The Climate Project
Encyclopedia
The Climate Project was founded by Nobel laureate Al Gore
in June 2006 and is a non-profit organization
dedicated to calling attention to what it believes are global problems associated with climate change
. It is a grassroots
environmental organization whose mission is to raise awareness to the issue of climate change by means of providing seminars, training and educational presentations worldwide. In March 2010 TCP merged with The Alliance for Climate Protection.
The Climate Project began operations in June 2006, based in Nashville, Tennessee
, the home of Al Gore. The first training session was held in September 2006, and by April 2007 over 1,000 people had been trained by Gore personally. IPCC
scientists (Michael McCracken and Henry Pollack
) and other TCP trainers were selected from thousands of applications submitted through the TCP website. There are volunteers from each state in the United States, all having received the same training on how to present their own version of the slideshow
featured in the Academy Award-winning film
An Inconvenient Truth
. The trainees also received training which included presentational skills as well as website communications with the TCP group. The volunteers, once trained, become TCP presenters who return to their communities to give presentations to a wide range of groups, using the slide show as a basis for customizing their presentation and as a means of educating their audience and disseminating information on this subject. Over the years since their initial training by TCP, most presenters have regularly received updates on the evolving science of climate change and many have taken part in additional training sessions organized jointly be TCP and organizations like the Union of Concerned Scientists
.
TCP now has branches in nine countries worldwide, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Latin America, India, Spain
, Indonesia, and China. In addition to the people trained in the U.S., TCP has trained 200 people in the United Kingdom
, 250 in Australia, 150 in India, 275 in Canada. and 300 in China in June, 2010. TCP claims to have delivered more than 70,000 presentations, reaching an audience of over seven million people. The most recent training session in China has brought the total number of TCP presenters worldwide to 3,500.
Presenter support is given after initial training in the task of reaching out to audiences across the country. After presenters return home, they are linked through The Climate Project website and interactive community, where a team of online communications and environmental specialists, materials for their audiences, assistance in organizing their speaking venues, and press releases are available. Presenters are given periodic training in the latest science and policy issues, including three training summits in 2009 and an international summit in 2010.
TCP has a number of programs, partnerships and initiatives. One such initiative is Inconvenient Youth, launched on Earth Day 2010 and designed to train and organize young people to address climate change through engagement and leadership opportunities.
scientists and Mr. Gore.
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
in June 2006 and is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to calling attention to what it believes are global problems associated with climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. It is a grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
environmental organization whose mission is to raise awareness to the issue of climate change by means of providing seminars, training and educational presentations worldwide. In March 2010 TCP merged with The Alliance for Climate Protection.
The Climate Project began operations in June 2006, based in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, the home of Al Gore. The first training session was held in September 2006, and by April 2007 over 1,000 people had been trained by Gore personally. IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
scientists (Michael McCracken and Henry Pollack
Henry Pollack
Henry Pollack is the Cuban born American host and founder of "Havana Rock," the Miami, Florida show on radio station WWFE 670 AM. He is also the editor of an anti-Castro web sites on the net,, which went online in 1999.-Early life:Pollack is the eldest of three children born to Enrique A...
) and other TCP trainers were selected from thousands of applications submitted through the TCP website. There are volunteers from each state in the United States, all having received the same training on how to present their own version of the slideshow
Slideshow
A slide show is a display of a series of chosen information or pictures, done for artistic or instructional purposes. Slide shows are conducted by a presenter using an apparatus, such as a carousel slide projector, an overhead projector or in more recent years, a computer running presentation...
featured in the Academy Award-winning film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
. The trainees also received training which included presentational skills as well as website communications with the TCP group. The volunteers, once trained, become TCP presenters who return to their communities to give presentations to a wide range of groups, using the slide show as a basis for customizing their presentation and as a means of educating their audience and disseminating information on this subject. Over the years since their initial training by TCP, most presenters have regularly received updates on the evolving science of climate change and many have taken part in additional training sessions organized jointly be TCP and organizations like the Union of Concerned Scientists
Union of Concerned Scientists
The Union of Concerned Scientists is a nonprofit science advocacy group based in the United States. The UCS membership includes many private citizens in addition to professional scientists. James J...
.
TCP now has branches in nine countries worldwide, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Latin America, India, Spain
Juan Verde
Juan Verde is a Spanish American currently serving as International Co-Chair for the reelection campaign of President Barack Obama. He is part of a select team of directors in charge of devising and leading the strategies for the campaign...
, Indonesia, and China. In addition to the people trained in the U.S., TCP has trained 200 people in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 250 in Australia, 150 in India, 275 in Canada. and 300 in China in June, 2010. TCP claims to have delivered more than 70,000 presentations, reaching an audience of over seven million people. The most recent training session in China has brought the total number of TCP presenters worldwide to 3,500.
Presenter support is given after initial training in the task of reaching out to audiences across the country. After presenters return home, they are linked through The Climate Project website and interactive community, where a team of online communications and environmental specialists, materials for their audiences, assistance in organizing their speaking venues, and press releases are available. Presenters are given periodic training in the latest science and policy issues, including three training summits in 2009 and an international summit in 2010.
TCP has a number of programs, partnerships and initiatives. One such initiative is Inconvenient Youth, launched on Earth Day 2010 and designed to train and organize young people to address climate change through engagement and leadership opportunities.
Criticism
The most common criticism is of Gore's sense of urgency in his presentation. Many of the critics are from conservative groups, but there are a few scientists who don't agree that global warming is as big of an issue as Gore claims it is. Some scientists feel that Gore has gone "beyond science", while others are quick to cite what they believe are inaccuracies in his assessment. On the other hand, there are also well known scientists who believe that it is already too late for humanity to reduce its production of CO2 enough to stave off the worst dangers of climate change. Another common criticism is that some sort of significant gap exits between Gore and the international scientific consensus represented by the IPCC. For those actually involved in the training, what is more obvious is how closely Gore works with the professional scientists of the IPCC to formulate his statements on the subject – a reality obviously recognized by the Nobel Peace Prize committee when it jointly awarded the prize to the IPCCIPCC
IPCC may refer to:*Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the United Nations*Independent Police Complaints Commission, of England and Wales*Irish Peatland Conservation Council...
scientists and Mr. Gore.