Gore’s Call to Action

Published September 26, 2008

Dear Editor:

When Al Gore encouraged people to engage in civil disobedience to thwart greenhouse gas emissions (“Gore’s Call to Action,” September 24, New York Times Political Blog), he may not have fully thought through his idea. Why stop at coal-fired power plants, after all? Why not engage in civil disobedience to combat the gluttonous energy usage in Gore’s 10,000-square-foot mansion, his 100-foot-long luxury houseboat, or the private jet he uses so he won’t have the inconvenience of flying commercial first-class? Gore’s personal carbon footprint exceeds that of some entire towns, and now he is urging people to engage in criminal conduct to reduce other people’s emissions?

James Taylor ([email protected]) is Senior Fellow for Environment Policy at The Heartland Institute.