Obama to Discuss Energy, Climate with Al Gore
To perhaps avoid the truth that was so inconvenient to President Bush, on Tuesday Barack Obama will meet with Al Gore to discuss energy policy and climate change. The talk, which will take place in Chicago, will also cover how energy and climate can fit into job creation and the economy.
>>More on Al Gore and Climate Change from Green Options
Don’t expect to get any coverage from the event, though: the meeting will be held in private. And you probably shouldn’t expect that the meeting means Gore will come out with a position in Obama’s cabinet; Gore’s team already have said that he’s not interested in such a job, even the new “climate czar.”But the meeting seems to point to a change in government policy - Obama has previously said he’d like Gore to be a large part of climate decisions, and Gore’s influence in environmental groups could mean that Obama would be more likely to work with them, too.
Obama’s environmental policies may start with the federal government itself. In a radio address, he said that a first step would be to make government buildings more energy efficient, something that individual states have already addressed. Considering how much it’s saved those states - some $21 million a year for Michigan, for example -, that goal might help the economy, too.
Although Gore likely won’t be a part of the administration, there’s a chance Obama could be asking him for advice tomorrow about who will fill those spots. And maybe Gore will have something to say about clean coal, which he’s opposed in a recent ad campaign.
Photo Credit: UN1SON at Flickr under a Creative Commons License
I think it’s a smart move for Gore to remain independent of any administration. This will allow him to pursue initiatives that may not be critical to the shorter term goals of government, while also allowing access to Washington leaders who need to vet their ideas with an outside party. In the end, Al Gore will be much more effective outside government.
I agree. I think the strength of Al Gore as a leader in the climate change debate is that he sits outside of government. Granted, if Obama were to create a ‘climate czar’ of something similar, I can’t imagine who he would rather tap.