Dear Mr. Gore:

Many of us who care about the planet watch the headlines now and ask ourselves: in the storm of Climategate, what does it mean to be green? Thanks to a bank of stolen emails and two British scientists muddying the grey areas in green issues, we no longer know if our cause is true.  We wonder now whether recent climate-change data reflect warming temperatures or heating egos.  We wonder: is there any reason for eco-advocates to stay the course on staying green?  By the way, where are you?   Your silence does nothing to cool our fears. 

In an emerging science like climate change, most thinking folks know that unknowns abound.  Some uncertainty is inevitable.  We know that just because a phenomenon confuses scientists and lay people doesn’t mean it’s not happening.  But when the mainstream media doesn’t handle the story, and the world’s most vocal eco-leader is not talking, we’re left to do our digging elsewhere.  What I’m digging up doesn’t look good. 

So what do we do?  Drawing on a quote from a friend: when there’s something you don’t know, go back to what you do know. Here is what I know: 

Our national security is at risk.  America spends nearly $100 billion on foreign oil annually (depending on the price per barrel).  That money goes straight into the pockets of countries that hate us. 97 percent of our transportation sector is based on petroleum. When the price of oil spikes, as it has before and will again, businesses go under and our economy is compromised.  Our dependence on petroleum, a diminishing resource, puts America in a precarious economic position and the climate in peril.

 

Our air is polluted.  The asthma epidemic, the leading cause of hospitalization in children, has been linked to airborne allergens and environmental toxins found indoors and outdoors. Coal-fired power plants are the largest human-caused source of sulfur dioxide, the culprit of significant health problems. Clean technologies and cleaner cars makes sense, regardless of one's stance on global warming.

 

Our children’s health is under attack.  From nitrogen dioxide and pesticides to hundreds of products, many substances we slather our bodies with daily contain pollutants in quantities that fall beneath the current regulatory radar.  The FDA doesn’t regulate personal care products, many of which contain phthalates and other substances at levels considered dangerous in the EU market. A full 89 percent of all ingredients in cosmetics have not been evaluated for safety.  As we mix these products together (an average of 15 per adult per day), we are harming ourselves in ways we don’t understand.

 

Hyperconsumption contributes to obesity and waste.  In the last 30 years, thanks to processed foods, U.S. consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has increased by 1000 percent and added fats by 35 percent. Most of the packaging waste goes straight into landfills.

 

America’s manufacturing industry is drying up to our detriment.  Only 5 percent of our apparel is manufactured here, down from 90 percent 30 years ago.  Living green supports domestic workers, healthy working conditions, and local economies. 

 

Environmental toxins cause health hazards.  After about 50 years of study, the scientific evidence in this case is solid. The proliferation of environmental toxins in our food, water and air is contributing to a startling series of epidemics in infertility and cancers.  Many of these toxins are found in our cleaning products and in the food on our plates.  They are so pervasive that a recent Stanford study discovered over 200 industrial chemicals coursing through the cord blood of newborn babies.  

 

Species are becoming extinct at an astonishing rate.  Species loss is occurring at 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural rate.  Worldwide, we have 405 dead-ocean zones, up from 49 in the 1960s. Nearly one-third of the world’s wildlife has been gone since 1970.  At this rate, half of all living bird and mammal species will be gone in 300 years.  Much of this damage is the direct result of pollution, overfishing, and unsustainable agricultural practices. 

 

There is money to save.  According to a McKinsey & Company report called “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. economy,” America could reduce its energy consumption by almost 25 percent by 2020 – and save $1.2 trillion - by implementing widespread energy efficiency measures.  On a personal note, our LEED-certified home saves us between 30 to 50 percent on the cost of electricity.

 

We can make a difference.  One in 5 people survives on less water per day than is used to flush a toilet. Conserving water makes good sense (and saves us dollars, too).  If Americans reduced our meat intake by just 10 percent, there would be enough grain left over to feed 60 million people. 

 

There is hope. Sustainable development can help us create walkable communities, benefit local economies, and foster communities.  Eco-preneurs in every industry are working at their own expense to create clean technologies that can free us from petroleum and pollution, while providing a future for American workers. Green-minded consumers help by purchasing organic foods and products, and by supporting the responsible retailers who carry them.  People of faith are even bringing their voice to the environmental cause. Green is the glue that can pull us all together.

 

The climate change argument is not insignificant, and certainly not settled, in spite of what the deniers would have us believe.  The upside of your silence on Climategate, Mr. Gore, is that it had forced me to look inward and upward in order to discern for myself what is true.  This is a good thing, because I would rather pursue the truth with open eyes than blindly follow any leader. So here is the truth. The global population is rapidly increasing, natural resources are declining or being degraded, and the world (including the climate) is changing.  Like it or not, these realities dictate that we begin living such that the resources we spend on this side of the world don't rob from the needs of elsewhere.  No matter where the fault lies on climate change, we Americans can help share the wealth - and do ourselves a favor, too - by consuming less.  That's a green message that anyone can get on board with.

 

We thank you, Mr. Gore, for bringing the discussion into the public realm.  As Americans wrestle with what is true and who we can believe, we need your voice now more than ever.  We hope to hear from you soon.

 

Anna Clark is the president of EarthPeople and an author on green living and leadership. Her book Green, American Style comes out from Baker publishing in April 2010.  For more on the author, visit www.annamclark.com.