Trump playing 'destructive role' on planet, says Al Gore
The former politician turned climate activist tells TheWeek.co.uk the US President is isolating himself
Donald Trump is playing a "very destructive role" in the future of the planet, says the climate campaigner and former US vice president Al Gore.
Watch Arion McNicoll from TheWeek.co.uk's full interview with Al Gore
In an interview with TheWeek.co.uk, timed to coincide with the release of his new film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, Gore said he once hoped that Trump would "see sense" and keep the US in the Paris climate agreement, intended to reduce global carbon emissions.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Instead he "threw his lot in with a rogue's gallery of climate change deniers", Gore said, and is now playing a "very destructive role" in not only US environmental policy but also the future of the planet.
However, the climate campaigner said he was heartened that so many other governments, as well as state and local representatives in the US, had come out against Trump.
"I was very concerned when he made his speech withdrawing the US from the Paris agreement, Gore said, "but I was very gratified the next day when the entire rest of the world redoubled their commitments to the Paris Agreement and when in the US the governors of our largest states and hundreds of mayors of cities and business leaders stepped up to fill the gap and said 'we're going to stay in the Paris agreement'.
"It now looks as if the US will meet our commitments regardless of Donald Trump. He's kind of isolated himself."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to George W Bush by the narrowest of margins, said he was also encouraged that Trump's policies have provoked a surge in political engagement and public protest.
"The people are reacting to him with more activism," he said. "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And the reaction to Trump is really encouraging to me."
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power opens in cinemas across the UK tomorrow.
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
The UK-made Storm Shadow missiles Ukraine is using in RussiaThe Explainer Ukraine reportedly deployed the long-range British missiles this week, following a tense meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump
-
Proposed Trump-Putin talks in Budapest on holdSpeed Read Trump apparently has no concrete plans to meet with Putin for Ukraine peace talks
-
What is Donald Trump planning in Latin America?Today’s Big Question US ramps up feud with Colombia over drug trade, while deploying military in the Caribbean to attack ships and increase tensions with Venezuela
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
Remaking the military: Pete Hegseth’s war on diversity and ‘fat generals’Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
-
How does the Nobel Peace Prize work?The Explainer Activist María Corina Machado wins prestigious prize, despite public campaign by Donald Trump