, and the disasterous, wasteful, ugly , speculative suburban expansion era is over finally.
So the Prius is just a partial solution to the problem of how to cross between exurban shopping islands – a problem that will soon be fixing itself.
more good news at: http://jameshowardkunstler.typ…..ck_nation/
Hello, Mr. Petrocelli! Never too early for a laugh!
Oklahoma kiddo @ 82
Looks like he’s going to be busy saving our mother.
Dee @ 84
Bill Ford ran FordMoCo the way Bush is running America … into the ground.
He is an environmentalist the way Bush is a peace lover.
Bill and the last 4 CEOs should be ashamed of what they did to Henry Ford’s company !
NorskeFlamethrower @ 22
I don’t believe there is ANY way you will ever see Al Gore in the role of VP again! In fact, he ruled that position out in an interview this last weekend! Prez, maybe, although I think the perception of conflict of interest would be very high! After all, this is a very risk-laden venture!
Of course, in many ways, the perception of conflict of interest should be very high for the Bush administration, too, with their ties to the oil industry and the military/industrial complex. That’s why the VPs dealings with his secret energy panel deserves investigation and scrutiny, absolutely. And every single dealing with Halliburton also deserves all the sunshine that can be shed on it.
We had Jimmy Carter and Al Gore. And we let ‘em get away.
Loo Hoo. @ 88
hehe…We’re not all that excited about the design of the new Prius either. But it does have a hatchback and you can fold down the seats so that it holds quite a lot. This is replacing a 1999 Chrysler minivan that gets maybe 20 mpg. We figure if we need to get a whole lot of stuff at the lumber yard, we can rent a van for the day. But owning all that capacity and then it being dirty and a gas hog to boot. No. We did not get the Prius because of looks.
Speaking of Gore, eriposte reminded me of the 2000 politics when the Bradley supporters were attacking Gore as “No better than Bush” and the effect that trashing Gore had on the general election.
Forgetting and repeating history?
A Short History of Recent U.S. Presidential Politics – Part 1: Bringing Honesty and Integrity Back to the White House
link
Oklahoma kiddo @ 92
And yet, OKK, both of them left to go on to make much bigger contributions on a global scale than they were ever able to in DC. Not a bad tradeoff in my estimate.
This business about “halting global warming” is so far out in left field, as if global warming is a train whose brakes need application.
Global warming and other cycles like it are non-linear systems, and the contribution or the withdrawal of human activities does not guarantee an orderly, linear behavior. What I am hearing is the the recovery of the planet is far more complex and slower than most people realize, that not only the air shed, but the ocean contamination contributes, and that, if human activity stopped entirely now, the cycle would take about 100,000 years to stabilize, and at what point stabilization settles is not known for sure.
So, yes, serious efforts must be undertaken, but do not expect that this means a return to the particular point of well being we have enjoyed for so long will be the outcome.
Loo Hoo. @ 88
I had taken the past 4 days off from celebrating life, to celebrate Diwali (Festival of Lights) … too much food, drink and sweets … *g*
1,656 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen oklahomakiddo and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
“I find myself stuck with a presidential possibility of a Republican devoid of political quality running against a Democrat whose voting record I don’t like and whom I don’t trust.”
Don’t resign yerself so easily, brother kiddo, there were well heeled politicos here on FDL who were predictin’ a fascist landslide in ‘04 AND fascist retention of the Congress in ‘06 because they advanced the idea that 35% of the votin’ population were Bushbot fascists. Well, neither prediction came ta fruition and now we see that the fascist vote is between 17 and 25% if ya take Bush’s approval ratings as the best measure of the ideological splits.
Your worry about Mrs. Clinton is certainly understandable but don’t drink the Koolaid…if Edwards beats ‘er in Iowa he’ll kill ‘er in New Hampshire. Also, with the wheels comin’ offa the Obama bus, it appears that Obama is simply servin’ ta suck Clinton support from the margins and corporate money that would go ta Mrs. Clinton.
Hang in there kiddo, this thing is a good long way from over…the battle right now is between the DNC and the DCCC/DLC nexus. The winner of the battle for control of the Party congressional caucus will determine whether or not we have a political future that includes democracy.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION…WE GOTTA LET OUR LEADERS KNOW WHERE WE’RE GOIN’ SO THEY KEN LEAD US – MORE DEMOCRAZY!!
As things stand now I won’t be voting for the probable Democratic presidential candidate a year from now. I will be voting to get rid of the Republicans. There is a difference.
