The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize but is still a politician

“Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize last week. He’s giving his half of the $1.5 million prize away to an organization dedicated to protecting the environment. While that’s good, respectable and important, it’s hard to appreciate the gesture. Gore can afford it.”

Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize last week.

He’s giving his half of the $1.5 million prize away to an organization dedicated to protecting the environment.

While that’s good, respectable and important, it’s hard to appreciate the gesture. Gore can afford it. He’s made enough money off of his environmental pursuits already.

Story continues below advertisement

Yes, much in the same way big oil companies make money off of the Earth, so does Gore. He wins a few points for not destroying it, like BP has destroyed Alaska, but he still makes money off of the environment.

He must have some hidden motivations about his recent convictions on the environment. Who ever thought Al Gore would be back in the spotlight after the 2000 election?

But that’s where Gore’s new political pursuit – the environment – has brought him. And he makes money from it, too.

Jumping on the environmental bandwagon has brought Gore back into the political arena.

In fact, there are even people calling for Gore to run for the presidency again.

For a politician who fell out of the public eye after an embarrassing loss in the 2000 election, creating a movie like An Inconvenient Truth was a lifesaver.

It’s easy to trust Gore.

Do a little research, though, and you’ll find he has known connections to zinc mines in Tennessee. According to the Tennessean, a newspaper in his home state, Gore received more than half a million dollars in royalties from the owners of zinc mines who had mineral leases on his farm.

The mine, recently re-opened, has a shady past in regards to the environment and its re-opening has left many in the community with serious concerns regarding pollution and the health of the people who live nearby.

Then, there are the ties Gore has to Occidental Petroleum.

Oh wait, that was just a rumor. His dad owned stock, and now his mother controls it, but Gore himself does not and never has owned stock in Occidental.

That’s still kind of sketchy though, right? His family has become rich off of big oil.

So what kind of car do you think he drives? Oh, OK. In an interview with People, Gore revealed that he owns a hybrid car.

The lights in his house even turn off automatically when no one is in the room.

Seems authentic enough, right? It’s hard to say, especially since, as a politician, Gore would know how to play the game. You know, don’t talk about the environment and then let somebody catch you driving a Hummer. Rule of thumb.

Gore has done a great job in bringing environmental concerns into public discussion, and it’s important for us to be genuinely conerned about the enviroment, but it’s hard not to call his sincerity into question.

He is a politician.

And after all, he has benefited from his work with the environment more than the environment has.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Buchtelite
$250
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of The University of Akron. Your contribution will allow us to keep printing our magazine edition, purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Buchtelite
$250
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All comments that are well-informed, civil and relevant to the story are welcome. To leave a comment, please provide your name and email address. The Editorial Board reserves to right to remove any comment that is submitted under false pretenses or includes personal attacks, libel, hate speech, profanity, spam or inaccurate/misleading information. All comments are screened and are generally approved unless they are found to be found in violation of these standards. Readers who notice comments that appear to violate these standards are encouraged to contact the Online Editor at [email protected].
All The Buchtelite Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *