Al Gore Calls for Unified Action at The Climate Reality Project’s ‘The Reality Tour’ in New Delhi

Former US Vice President Al Gore Calls for Unified Action at The Climate Reality Project’s ‘The Reality Tour’ in New Delhi

KAKALI DAS

On April 5, 2025, “The Reality Tour”, a one-day Climate Reality Leadership Training was organised by ‘The Climate Reality Project’, founded and chaired by former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore in New Delhi.

. The event aimed to train individuals from all walks of life to become advocates for just, equitable climate solutions and accelerate the transition to a sustainable future.

Among the attendees were Anjan Sarma– Founder-Editor of Mahabahu, Rituraj Phukan – Climate Editor, Mahabahu, and Founder, Indigenous People’s Climate Justice Forum & National Coordinator for Biodiversity, The Climate Reality Project India, whose participation reflected the growing engagement of grassroot leaders from India’s Northeast in global climate dialogues.

Former US Vice President Al Gore Calls for Unified Action at The Climate Reality Project’s ‘The Reality Tour’ in New Delhi — Gore opened his presentation by spotlighting the alarming global temperature trends of recent years

While the physical event gathered passionate participants in the capital, the true heartbeat of the training pulsed through Al Gore’s virtual keynote presentation, which delivered a sobering yet galvanizing narrative of the climate emergency. Gore combined scientific data with human emotion, sounding a clarion call that the world is on fire—both literally and metaphorically.

Gore opened his presentation by spotlighting the alarming global temperature trends of recent years. The last decade has seen the highest temperatures on record, with 2023 and 2024 marking unprecedented heat. Europe, in particular, is warming at twice the global average rate, setting the stage for intensifying heatwaves. In regions like Sicily, temperatures have soared to 49°C, while the 2023 summer in Phoenix, USA, witnessed an astonishing 113 consecutive days over 38°C.

India, too, has been gripped by this heat anomaly. During the 2024 general elections, parts of the country experienced 50°C, testing the limits of human endurance. Similarly, the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia turned fatal for over 1,300 pilgrims due to heat-related causes. From Rio de Janeiro to Cairo and Beijing to Mexico, Gore presented a unified message: the climate conditions under which human civilization evolved are vanishing before our eyes.

According to him, if the current trends continue unchecked, by 2070, large swaths of the Earth may become permanently uninhabitable, triggering mass migrations and deepening geopolitical instability.

As weather patterns grow extreme, Gore warned of the cascading socio-political consequences. With millions already displaced due to natural disasters, the world is now witnessing the beginning of a climate refugee crisis. In 2022 alone, 20 million people were forced to leave their homes, and projections suggest this number could rise to one billion by 2050.

This upheaval is already fuelling xenophobia, nationalism, and authoritarian politics, as countries struggle to manage the fallout. Gore cited a German foreign minister who recently labelled climate change “the greatest security challenge of our time.” As sea levels rise and droughts displace communities, the global north and south alike are being forced to confront new political realities.

Gore then turned attention to the oceans, which absorb over 93% of excess heat from global warming. These warmer waters are intensifying storms, including the deadly Hurricane Otis in Mexico, catastrophic typhoons in Southeast Asia, and destructive cyclones across the Mediterranean and South Asia. In 2023, the Gulf of Mexico saw a hurricane that claimed over 200 lives in North Carolina, demonstrating the increasing ferocity of climate-related disasters.

The former US Vice President provided examples of the Arctic cold in Europe, the devastating cold spells in Mongolia, and the dramatic temperature rise in the Arctic compared to cities like Miami, highlighting the chaotic weather patterns aggravated by the climate crisis. Also, he discussed the melting ice in Antarctica and the consequences of rising sea levels, especially in coastal regions like Venice, where flooding is now a recurrent issue.

The oceanic warming Is also wreaking havoc on marine biodiversity and global weather systems, with ripple effects on food chains, fisheries, and coastal livelihoods.

One of the gravest outcomes of climate change is its disruption of the global water cycle. With rising temperatures comes increased evaporation, leading to both torrential rainfalls and long-lasting droughts. Gore referred to the so-called “rain bombs” that have devastated regions like France, Argentina, and Spain. These supercharged rain events overwhelm infrastructure and trigger urban flooding on a scale never seen before.

Meanwhile, countries like China, Malawi, and Mexico are witnessing droughts so severe that crop failures and water scarcity are becoming routine. In places already dealing with systemic poverty, the impact is disproportionate and devastating.

