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Share your thoughts here.
Before the warming: Kilimanjaro, 1970
AL GORE
"Here's the essence of our problem: Right now, the political environment in the country does not support the range of solutions that have to be introduced."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Change a Light
Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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After the warming: Kilimanjaro, 2000
AL GORE
"Imagine where we would be today if Bush, after properly invading Afghanistan to hunt down Osama bin Laden, had not unwisely invaded a country that had no role in the attack on us. He could have pursued the terrorists and called upon the United States to become independent of oil."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Drive Less
Walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit more often. You'll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don't drive.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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Before the warming: Glacier National Park, 1932
AL GORE
"Bush is insulated -- his staff smiles a lot and only gives him the news that he wants to hear. Unfortunately, they still have this delusion that they create their own reality."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Recycle More
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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After the warming: Glacier National Park, 1988
AL GORE
"I believe there is a hunger in the country to be part of a larger vision that changes the way we relate to the environment and the economy."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Check Your Tires
Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than three percent.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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Before the warming: Peru, 1980
AL GORE
"I think Katrina was a tipping point for millions of Americans. A top insurance executive at Lloyd's of London said just the other week that if we don't act now to prevent this looming catastrophe, "we will face extinction." You know -- just a typical, long-haired hippie at Lloyd's of London."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Use Less Hot Water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead. (350 pounds of CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year.)
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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After the warming: Peru, 2002
AL GORE
"Our brains are much better at perceiving danger in fangs and claws and spiders and fire. It's more difficult to trigger the alarm parts of the brain -- those connected to survival -- with grave dangers that can only be perceived through abstract models and complex data."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Avoid products with a lot of packaging
You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by ten percent.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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Before the warming: Patagonia, Argentina, 1928
AL GORE
" 'The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of stones. And the Age of Fossil Fuels won't end because we run out of fossil fuels.' "
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Adjust your thermostat
Moving your thermostat down just two degrees in winter and up two degrees in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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After the warming: Patagonia, Argentina, 2004
AL GORE
"It is truly nuts. But you know, junkies find veins in their toes. It seems reasonable, to them, because they've lost sight of the rest of their lives."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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Before the warming: Nepal, 1978
AL GORE
"I will make a prediction that within two years, Bush and Cheney themselves will change their position."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Be part of the solution
Learn more and get active.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
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After the warming: Nepal, 2004
AL GORE
"As Lincoln said in the darkest days of America's darkest passage: "We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country." Our biggest challenge, our biggest foe, is thrall. The word sounds ancient, but it means anything that imprisons our thinking and prevents us from seeing the reality of our situation. We're in thrall to oil. We've got to break out of it. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we will save our planet."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Spread the word.
Share your thoughts here.
Plus: Check out our interview with Al Gore.
Selected reader responses will appear in Rolling Stone magazine: Write to us at letters@rollingstone.com.