The Scottish Government's independent advisory body on sustainable development
Nobel Peace Prize highlights climate change
Press Comment: Friday 12th October 2007
Today Al Gore and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their action on climate change.
Sustainable Development Commission Scotland's Director Maf Smith, one of only six people in Scotland trained by Al Gore to give talks on climate change based on his 'An Inconvenient Truth' presentation commented:
"The Nobel Committee's decision underlines the seriousness of climate change. It is clear that climate change is happening and if we do not take steps to tackle the problem will impact on our economy and our environment.
"The IPCC has shown that there is a clear scientific consensus that climate change is real and that governments across the world need to take responsibility for tackling it. We know in Scotland that we have the technologies we need to hand to decarbonise our economy and deliver a sustainable Scotland. We need to see coordination between government, business and individuals to make a difference here."
Commenting on the award, Maf Smith said "Al Gore has an incredible depth of knowledge about climate change and its impact on the world. He also has the ability to communicate the urgency of the issue and has used his position to reach a wide audience. The fact that he has put so much time and effort into training others to go out and use his expertise and materials demonstrates his drive and belief on this issue."
This Scottish Group of six individuals were trained by the Climate Project Training Programme in early 2007, and work together to take the presentation to audiences throughout Scotland.
Link to more information on the 2007 The Nobel Peace Prize
