One Out of Two Ain’t Bad

I’m pleased to report that Al Gore is innocent of charges of hypocrisy related to serving Chilean Sea Bass at his daughter’s wedding celebrations. The Bass, more properly known as the Patagonian Toothfish, is primarily endangered because of the massive tragedy of the commons in deep sea fisheries that exists almost solely because of government subsidies. However, not only was the fish served at his daughter’s rehearsal dinner, where the groom’s parents generally pay, but the fish itself originated from a properly-managed fishery overseen by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Al Gore is certainly a divisive figure, but this charge against him simply will not stick.

On the other hand, we learn from The Smoking Gun that the former Vice President demands First Class air travel to deliver his global warming lectures. First Class air travel produces three times as much greenhouse gas emissions as economy class. It seems that even the Vice President is happy to concede that convenience sometimes requires more emissions.