On the other hand, buying an older car means that you are reusing old stuff instead of producing new crap, so that’s actually good. I was at an environmental forum hosted by GWU a couple months ago, and they emphasized this point. Priuses are the best new car, but buying a used car is generally better.
As for myself, I have a Toyota Yaris, which gets very good mileage (I think it’s ranked third after the Prius and the Civic hybrid). I wanted a hybrid but they are just way too expensive. Also, I hear that the battery in them gives out fairly quickly within a few years. My father refuses to even contemplate buying one within the next ten years.
Here in the DC area, every third car is a Prius. (And personally, I think they’re adorable.)
Toby Wollin @ 95
I would love to see President Gore with a veto- proof majority in both houses … what he could implement in 4 years would be far greater than anything else he might do in twice that time.
Steve-AR @ 94
I supported Bradley and think he would have won without SCOTUS’s help like Bush. Anyway, his campaign was very short-lived (disappointingly so, for me and a few others) and Zi really don’t think anything Bradley said or did affected the outcome. Bottom line is if Gore coulda carried his own home state……..
Norske, I appreciate you.
A dem candidate who wins is going to have to say a lot of things that we won’t like much- and will disappoint us many times while in office. This is a permanent condition. Our views are not majority views- Yeah- I know- they could be- should be- maybe someday will be- but they aren’t now.
NorskeFlamethrower @ 98
Gore in my estimation, would (rightly so) blow them all out of the water, if he came in.
I’m just back from a meeting in Canada with 150 Canadian companies who were all discussing global warming and the role companies can play to head towards solutions. In my work, I talk with folks dealing with this everyday and I must say the corporate folks are more actively engaged in the issue than most politicians.
Gore is a regular speaker and inspiring business leaders to understand the opportunity as well as the risk we all face.
Governments – esp ours – are way behind and Gore is one of those choosing to work where there is the most potential for the fast action which is desperately needed.
I’m off for Veteran’s day, so just wanna say Happy VD to everybody and thanks to all the Vets, especially the “phony soldiers” who keep their brains and sense of priorities and just plain sense while they serve and thereafter.
on c-span now
guantanamo bay detainees and human rights issues …coming up shortly
Steve-AR @ 80
Hope you guys will live blog the festivities!
My mini van is 3 and a half years old- a mere child. By the time it’s seven–I hope there’s a good hybrid mini van out there….Toyota could have done it this year and didn’t. Here’s a chance for Chrysler to score!
1,656 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Firepup Freedom Fighters:
Who has determined that Gore isn’t prepared ta run if things break for ‘im…and who except the corporate media mouthpieces has anointed Mrs. Clinton?
Come on folks…Gore’s announcement jest serves ta bring global warmin’ and alternative energy back into the conversation, it doesn’t do ANYthin’ to the status of the race for the nomination.
KEEP THE FAITH, TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER AND FOR GOD’S SAKE DON’T GIVE UP!!
rwcole @ 104
If that is the case I will be working to make that person a one-termer.
rwcole @ 110
yup, a nice little diesel electric would be just the ticket…
rwcole @ 104
Agreed. Think we lose sight of that sometimes and that electoral map is still very red.
Let me see if I can get this straight. The most powerful office in the world (American presidency) has less impact on environmental concerns than a private citizen?
For people who are unclear about Ron Paul…there is a summary of legislation sponsored by Congressman Paul..it ain’t pretty.
Orcinus
Tesla makes an electric sports car and claims a 245 mile range. Problem is, the base price is $98K.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 115
With the current Administration, don’t you mean the American Vice Presidency?
Heh. On the rerun from this morning’s Washington Journal the host is saying that they haven’t heard from many Repubs and he had to put up the number again….
One question worth considering is how much each of us are doing each and every day to decrease our carbon footprint? and are you offsetting your carbon emissions?
LS @ 119
In the Virginia elections analysts noted the Republican party was having trouble finding candidates to run. Tsk.
rwcole @ 28
What you say here does not comport with any of what I’ve read for the most recent generation of electric cars. These were the cars that were actually destroyed when they were taken back by their automakers. The people that had them were not allowed to keep them even though they wanted to, according to reports. I am going to rewatch “Who Killed the Electric Car” later to see if this was where I saw some of this information, although I’m sure some was from printed articles.
Siun @ 120
Hmmm… I let part of my back yard go “back to nature” and there are a bunch of small trees back there now – does that count? (The cardinals love it.)
Siun @ 120
In California I drove an hour to work and an hour home. Here, I walk to work mostly.
maralenenok @ 100
I hadn’t really thought about it that way since I tend to prefer old things generally but that’s a wonderful way to look at it! Both my parents were kids during the Depression so my brother & I were raised to make good use of things (their first car was a 1956 Beetle & they had it until the floor finally fell out in 1976). Not that I don’t occasionally fall into the “it’s new, I want it” trap but I try not to.
