If The Media Was Doing Its Job….
…They would be following the money, not spouting the party line. It seems Algore ratcheted up the rhetoric again today:
Al Gore invoked the spirit of Winston Churchill today by encouraging political leaders to follow the example of Britain’s wartime leader and unite their nations to fight climate change.
The former US vice-president accused politicians around the world of exploiting ignorance about the dangers of global warming. He said lack of awareness among voters allowed governments to avoid taking difficult decisions.
Speaking in Oxford at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment , sponsored by The Times, Mr Gore said: “Winston Churchill aroused this nation in heroic fashion to save civilisation in World War II.” He added: “We have everything we need except political will but political will is a renewable resource.” Mr Gore admitted that it was difficult to persuade the public that the threat from climate change was as urgent as the threat during World War 2.
The problem is that old Al has a major, major conflict of interest here:
“Here are just a few of the investments I personally think make sense,” he said during the March 1 presentation. “I have a stake in these so I’ll have a disclaimer there.” (See Video)
Gore’s admitted stake in those companies comes from his partnership in the venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB). Gore joined the firm last November, forging a partnership between KPCB and the London-based Generation Investment Management, a firm Gore chairs, and which steers investments in green and “sustainable” companies.
This month, KPCB announced it has invested $500 million into start-up “green growth” companies, and another $700 million into more established greentech, information technology and life science ventures.
The seed money is intended to “grow” the companies so they can be publicly traded. Both funds are closed to further investment. Last week, Generation Investment Management reportedly closed a $683-million “Climate Solutions Fund” to further investment.
The firms, with similar goals, differ in that GIM focuses mostly on public equities, while KPCB focuses on startup or expanding companies that haven’t gone public yet.
But without government action on climate change, some business analysts say green companies backed by KPCB are either unlikely to be profitable or that their growth will be slow.
To Gore’s critics, his financial stake in businesses that could profit from government policies designed to fight global warming demonstrates a motivation other than a selfless desire to protect the planet.
Gee, ya think? If the media was doing its job, there would be some light shining on what’s under Al’s rock. A very brief trip with a flashlight into the FEC database shows that Gore’s investment partner, David Blood, is a large donor to – wait for it – Democrats. Another brief trip shows that people from KPCB donate money to – wait for it – Democrats.
Al is a shill with a vested interest in the outcome – that is why he is ratcheting things up. He has money in the pot here.
By Tom, July 7, 2009 @ 5:54 pm
Yes, Al is acting in his own self-interests. Here’s a golden-oldie post for your reading enjoyment:
Permalink: http://tomsplace.iblogger.org/2007/03/14/the-inconvenient-truth-about-al-gore/
By crosspatch, July 7, 2009 @ 6:36 pm
And in the meantime, T. Boone Pickens has decided to scrap his wind farm idea and now has to find something to do with the turbines he has already paid for.
By Gaius, July 7, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
Good points, Tom.