Obama, Gore talk climate

Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Al Gore met privately in Chicago Tuesday to discuss energy and climate issues.

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AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
President-elect Barack Obama sits with former Vice President Al Gore during their meeting in Chicago Tuesday.

Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Al Gore met privately in Chicago Tuesday to discuss energy and climate issues.

The men shared little of what was said during their 45-minute meeting, only that they agree on the scientific basis of global warming and that aggressive action is needed.

According to Agence France-Presse, Mr. Obama told reporters: "All three of us are in agreement that the time for delay is over, the time for denial is over."

"We all believe what the scientists have been telling us for years now, that this is a matter of urgency and national security, and it has to be dealt with in a serious way. That is what I intend my administration to do," he said.

Obama added that efforts to halt catastrophic climate change and efforts to revitalize the faltering economy can go hand-in-hand. CNN quoted the president-elect:

"We have the opportunity now to create jobs all across this country, to re-power America, to redesign how we use energy, to think about how we are increasing efficiency, to make our economy stronger, make us more safe, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and make us competitive for decades to come, even as we are saving the planet," Obama said.

The New York Times notes Obama's use of the word "repower," a term popularized by Mr. Gore this past July when he proposed that America embark on an Apollo-like project to abandon electricity generated by fossil fuels by 2018, relying instead on wind, solar, and geothermal energy.

As the Times notes, Obama has not explicitly endorsed Gore's proposal, but his campaign website proposes investing $150 billion over the next 10 years toward clean energy.

Despite speculation that Obama will tap Gore for a post in his government, the former vice president and Nobel laureate has repeatedly said that he has no interest in an official role.

Gore will, however, be traveling to Poznań, Poland, next week, where world leaders are gathering to attempt to lay the groundwork for a post-Kyoto climate agreement.

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