Siun,
I’m working with a client on a possible biodiesel project in Canada, and my daughter does public presentations on reducing organizations’ carbon footprint. I’d like to get in touch with you….can you get my e-mail from FDL and e-mail me, or could I get your e-mail address?
MayDaze @ 117
How much better is an electric car, being recharged from a coal fired generator, compared to a Prius type car?
Steve-AR @ 116
No. It ain’t. Mainsteam media again fails miserably. It’s reporting on this guy has been awful in terms of what he has stood for. To Paul’s credit, the few times I’ve seen him, if they’d just ask him about any of this crap, he’s not gonna say, like Romney, that his position has evolved. He’ll own up to all of this looniness. Oughta be reported – not just that he’s the phenom of the moment.
1,656 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen rwcole and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
“A dem candidate who wins is going to have to say things that we won’t like much – and will disappoint us many times while in office.”
Why? Politics is the art of the possible and with control of both houses of Congress and a solid majority of the votin’ population,ANYthin’ is possible in democrazy!
Remember conventional wisdom was predictin’ a 35% wingnut base…and now we know it’s 17-25% and shrinkin’. Conventional wisdom had the fascists maintainin’ control of BOTH houses and conventional wisdom…well, conventional wisdom is nuthin’ more’n corporate oatmeal – tastes good but lasts jest long enuff ta get ta the outhouse!
KEEP THE FAITH AND WATCH WATCHER DRINKIN’!!
OldCoastie @ 3
IIRC, CalPERS has a history of investing with Kleiner Perkins. You may already (indirectly) have money in this.
O/T: Is Real Time showing re-runs for the duration of the writers’ strike?
Petrocelli @ 96
Aha! Celebrating good over evil. Wondered where you’ve been.
Siun @ 120
Well, I drive a Prius. I bike to work when I can (weather above 40). The thermostat in my house is set at 58 for the day time, 55 at night. But, I live in the country, which means that my choices for fuel are: fuel oil, wood, and LP. In the Northeast especially, we need major work done for rural areas. LP is very expensive. For the rural poor, wood burning is many times the option. I don’t know which one is worse on particulates and carbon, but it cerain is dirty — cheap but dirty.
It was not a long time ago, when the word, impeachment, began to enter into the blogosphere. At first it was the “i” word, then it began to appear more and more frequently. We have come so far…and the movement to change the leadership one way or another is spreading into the general public at a faster rate than I think we even realize. A “Musharraf” move would not be tolerated either….4 years ago…maybe, but not now. I feel hopeful for the first time since 2000, and I hope the nightmare will soon be over…barring an attack on Iran that is.
Great would be the rewards to the enterprising engineer/designer/garage mechanic who can come up with a retrofit or something for all existing vehicles that would improve gas mileage 10-fold.
Why not improve the existing on the way to replacing it?
Dream big.
Demand better. Be better.
Edwards ‘08.
burnspbesq @ 130
YEA! I like CalPERS – they do a pretty good job… now if we can keep the govinator from robbing our fund (every governor tries), I’ll be a happy camper…
Steve-AR @ 127
I’ve wondered the same thing about things like leaf-blowers (I know, raking is carbon neutral) and other types of tools.
Emma@126 – let’s chat. I’ll email you!
and folks can always reach me at media dot firedoglake at gmail dot com.
Steve-AR @ 127
Guess that depends on how much the coal-fired plant pollutes. There are ways to scrub or even sequester the pollutants. Around here, most electricity is produced by natural gas.
The point was to question the earlier contention that electric cars have only a 50 mile range.
AFAIK, Toyota has never negotiated prices on the Prius. (In 2002 and 2003, they kept offering to buy mine back and give me a discount on one fo their trucks or SUVs. I wouldn’t take that offer – if I’d wanted a truck or an SUV, I’d have bought one.)
LS @ 134
Iran. The other “I” word.
Old Coastie @ 136. Calpers made a lot of us very happy when they announced that they were factoring social and environmental impacts into their investment decisions. The more we can get institutional investors to do this, the more change we see in the corporate world. It creates a very good feedback loop!
Siun @ 120
Replaced the gas mower this season with electric.
Yes, with cord…and it was tricky for a while remembering which way to “pattern” so I didn’t roll right over it. But hey, it’s easy. Light enough to take in the trunk to the cabin. Quiet. Not stinky. And a zen moment of nostalgia to summers on grandma’s farm.
