REMARKS BY AL GORE
                       CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

                       Since we gathered at the Rio Conference in 1992, both
                       scientific consensus and political will have come a long way. If
                       we pause for a moment and look around us, we can see how
                       extraordinary this gathering really is. 

                       We have reached a fundamentally new stage in the
                       development of human civilization, in which it is necessary to
                       take responsibility for a recent but profound alteration in the
                       relationship between our species and our planet. Because of
                       our new technological power and our growing numbers, we now
                       must pay careful attention to the consequences of what we are
                       doing to the Earth -- especially to the atmosphere. 

                       There are other parts of the Earth's ecological system that are
                       also threatened by the increasingly harsh impact of
                       thoughtless behavior: 

                           The poisoning of too many places where people --
                           especially poor people -- live, and the deaths of too many
                           children -- especially poor children -- from polluted water
                           and dirty air; 
                           The dangerous and unsustainable depletion of ocean
                           fisheries; And 
                           The rapid destruction of critical habitats -- rain forests,
                           temperate forests, borial forests, wetlands, coral reefs,
                           and other precious wellsprings of genetic variety upon
                           which the future of humankind depends. 

                       But the most vulnerable part of the Earth's environment is the
                       very thin layer of air clinging near to the surface of the planet,
                       that we are now so carelessly filling with gaseous wastes that
                       we are actually altering the relationship between the Earth and
                       the Sun -- by trapping more solar radiation under this growing
                       blanket of pollution that envelops the entire world. 

                       The extra heat which cannot escape is beginning to change the
                       global patterns of climate to which we are accustomed, and to
                       which we have adapted over the last 10,000 years. 

                       Last week we learned from scientists that this year, 1997, with
                       only three weeks remaining, will be the hottest year since
                       records have been kept. Indeed, nine of the 10 hottest years
                       since the measurements began have come in the last 10 years.
                       The trend is clear. The human consequences -- and the
                       economic costs -- of failing to act are unthinkable. More record
                       floods and droughts. Diseases and pests spreading to new
                       areas. Crop failures and famines. Melting glaciers, stronger
                       storms, and rising seas. 

                       Our fundamental challenge now is to find out whether and how
                       we can change the behaviors that are causing the problem. 

                       To do so requires humility, because the spiritual roots of our
                       crisis are pridefulness and a failure to understand and respect
                       our connections to God's Earth and to each other. 

                       Each of the 160 nations here has brought unique perspectives
                       to the table, but we all understand that our work in Kyoto is
                       only a beginning. None of the proposals being debated here
                       will solve the problem completely by itself. But if we get off to
                       the right start here, we can quickly build momentum as we
                       learn together how to meet this challenge. Our first step
                       should be to set realistic and achievable, binding emissions
                       limits, which will create new markets for new technologies and
                       new ideas that will, in turn, expand the boundaries of the
                       possible and create new hope. Other steps will then follow.
                       And then, ultimately, we will achieve a safe overall
                       concentration level for greenhouse gases in the Earth's
                       atmosphere. 

                       This is the step-by-step approach we took in Montreal 10 years
                       ago to address the problem of ozone depletion. And it is
                       working. 

                       This time, success will require first and foremost that we heal
                       the divisions among us. 

                       The first and most important task for developed countries is to
                       hear the immediate needs of the developing world. And let me
                       say, the United States has listened and we have learned. 

                       We understand that your first priority is to lift your citizens
                       from the poverty so many endure and build strong economies
                       that will assure a better future. This is your right: it will not be
                       denied. 

                       And let me be clear in our answer to you: we do not want to
                       founder on a false divide. Reducing poverty and protecting the
                       Earth's environment are both critical components of truly
                       sustainable development. We want to forge a lasting
                       partnership to achieve a better future. One key is mobilizing
                       new investment in your countries to ensure that you have
                       higher standards of living, with modern, clean and efficient
                       technologies. 

                       That is what our proposals for emissions trading and joint
                       implementation strive to do. 

                       To our partners in the developed world, let me say we have
                       listened and learned from you as well. We understand that
                       while we share a common goal, each of us faces unique
                       challenges. 

                       You have shown leadership here, and for that we are grateful.
                       We came to Kyoto to find new ways to bridge our differences.
                       In doing so, however, we must not waiver in our resolve. For
                       our part, the United States remains firmly committed to a
                       strong, binding target that will reduce our own emissions by
                       nearly 30 percent from what they would otherwise be -- a
                       commitment as strong, or stronger, than any we have heard
                       here from any country. The imperative here is to do what we
                       promise, rather than to promise what we cannot do. 

                       All of us, of course, must reject the advice of those who ask us
                       to believe there really is no problem at all. We know their
                       arguments; we have heard others like them throughout history.
                       For example, in my country, we remember the tobacco
                       company spokesmen who insisted for so long that smoking did
                       no harm. To those who seek to obfuscate and obstruct, we
                       say: we will not allow you to put narrow special interests
                       above the interests of all humankind. 

                       So what does the United States propose that we do? 

                       The first measure of any proposal must be its environmental
                       merit, and ours is environmentally solid and sound. 

                       It is strong and comprehensive, covering all six significant
                       greenhouse gases. It recognizes the link between the air and
                       the land, including both sources and sinks. It provides the
                       tools to ensure that targets can be met -- offering emissions
                       trading, joint implementation and research as powerful engines
                       of technology development and transfer. It further reduces
                       emissions -- below 1990 levels -- in the years 2012 and
                       beyond. It provides the means to ensure that all nations can
                       join us on their own terms in meeting this common challenge. 

                       It is also economically sound. And, with strict monitoring and
                       accountability, it ensures that we will keep our bond with one
                       another. 

                       Whether or not agreement is reached here, we will take
                       concrete steps to help meet this challenge. President Clinton
                       and I understand that our first obligation is to address this
                       issue at home. I commit to you today that the United States is
                       prepared to act -- and will act. 

                       For my part, I have come here to Kyoto because I am both
                       determined and optimistic that we can succeed. I believe that
                       by our coming together in Kyoto we have already achieved a
                       major victory, one of both of substance and of spirit. I have no
                       doubt that the process we have started here inevitably will
                       lead to a solution in the days or years ahead. 

                       Some of you here have, perhaps, heard from your home
                       capitals that President Clinton and I have been burning up the
                       phone lines, consulting and sharing new ideas. Today let me
                       add this. After talking with our negotiators this morning and
                       after speaking on the telephone from here a short time ago
                       with President Clinton, I am instructing our delegation right
                       now to show increased negotiating flexibility if a
                       comprehensive plan can be put in place, one with realistic
                       targets and timetables, market mechanisms, and the
                       meaningful participation of key developing countries. 

                       Earlier this century, the Scottish mountain climber, W.H.
                       Murray, wrote: 

                           "Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to
                           draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of
                           initiative...there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of
                           which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the
                           moment one definitely commits oneself, providence
                           moves, too." 

                       So let us press forward. Let us resolve to conduct ourselves in
                       such a way that our children's children will read about the
                       "Spirit of Kyoto," and remember well the place and the time
                       where humankind first chose to embark together on a
                       long-term sustainable relationship between our civilization and
                       the Earth's environment. 

                       In that spirit, let us transcend our differences and commit to
                       secure our common destiny: a planet whole and healthy,
                       whose nations are at peace, prosperous and free; and whose
                       people everywhere are able to reach for their God-given
                       potential. 

                       Thank you.


