Invited by EnBW Al Gore gave his presentation about inconvenient truths on Tuesday night in Berlin. He emphasized ethical, moral and spiritual issues on one side and political issues on the other, and how we will have to confront and combat climate change.Here is a short version of his intro:If you want the full impact of his intro, watch the long uncut version in two parts:
Part I
Part II
Foto: Paramount

Ulla Glahn has a vision. She has stood up in opposition to the conventional electrical energy providers and is now propagating the switch to green electricity. Her chosen weapons are smart and sustainable. The model for her advertising campaign for green energy is the good old Tupperware party (that’s sustainable). In this setting she offers interested contemporaries an overview of all green electricity providers and explains how to change over (that’s smart), and she does it on a voluntary, unpaid basis at that.Her events bear none of that old-fashioned charm that characterize Tupper parties. The reason for that is Ulla Glahn herself: Her temperament and her manner of explaining. She is convinced without being ideological. And she is pragmatic. The climate protection report of the IPCC earlier this year really shocked her. And even more shocking for her, as she revealed in an interview, was the fact that nothing has happened since then. Incentives for action were clearly indicated – this statement illustrates her pragmatic approach.

Ulla Gahn
Ulla Glahn has changed her energy provider - and that’s why she calls her events “Change to Green Electricity” parties. At the first party in Leipzig 40 guests were present; at the most recent party a few weeks ago in Munich there were 300. Her pragmatism is contagious. In order to switch electricity providers, next to determination one needs only to complete a few formalities. Ulla Glahn describes these clearly, and that’s the reason her parties are such a huge success. Green electricity is energy from renewable sources. An increased percentage of renewable energy sources in the energy mix of every member country in the European Union is very high on the agenda. Maybe that’s why Ulla Glahn already has offers from Switzerland and Spain to conduct her “Change to Green Electricity” parties there. Her ultimate dream is that her movement will one day extend over the sea to America. She won the Climate Protection Award of Deutsche Umwelthilfe in the end of August. In our vodcast the representative of this institutions told us why this Award is made for people like Ulla.

We knew for months now that this day will come. Today is the day of the worldwide concert campaign of
Life Earth, the concert tour organized by Al Gore.

Stars from all over the planet sing and perform to combate climate change. When I remember last year when we started Club of Pioneers and see the world today eight months later we can say that many things have changed awarenesswise. However we are still searching for solutions - like Carbon Capture and Storage and have not seen the political will to set in practice all the things we already could do.Hopefully the Concert will be another incentive to change that.

Talk with Tom Buhrow, Anchor-Man and Presenter of "Tagesthemen", German Television. We offer you the interview in English and in German.German Version:
Tom Buhrow used to be the Correspondent of German Television ARD in Washington from 1992 until 2000 and again from 2002 until 2005. He knows the United States and the politics behind the scene as much as the mentalities represented and living in the society of America. Since 2005 Buhrow is the presented of Tagethemen, the daily political program in the German public channel ARD.
His job now is to focus on domestic and internatinal affairs at the same time. We met him in Hamburg, sitting outside and talking about the G8 summit that will take place theses days in Heiligendamm, in the northeast corner of the country.English Version:He also remembers quite well the election campaign in the nineties when George Bush sen. called Al Gore the "Ozone Man", humiliating the democrat politician for his engagement in environmental matters. Today George Bush jr. changes the direction of his father's climate politics - finally, Buhrow says, because of George W. Bush's interest for national energy independence.

In September he will present the Peace Talks in Osnabrück, Germany. Guests are Bianca Jagger and Jakob von Uexkuell both well known to the community of Club of Pioneers.

American President George W. Bush sticks up for a new and worldwide agreement of reducing CO2 emissions in the year 2008. Observers see a change in the President's politics on climate change in this announcement. However, adressing a new initiative for 2008 signifies the no-interest of the President in finding a new strategy for lowering the CO2 emissions during the G8 summit neyt week in Heiligendamm, Germany.The German government is not really amused about President Bush's proposal but Chancellor Angela Merkel embraced it saying it is important that all polluters worldwide recognize their responsibility in lowering emissions and facing the possible risks of climate change.It is not ruled out there will be no agreement next week in Heiligendamm. In 2008 a new American President will be elected. It seems Mr. Bush wants to transfer the issue to his successor.

The G8 summit may not lead to the results climate activists have longed for. German Chancellor Merkel said last Friday expectations are due to be disappointed. The G8 member states have not agreed yet on definite statements and numbers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The G8 nations have politically less in common than the EU member states”, Merkel said, explaining why according to her opinion it has been easier to define emission reduction fot the European Union during the summit in Mach. A common understanding is yet to be developed, the stateswoman said. “I am not sure we will achieve this in Heiligendamm”. The groups preparing the summit in the beginning of June on the German coast have not been able to negotiate a final document. Regarding climate change observers say a lot of the paper has not been agreed upon. If this is not improving, the politicians themselves will have to find the right words during their meeting. There are no signs the G8 summit will be a victory march, however Japan – a G8 member – proposed to half the world emissions of today by 2050. The German government want to achieve the same - but from the point of the world emissions of 1990.

For the first time Pope Benedict XVI. asked for climate protection and a sustainable kind of living. The occassion was a conference held in the Vatican about climate preservation: 80 scientists from more than 20 countries met in the heart of Rome. The Pope asked to not forget the poorest in the so called Third World who will suffer the most if climate change impacts will come true as predicted. He further said humans do have to respect nature.
The statement of the head of the Roman Catholic Church came also after newspapers predicted droughts for this year in Italy. Farmers are afraid of loosing their harvest. The riverbed of the river Po for instance is almost ran dry at the moment - a rare view for this time of the year.

At the moments the fountains are still running in St. Peter's Square in Rome - if the summer gets as hot as predicted water will be short in the Eternal City.