Al Gore wants to engage Millennials on climate change

SAN FRANCISCO — Al Gore is synonymous with global climate change — and has been richly rewarded for his efforts. A Nobel Peace Prize. Grammy. Emmy. Subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth.

Add Millennial recruiter to the former vice president's résumé.

On Tuesday, when world leaders gather for the opening session of the United Nations' Climate Summit in New York, Gore will urge young people worldwide to demand action. His initiative, Why? Why Not?, part of the Climate Reality Project, is designed to build support for a binding international agreement on greenhouse gas reductions at the United Nations Convention in Paris in late 2015.

The campaign runs in eight countries — the USA, China, India, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Canada and the Philippines — says Ken Berlin, CEO of the Climate Reality Project.

In an interview with USA TODAY, Gore described the campaign.

Q: What is Why? Why Not?

A: The climate crisis is the greatest challenge we have ever faced. We are already seeing its consequences around the world: stronger storms, bigger floods and mudslides, deeper droughts, worsening fires, hotter temperatures, spreading tropical diseases, melting ice and rising seas. These events are all projected to get worse in coming years unless we stop using the atmosphere as an open sewer for the 98 million tons of global-warming pollution that we pour into it every day. Young people have the most at stake, and young people have always been in the vanguard of great social movements. So it is critical that we involve today's youth in the battle to halt the climate crisis.

We worked with (ad agency) WPP to develop a global awareness campaign to help youth confront global leaders, and ask, "Why, Why Not?" in an online video. In every language on the planet, children ask these questions — Why, Why Not? — over and over. They ask the first to understand the world around them, and they ask the second when they want to change that world.

The results have been inspiring. Thousands of youth from across the globe have made their voices heard. We selected eight of the most compelling questions from the group to be the "Voices of Your Generation." Those winners will join me next week at the U.N. Climate Summit to deliver their questions to the world.

Q: How do you hope to engage Millennials?

A: Today's young people understand that the climate crisis is the greatest threat we face. It is irrevocably altering the world they will inherit so they have a vested interest in halting this global problem once and for all. Unfortunately, young people often feel powerless to make major change. We wanted to help give the leaders of tomorrow a voice today. To achieve this goal, the Climate Reality Project worked with WPP to create a tool to allow the digital generation to ask direct questions of global leaders. The result is Why/Why Not.

Q: What type of tech (social media, cloud computing, etc.) will you use to engage younger people?

A: Social media can foster, grow and amplify the youth voice on a global scale. Today, over 1 billion people are on Facebook. YouTube receives 1 billion unique visitors per month. More than 75 million people use Instagram every single day. These tools are ubiquitous and allow young people to speak directly to each other and world leaders. Why/Why Not harnesses the power of social media to direct the youth voice and ensure that their message is delivered.

Q: Do you believe Millennials are important to creating this social movement now that we are so interconnected, all day, via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.?

A: Absolutely. As digital natives, today's youth understand the powerful potential of social media for action. What starts as a debate on Facebook can quickly spread around the world, across social media networks, and eventually influence world policy. By harnessing this potential with Why/Why Not we are able to deliver a powerful message to world leaders — it's time to solve the climate crisis. Social momentum is building. We have all the tools we need. It's time for our leaders to act.