And it mulches.
SteveAR – I’m looking out my window at miles and miles of rooftops here in the very sunny Southern California and I can imagine every single one of them covered with solar panels… I wonder if the efficiency of the panels can be improved. I wonder if the transmission lines can be built. I wonder just how far that all can travel.
Does it always have to be coal-fired plants?
I probably speak for many: I bought a year-old economy American car 4 years ago. I keep my driving down to under 4k miles a year. I would rent a car before I’d lay out more than 10k for one. I’m not planning to buy another car, electric or whatever, until this one becomes a liability. I could not afford to buy an expensive electric or hybrid. I think people are mindlessly feckless when it comes to new cars/trucks with gadgets and electronics.
I live in a neighborhood riddled with Prius, BMW Mini’s, and (incredibly) top-line SUVs. They all complain about gas prices.
Steve-AR @ 127
there’s a real question… it’s just a substitution of carbon emissions from the tailpitpe to the smokestack.
another real question: how can an exurban transportation intensive lifestyle continue after peak oil?
answer: it can’t, and it won’t, no matter how many Prius are sold.
Prairie Sunshine @ 143
I got a manual reel mower this summer. Love it! Quiet, no emissions, and I get a workout (that I sorely need).
Petrocelli @ 101
So true. That’s why Gore not running would be a big loss.
For all the talk about “getting more done” out of the white house, that’s baloney. There is no greater opportunity to set an agenda than to be president.
Just look at the current occupant; still running Darth’s playbook with a sub 30% approval rating.
Great info on global warming and the investment world here: CERES
peanutbutter @ 64
Or tax it.
We need a Secretary of Energy.
sporkovat @ 146
I was also thinking of the environmental impact of mining, the concentration of heavy metals in the fly ash etc..etc. The bottom line is that there is no magic technology. The bottom line is coal and nuclear for energy production…the which would you prefer Arsenic or Cyanide.
Beerfart Liberal @ 102
Bradley or Nader? Has he become forgotten so quickly?
Loo Hoo. @ 151
We do – his name is Bodman
Suin,
Thanks!
Toby Wollin @ 153
How unreal. I have never heard of this person before. I just thought Cheney handled energy issues.
I see Richardson was S of E as well.
Loo Hoo. @ 156
Yep – another nice legacy from Carter
Bought our Prius on 1-17-03, the day of the first anti-Iraq war march. Hadn’t finished the deal but the dealers even let us drive it to the march anyways (probably thought we were a couple of loonie-lefties :))
We love it to this day. Got a 100k warranty on it due to the new technology but haven’t had any real problems and the batteries are still working great.
Anyways, on our way to France next summer we are going to drive to MI and either sell it, or find someone willing to lease it for a year (hint, hint!).
Also, Gore, Kleiner et al need to show us investing dummies how to put OUR dollars to work for them, us and the planet. I’d love to invest some money right now in a company like Ausra and it would seem the way for them to compete is to get them in the market, on the market, and the more money the better…
redx @ 48
Al Gore has spent the past six years making money hand over fist. I forget what the most recent figures were for the fortune he has amassed, but suffice it to say that it was in the 8-9 digit range. Apparently he’s made some very good investments!
Beerfart Liberal @ 131
Appears to be so.
Fuv’s not suv’s thank you.
The party is over. As a close observer and supporter of Gore, this is the first definate final and ultimate proof that he will not run.
And I think I know the key reason. And it’s the same reason that forced Russ Feingold to drop out.
It’s the same reason we don’t have the balls of Paul Hackett or Ned Lamont in the Senate.
And it’s the same reason Liberman is IN the Senate.
Because a true leader wants and needs an A-team to help him get the job done.
Instead, our greatest candidates look at this bunch of F team inbred jesters currently in Congress and say “No, thanks”.
And, like Howard Dean and Russ
Feingold, Al Gore has chosen take the higher road and look towards solving the root causes of America’s downfall.
Bye Al….
Loo Hoo. @ 89
George Carlin “the planet isn’t going anywhere we are”
Saving the planet “the planet is fine”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw
People who should be “killed”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..I&NR=1
The owners
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9yvEMLXWjo
New thread
Jane upstairs
According to Wikipedia, the Tesla Roadster has a full-cycle energy equivalency of 87 mpg using power from CCGT plants.
It’s a small car, affordable only by rich people, but these numbers should be replicable by companies like Toyota and Honda within a decade. The Toyota Corolla 2008 auto trans has a rating of 29 mpg, and is considered fuel efficient.
