Gore set to change climate on Hill

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Democrats, environmental activists and presidential hopefuls are angling to share the spotlight with former Vice President Al Gore this week as he comes to Capitol Hill to testify on global warming.

Mr. Gore, who has made a personal crusade out of climate change, will appear Wednesday before House and Senate panels to urge Congress to attempt to halt climate change, and he expects to bring a mailbag filled with the nearly 300,000 postcards he has collected since Christmas.

"You and I know that political will is a renewable resource, and enough already exists to start solving this crisis," Mr. Gore, a Democrat, told supporters Friday in an e-mail, noting he's collected 294,000 cards and is aiming for at least 50,000 more. "We just have to communicate that forcefully to the political leaders of our country."

The testimony caps a lengthy stint of popularity for Mr. Gore, with headlines and buzz unmatched by any politician. Mr. Gore starred in the film "An Inconvenient Truth," which was honored with an Oscar for Best Documentary and caused hundreds of articles to speculate on the 2000 presidential nominee's political future and reinvigorated "Draft Gore" movements.

Taking advantage of the panel hearing are environmentalists, who will march on the Capitol as part of Climate Crisis Action Day tomorrow. They also will hold a rally there from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., starring members of Congress and state leaders.

"Temperatures are rising across the globe, and the impacts are devastating," reads one advisory for the rally, being promoted by the liberal activist group MoveOn.org. "But a new Congress is in session, and we have an opportunity unlike any we've seen in years."

One group promised to walk the halls of the Capitol, lobbying for "sensible solutions" to global warming, a "path to a clean energy future," and "permanent protection" for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is eyed as a potential source of oil and gas.

Presidential candidates are jumping onto the bandwagon as well.

Several senators making 2008 bids for the White House have sponsored a bill aimed at curbing carbon emissions, but those outside of Washington have plenty to say on the topic.

Two Democratic presidential hopefuls Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina appealed to their supporters last week on climate change.