US vice president Al Gore and the UN's top climate panel shared the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday, in a major boost to the international campaign for action against global warming.
Gore, who has devoted his efforts to the environment since losing the 2000 US presidential election, said he was "deeply honored" by the award and spoke of the "planetary emergency" brought about by man's imprint on the climate.
The prize was jointly awarded to Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- a UN body of about 3,000 experts that highlights pollution causing steadily mounting global temperatures.
PHOTO: EPA
The Norwegian Nobel committee cited the recipients "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."
The committee said it wanted to contribute to efforts "to reduce the threat to the security of mankind. Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man's control."
Gore, 59, is bound to attract most of the attention when the winners claim their US$1.5 million prize on Dec. 10.
He has helped put environmental issues -- and more specifically global warming -- at the top of the international agenda with his Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth, based on years of lectures on the subject.
The Nobel committee described Gore as "probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted."
Gore said after hearing the news: "We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."
He said that the prize was "even more meaningful" as it was shared with the UN body, adding that its "members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years."
Some experts say Gore's campaign, the Oscar and now the Nobel Peace Prize could persuade him to make a last minute bid to secure the Democratic nomination for next year's US presidential election.
The White House yesterday praised Gore and the UN climate panel for winning the prize.
"Of course we're happy for vice president Gore and the IPCC for receiving this recognition," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.
Meanwhile, British bookmakers cut the odds of Gore becoming the next president of the US and started to sweat.
The reason is that in winning the prize Gore has now satisfied two of the three conditions the bookies set for a 100-1 bet they had offered -- winning an Oscar, becoming a Nobel laureate and taking up residence in the White House.
After the Nobel award was announced, bookies cut the former vice president's odds of becoming the next US head of state to 8-1 from 10-1 -- although Senator Hillary Clinton remains hot favorite at 4 to 7.
"He seems to have the Midas touch and if his supporters encourage him to stand he may shake up the whole race," Ladbrokes spokesman Robin Hutchison said.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
RSS