Political and ecological tipping points

Al Gore is back!

At the WSJ Eco nomics conference this week, he describes how we are living in a "genuine political emergency". When asked by a BP Director why nothing seems to be getting done about climate change, he describes how there are "tipping points" in politics. He cites the example of the civil rights battle of the 60s in Alabama when young people started asking questions about race. This started a political process that lead to desegregation and equal rights.

"Tipping points" is thus the key phrase of the early 21st century, describing both the moment we slip into ecological catastrophe but also when used in a political context, the moment we decide to do something about it.