Save-the-world Sunday: Al Gore's vision in Australia

This week's Save-the-world Sunday post highlights the story of former US Vice-President Al Gore's visit to Australia this week.

Gore's campaign to raise awareness of climate change, most notably with his award-winning documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, has garnered him global attention.

During his presentation in Melbourne he warned of the dangers posed to Australians by increasingly erratic weather patterns and record heat waves, like the one that worsened this year's bushfires in Victoria to devastating effect.

He also echoed Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's sentiment that acting to find renewable sources of energy is in Australia's best long-term interest for both environmental and economic reasons. It's an open question, however, as to whether the political will exists and if people are willing to make the changes necessary in the short-term for the sake of long-term benefits.

What's interesting is the same environmental message was delivered in strikingly different ways by the two leaders, each according to his characteristic style of leadership.

In my next blog post I'll discuss the nature of eight different of leadership styles and explore the thorny question of what role "charisma" plays - is it a necessary prerequisite? What does it look like? Can you learn it? And, if so, how? Watch this space!

Photo credits: AFP

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