Last month, Al Gore talked to Grist's David Roberts about the Climate Reality Project. According to Roberts, "all of the group's efforts will be devoted to spreading the truth about the climate crisis and the solutions to it, making use of the thousands of slideshow presenters that Gore has trained over the last few years." 






This is where it really gets cool: The project will kick off on Sept. 14-15 with a "24 Hours of Reality" event, the first of several global events. There will be one hour of presentation and discussion airing at 8:00 p.m. in each time zone around the world, one time zone at a time. Every presenation will be a new one from Gore but it will change by region to focus on the local climate impacts and local solutions. It will end with a presenation by Gore in New York City.

The timing is perfect. We are at a crossroads in the climate movement where it's become negative to bring up climate change - instead the focus is on energy. Not so much for Gore.

In addition, our Congress spends more time debating the scientific validity of climate change as cities continue to adapt. Why the disconnect? 82% of Americans now live in cities, a percentage expected to hit 90% by 2050. Many aren't waiting for Congress and are moving forward with comprehensive plans for climate change to accomodate with growth. To prepare for floods, Chicago is planting trees and replacing streets with permeable materials to allow rain to seep into the ground and it has more than 600 green roof projects completed or underway. Even mid-size cities like Chula Vista are leading by example. They just cited a study that sea levels — already up 6 inches since 1900 — will rise 12 to 18 inches more in the next 40 years and that new  waterfront projects must account for this increase.

What about Spokane? Hopefully, The Goracle can help.

Check the video after the jump.

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