My last shopping expedition for a car, I considered the Prius. My boss warned me away from hybrids in general, at least in the short term. My calculations at the time (early 2006) led me to conclude that I’d recoup the cost difference over the lifetime of the vehicle, but I’d have to keep it for 10 years. Oil/gas prices today would shorten the investment period.
Don’t take this personally MikeR, but imo there’s a lot more to owning a hybrid than just the financial side. Sure, I want to use less gasoline, but that’s only one aspect. How do we balance on a spreadsheet the fact that a Prius only spews 10% the pollutants of an avg. car? Also, I want to support green technology in the hopes that helps the producers bottomline so they will continue the trend.
The Prius is routinely advertised in SoCal for $20,000. It’s probably $4,000 more than a similar non-hybrid car. If I were to trade my mini van for one, I’d get about 48 mpg vs 19 or so- so my gasoline bill per month would go from about $250 per month to less than $100. I’d save about $1,800 per year and get my $4,000 back in less than three years- that’s not accounting for federal tax credits.
Congress decided that only a certain amount of tax credit would be available per model- and the Prius has about used it’s up…now THAT’S stupid- to penalize the hybrid that does the best job~!!
Dear Mr. Gore,
As you are seemingly definitively NOT running for public office, will you please endorse and support John Edwards? Thank you.
Hello future!
We’ve been feeling kind of abandoned and stuck here in the past while hoping for some kind of path to continuity to catch up with you. The winds of change are blowing but the storm of storms has yet to strike. Things are not calm, but anxious. We feel the tension, the disquiet, the build-up to the tumult and we long for the passage to normalcy.
Alas, we continue to wait, unsatisfied with our progress and committed to bringing the change that renews our spirit. But still we want what we think we can have — a future where the living problems are the daily focus. We lost our balance along the way and have yet to regain it. We lament the burden of our toxic intent to dominate the natural environment and we seek to ameliorate our ways. What must we do besides endure the tempest which seems to grow ever more ominous and threatening?
Our minds are too limited to understand the essence of our dilemma. We have joined our voices to call to you, the future. This is our way. This is what we do every day. This is how we pray.
Please accept our gratitude, in advance, for listening. See you soon…OK?
Harvard-trained Gore, Nobel laureate, former VP and Senator, needs a “refresher course” in investment banking (Colin Powell apparently doesn’t) even though he set up an investment fund three years ago with a former top Goldman Sachs executive and is on the board of some today’s most advanced companies.
The press can’t seem to stop calling Gore a dilettante, despite the hordes of former GOP stalwarts given Wingnut welfare jobs in I-banks and law firms, even though their current knowledge of banking or law is nil. How do you spell double standard in Wall Street Journalese?
Prairie Sunshine @ 135
This is probably way EPU’d by now, but…
I own a car with a 5.7 L V8. I have done a few things to it. It’s been balanced and blueprinted and it has a mild cam. Runs with a carburetor and headers. There are a few other modifications to make it run a little faster and smoother. It will do the 1/4 mile in a little over 12 seconds and will blow your doors off up to around 135 (that’s as far as I got before I shut it down – the speedo goes to 140).
It runs so clean it’s hardly a blip on the smog detector, and if I keep my foot out of it I get between 23-25 mpg around town.
This is just me improving on my daily driver on weekends, and I am not an automotive engineer
Mr. Gore is awesome to continously find new ways to try to solve the Climate Crisis while he is still outside the oval office, putting his popularity and name behind this.
He will be donating any monies earned from being on the Board to Alliance for Climate Protection.
In a further sign good things may still come. Mr. Gore agreed to join the board and will tele/video conference one a week meetings, instead of using energy and time travelling, while Doerr joins the Gore/Blood 3 year old Billion dollar Generation Management firm.
“Of course, he could have more impact as president, as he knows. “I want to be clear about the fact that I’m not making the mistake of assuming I could do more this way than I could as president,” he told us in Nashville. He also will not definitively take himself out of the political game.
“I am not going to give the so-called Sherman statement: If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve.”
Then he smiled.
“You know, I know what it’s like to be elected and not serve.” He laughed louder than anyone at that line and then said, “I wouldn’t want to do that again.”
Time for
a COOL
change,
GORE
2008
Rod @ 37
Not out of office. Sadly, I think he passed up the one avenue that would have made a real difference to the things he believes in. Hard as it may be to believe now, Gore will be marginalized when a new President is elected and takes office. We’ll still hear about him every so often, as we hear about Jimmy Carter, but he won’t have much power and he won’t command much in the way of media attention.
I guess I understand why he did it, but destiny was calling and he didn’t open the door.