2007 Nobel Peace Prize

The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.

Background

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in 1895. The Peace Prize is awarded annually to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to peace.

In 2007, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the IPCC and Al Gore in recognition of their efforts to increase awareness of climate change and to advocate for action to address it. The IPCC is a scientific body under the auspices of the United Nations, tasked with evaluating the risk of climate change caused by human activity. Al Gore, a former Vice President of the United States, has been a prominent advocate for environmental issues, particularly through his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth".

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Its main objective is to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.

The IPCC does not conduct its own research but assesses the most recent scientific, technical, and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change. Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC on a voluntary basis.

Al Gore

Al Gore served as the 45th Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. After his political career, Gore became an advocate for environmental issues, focusing on climate change. His 2006 documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" brought the issue of global warming to the forefront of public discourse.

Gore's work has been instrumental in raising awareness about the dangers of climate change and the need for urgent action to address it. He has continued to be a leading voice in the fight against climate change through his organization, the Climate Reality Project.

Impact and Significance

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the IPCC and Al Gore in 2007 highlighted the growing recognition of climate change as a critical global issue. It underscored the importance of scientific research and advocacy in shaping public policy and international agreements aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change.

The prize also helped to galvanize public and political support for climate action, leading to increased efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to promote sustainable development practices worldwide.

Also see

• Nobel Peace Prize
• Climate change
• An Inconvenient Truth
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Al Gore