Gore's 'We' Campaign to Fight Climate Change

March 31, 2008

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March 31, 2008

Former vice president Al Gore's non-profit organization on Monday launches the "We" campaign, a $300-million effort to push policymakers to adopt tough legislation to combat climate change.

ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

One man who drives a hybrid SUV is out with a new initiative.

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

Today Al Gore's nonprofit, the Alliance for Climate Protection, announced one of the most expensive public advocacy campaigns in U.S. history. It's called the We campaign, that's W - E , we.

SIEGEL: The alliance says it will spend $300 million over three years to push policymakers to take on climate change.

NORRIS: The campaign's first move is a TV ad.

(Soundbite of TV ad)

Unidentified Man: We didn't wait for someone else to guarantee civil rights or put a man on the moon, and we can't wait for someone else to solve the global climate crisis.

SIEGEL: Naturally, the We campaign has its critics, some of the same critics who charged Gore last year with generating a huge electric bill at his Nashville mansion. They say Gore wants average Americans to make sacrifices he won't make.

NORRIS: Well, down in Tennessee, the former vice president recently finished installing solar panels, compact fluorescent bulbs and other measures to cut down on his own energy use.

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