Author: Betsy Rosenberg

Al Gore with Carolyn Revelle – daughter of Gore's science professor Roger Revelle and Larry Schweger Head of the National Wildlife Federation

(Nashville, Tennessee, May
14, 2009)— The Climate Project (TCP), an international non-profit
founded by former Vice President Al Gore with a mission to increase
public awareness of the climate crisis at a grassroots level worldwide,
is opening its North American Summit in Nashville today.

During the three day event,
Gore will address more than 500 attendees as well as conduct a three
hour training workshop. Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chairman of the Nobel
Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will
also be present. Award-winning scientist, environmentalist and
journalist Dr. David Suzuki will join Gore and Pachauri, establishing
the first time in history that three of the most recognized names in
climate change have ever appeared together.

The Summit marks the
beginning of TCP’s “Phase Two,” signaling the transition from its
original mission of education and increasing public awareness of the
climate crisis to its expanded objective of “advocacy and activism.”
Now, TCP volunteers, while continuing their education role, will also
seek to persuade people to encourage elected officials and community
leaders to urgently address climate change issues.

To help foster this move,
Steve Hildebrand, Democratic political strategist and former deputy
national campaign director for Barack Obama, will speak to attendees as
well as Steve Bouchard, veteran political campaign strategist and
Repower America Campaign Manager, about the national campaign to enact
bold policies to improve climate change. Both are now working with
Maggie Fox, CEO of The Alliance for Climate Protection, who is also
addressing the conference.

The shift from public
education to activism is inspired in part by the upcoming Copenhagen
Treaty negotiations, a gathering in December 2009 of hundreds of
representatives from around the world to discuss the replacement of the
Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.  The Kyoto Protocol set limits on greenhouse gas emissions for all participating countries.  The treaty contained emissions trading options to combat the potentially harmful economic effects of sudden restrictions.  The
objective of the Copenhagen meeting is to establish options for
furthering the Kyoto treaty goals. TCP’s role will be to advocate for
key leaders in the US and throughout the world to take strong positions
during the Copenhagen meeting.

In addition, numerous
environmental scientists will lead panel discussions on climate issues.
Dr. George Woodwell, senior scientist at Woods Hole Research Center,
and Dr. Eric Steig, geochemist and University of Washington professor,
will speak on Global Warming Projections: The Latest Climate Science. A
second panel, lead by Dr. Howard Frumkin of the Center for Disease
Control and Dr. Paul Epstein from Harvard Medical Center, will address
Emerging Health Threats of Climate Change.

Several other climate change workshops will also be held.

The following are some of the experts and leaders that will attend:

–Honorable Al Gore, Nobel
Laureate and former Vice President, Founder of The Climate Project,
Founder and Chairman of The Alliance for Climate Protection

–Mrs. Tipper Gore, author, photographer, former Second Lady of the United States

–Rajendra K. Pachauri,
Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-recipient
of the 2007 Nobel Peace Price with Gore

–David Suzuki, scientist, broadcaster, environmental activist

–Steve Hildebrand,
Democratic political strategist, Deputy National Campaign Director for
Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign

–Steve Bouchard, veteran political strategist and Repower America Campaign Manager

–George Woodwell, Ph.D., ecologist, senior scientist at Woods Hole Research Center

–Eric Steig, Ph.D., geochemist, professor at University of Washington

–Dr. Howard Frumkin, CDC, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health

–Dr. Paul Epstein, Harvard Medical School Associate Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment

–Jenny Clad, Executive Director of The Climate Project

–Larry Schweiger, President, National Wildlife Federation

–Maggie Fox, CEO of The Alliance for Climate Protection

–Don Henry, Executive Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation

–Kaki King, guitarist, singer-songwriter

–Roz Savage, ocean rower, environmental activist

About The Climate Project

The Climate Project (TCP) is
an international non-profit founded by Nobel Laureate and former Vice
President Al Gore with a mission to increase public awareness of the
climate crisis at a grassroots level worldwide. TCP consists of a
professional staff and more than 2,600 dedicated volunteers throughout
the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Spain, and the UK, all
personally trained by Al Gore to educate the public about climate
change. In 2009, TCP expanded its mission with a new commitment to
advocacy and activism to combat the climate crisis. TCP presenters have
reached a combined audience of more than 5 million people worldwide and
plans are underway to develop affiliate offices in Israel, China,
Eastern Europe, Mexico, and Latin America. Our hope is that by raising
the awareness of our fellow citizens about this crisis and informing
them about potential solutions, all of us, together, can preserve the
climate balance on which humanity and our planet depend.