‘We need to stop using the sky as an open sewer’: Former US Vice-President Al Gore on unprecedented climate danger

Former US Vice-President Al Gore warned in Singapore that humanity must stop using the atmosphere as a dumping ground for greenhouse gases or face catastrophic climate consequences. Speaking to CNA, Gore highlighted predictions from his 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth as "exactly accurate," citing rising temperatures, melting ice, and increasingly erratic weather.

Gore stressed that the world emits 175 million tonnes of greenhouse gases daily, trapping excess heat equivalent to 800,000 atomic bombs exploding every day. He warned that the past 11 years (2015-2025) were the warmest on record, and 2027 is likely to surpass that record due to a "super El Nino."

The climate crisis is intensifying the water cycle, resulting in extreme downpours and longer droughts threatening agriculture. Gore pointed to the Himalayas, where 80% of ice is projected to disappear by century's end, and Greenland and Antarctica, which are losing massive amounts of ice. This sea-level rise poses a threat to low-lying areas like Singapore.

Extreme heat and humidity, exacerbated by climate change, could make large parts of the world uninhabitable, according to WHO climate experts. Within 25 years, more than a billion climate refugees could cross borders to escape unlivable conditions.

However, Gore acknowledged a positive shift as affordable clean-energy technologies, such as solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles, have become more accessible. One in four cars sold globally is now an electric vehicle. The global investment in renewables has surpassed that in fossil fuels, but Gore warned that the pace of change is still insufficient, as the world risks crossing dangerous tipping points.

Gore dismissed the concept of "climate realism" – the idea that the transition to clean energy must accommodate continued dependence on fossil fuels. He called this "climate denial" and highlighted the powerful opposition from fossil fuel companies and petrostates, which wield significant political influence. Gore emphasized the need to overcome the influence of these powerful interests to achieve the climate transition.

The Climate Reality Project founder and chairman is in Singapore to conduct a two-day training for about 800 climate advocates. He believes recent extreme weather events are increasing attention and receptiveness to solutions already available. Gore stressed that the climate movement is nearing an unstoppable tipping point and urged people to act on the message to solve the climate crisis.