“We are in the early stages of a sustainable revolution”

It’s really encouraging when people find reasons for optimism about climate change after hearing about your work—especially if it comes from Vice President Al Gore.

On 8 May, Mr. Gore spent time with the IKEA Foundation to discuss our climate action work and offer his advice. A prominent author and environmentalist, Mr. Gore’s work in climate change activism earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, jointly with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Speaking to co-workers at our office in the Netherlands, he stressed the importance of the climate action work we are leading.

It’s going to be a challenge to combat climate change; we are facing an emergency, but we must and can do it, Mr. Gore said. “Seeing so many entrepreneurs on solar, energy efficiency… rising and doing their businesses, I think we are in the early stages of a sustainable revolution.”

But he stressed that the most important questions remain to be answered. Will this be enough? And will we change? The Vice President thinks there will be a change.

“We’re seeing change happening right now in the world, by young people, the school strikes encouraged by Greta Thunberg, and many other grass roots organisations are upping their game. Maybe now we are crossing the political tipping point.”

“Last week, a CNN poll found that 82% of Democrat voters listed climate change as a top priority they’d like to see get the focus of a presidential candidate”, he continues. “This shows that a shift is taking place.”

“I can just say I am an optimist,” he concluded, “especially after speaking to organisations like yours and hearing about the work you and your partners are doing.”