Combating global warming is no easy task. Whether it is alternative energy sources or sustainable agriculture, scientists and activists are constantly mulling over ways to reverse the damaging effects of global warming. But the biggest obstacle they must overcome in their pursuit of a greener planet? Apathy.

That's where everyone's favorite former vice president-turned environmental crusader comes in. Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection – the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded by the Nobel laureate – has launched the We Campaign in an effort to halt global warming and inspire action among the masses. For the next three years, the $300 million advertising venture will aim to recruit 10 million advocates to implement new laws and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In a presentation on the campaign last week, Cathy Zoi, who heads the alliance and was formerly a Clinton administration environmental aide, said the goal was to replicate the marketing success of enduring public service ad campaigns like the frying egg depicted as "your brain on drugs" and the 1971 advertisement featuring a tearful American Indian considering a polluted landscape. – The New York Times

The We Campaign is one of the most ambitious and expensive advocacy campaigns in U.S. history with advertisements running on popular television programs like The Jon Stewart Show and American Idol. But many industry experts are questioning whether Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection are investing enough money to make a significant impact.

John P. Murry Jr., an associate professor of marketing at the University of Iowa who has studied public service advertising, said the campaign might be spending too little.

"I think the global warming project media budget should be 10 times as high," he said. "Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi spend over a billion dollars each year to promote brand preference for soft drinks. In this light, the $100 million per year to change our lifestyles seems pretty small." – The New York Times

Not satisfied with simply trading in our light bulbs for LEDs and SUVs for hybrids, Gore is now intent on establishing a national carbon emission cap as well as global pact on climate change by the campaign's three-year deadline. Gore has expressed his own frustration with society's obvious lack of urgency on the matter, saying, "I've tried everything else I know to try. The way to solve this crisis is to change the way the public thinks about it."

So far, over one million people have joined the "We" website, offering visitors the chance to sign the petition for a global treaty on climate change, tell friends about the latest videos and advertisements, urge the media to pay more attention to global warming, and ask lenders to consider climate impact when funding new coal plants. While there are several success stories to be told, the campaign is still in its infancy and its effectiveness will remain to be seen. But no one should underestimate Gore's power and influence worldwide, which is certainly something that has not gone unnoticed by senior Democrats in the U.S.

With Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama immersed in a bitter fight to the death for the Democratic presidential nomination, experts are wondering if either will be on sturdy enough ground to beat John McCain come November. Amid a swirl of political attacks between Clinton and Obama, McCain has leapt ahead of both in national polls – a troubling development for the Democrats. With every passing day, Gore seems more and more like a plausible option for a compromise candidate if the situation does not resolve itself by the Democratic National Convention in August.

If neither Mr. Obama nor Mrs. Clinton has the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination, and if both appear unable to beat Mr. McCain, under one scenario a group of about 100 party elders – the "super-delegates" – could sit out the first ballot in Denver, preventing either candidate winning outright, and then offer Mr. Gore the nomination for the good of the party. – The Daily Telegraph

Gore winning the nomination would be bad news for McCain considering the recent Oscar winner has already won the presidential election once (beating George W. Bush in the popular vote in 2000), but it would be excellent news for environmentalists around the globe.