Former Vice President Albert A. Gore Jr., who received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his advocacy of environmental causes, will give the 2010 spring Duke Environment and Society Lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 8. Sponsored by Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, the free public lecture will take place in Page Auditorium on Duke's West Campus. Tickets are required for admittance. Ticket and event information are available online at www.nicholas.duke.edu/deanseries. "Since the beginning of his career, Al Gore has been relentless in his quest to bring the truth about global warming to the world, even when the world wasn't listening," said William L. Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School. "But the world can hear him now. We are fortunate and thrilled to have him bring his message to Duke."
Gore, the 45th vice president and former presidential candidate, emerged from the political arena in 2000 to write "An Inconvenient Truth," the best-selling book on the threat of and solutions to global warming. The movie made from the book received an Academy Award in 2007 and is one of the best-known documentary films in history. On Oct. 12, 2007, Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations' global warming committee. Gore was an early voice for confronting climate change, championing the cause in both the House and the Senate, where he served from 1977 to 1985. He discussed these efforts in his 1992 book "Earth in Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit," describing the struggle over environmental damage as the central organizing principle of world civilization. As vice president, he led the administration's efforts to protect the environment in ways that strengthened the economy. Gore is co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm focused on a new approach to sustainable investing. He also is co-founder and chairman of Current TV, an independently owned cable and satellite television network for young people based on viewer-created content and citizen journalism. Gore is also on the board of directors of Apple Inc. and is a senior adviser to Google Inc. _ _ _ _ The Duke Environment and Society Lecture is part of an ongoing series instituted in 2009 by Chameides to bring to Duke major players who are helping build a sustainable future. Energy expert Amory Lovins, one of Time magazine's "Heroes of Our Planet," gave the first lecture in October.