Echoing Pope Francis, Gore emphasized that the poorest and most marginalized communities are the hardest hit by climate disasters. These populations, with the least resources and political voice, often face the brunt of floods, famines, and fires—while contributing the least to the problem.

While adaptation efforts are critical, Gore stressed that adaptation alone is no longer sufficient. Only bold and immediate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions can prevent runaway climate collapse.

The toll of climate disasters is not just ecological—it’s economic. Countries like Brazil, Poland, and China have seen vital infrastructure destroyed by floods, storms, and fires. Insurance companies are struggling to assess risk, and in many regions, are refusing to insure climate-vulnerable properties altogether.

Wildfires—once seasonal—have now become year-round threats, particularly in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and parts of Europe. These blazes contribute heavily to atmospheric pollution and pose new public health risks.

Gore transitioned into the impact on food systems, where warming temperatures are reducing crop yields in tropical and subtropical regions, and the increased occurrence of flash droughts is exacerbating food insecurity. The shift toward regenerative agriculture is presented as a solution, focusing on sustainable farming practices that promote soil health and biodiversity.

He then addressed the health impacts, such as the significant rise in deaths from air pollution caused by fossil fuels and its links to diseases like dementia. He also highlights the disproportionate burden of environmental degradation on marginalized communities, including racial disparities seen in areas like Cancer Alley in Louisiana, where industrial pollution has led to a much higher cancer risk.

The presentation also touched on the rise in infectious diseases, as warmer temperatures and human encroachment into wild areas foster the spread of diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Waterborne diseases, exacerbated by flooding, and toxic algae blooms are discussed as additional public health risks. Finally, the biodiversity crisis and the risk of losing up to 50% of land-based species due to climate change are acknowledged.

Despite the sobering data, Gore offered a much-needed message of hope and progress. He highlighted the exponential growth of renewable energy, particularly in solar and wind sectors. Vietnam, for example, increased its solar capacity 100-fold in just two years, while renewables are now the cheapest source of energy in most countries.

Encouragingly, renewable energy jobs now outnumber fossil fuel jobs, but Gore stressed the importance of ensuring a just transition. Workers displaced by the fossil fuel industry must be supported through retraining, investment, and social security.

One of the major bottlenecks in the energy transition, according to Gore, lies within the global financial system. Institutions like the World Bank and IMF have failed to adequately support renewable projects in developing countries. Africa, despite its immense solar potential, has fewer solar panels than the U.S. state of Florida, a fact Gore attributed to “fossil fuel colonialism” and high borrowing costs.

He criticized large banks for continuing to finance fossil fuel infrastructure, despite green pledges, and warned that the gas expansion in Europe may lead to vast “stranded assets”—investments that will never pay off as the world moves to clean energy.

Another urgent concern Gore raised is the rising impact of methane emissions, a gas over 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period. Despite global pledges to reduce methane, emissions continue to climb, especially from oil and gas operations.

Gore also addressed the plastic crisis, revealing that 75% of petrochemicals now go into plastic production. While the industry promotes recycling, Gore called it a myth, noting that most plastics are incinerated or dumped, and microplastics are increasingly infiltrating human bodies, possibly contributing to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Gore was particularly critical of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies, describing them as costly distractions promoted by fossil fuel companies to delay genuine transition. Although technically possible, CCS remains economically impractical and unproven at scale, with no major cost reductions in 50 years.

“These are tactics to protect the status quo,” Gore declared, urging the public not to be misled by greenwashed solutions that serve corporate interests over planetary survival.

Ending on a note of resolve, Gore called for bold, unified action to address the climate crisis. He affirmed that if the world achieves true net-zero emissions, temperatures could stabilize within 3–5 years. This, he said, is cause for hope.

He also acknowledged the political backlash in parts of the world, especially in the U.S., where climate policies are facing strong resistance. Yet he remains optimistic that grassroots pressure, citizen action, and scientific integrity will continue to push climate agendas forward.

Al Gore’s “The Reality Tour” presentation in New Delhi was both a stark wake-up call and a rallying cry for action. The science is clear. The technology is available. What remains is the will to act—before the fires grow higher, the oceans rise further, and hope dims completely.

05-04-2025

Mahabahu.com is an Online Magazine with collection of premium Assamese and English articles and posts with cultural base and modern thinking. You can send your articles to editor@mahabahu.com / editor@mahabahoo.com(For Assamese article, Unicode font is necessary) Images from different sources.