It is arguable that global warming has contributed to, say, the current situation in Darfur, which has been exacerbated by drought conditions. It is certainly true that continued warming will lead to reduced arable land, food and water shortages, and that will feed more conflict as competition for resources become more intense. Middle east conflicts, “no blood for oil” rhetoric aside, are definitely made worse by the fact that so many countries are dependent on oil from the region.
Fighting climate change does have an impact on global peace, or it will. Al Gore’s contribution is enormous in that regard.
Having said that, it is a political award, if it actually happens.
(P.S. Mr. Kuo, I enjoy your blog, even if I disagree with you on many issues – I like your openness and charity)

Oh, give me strength.
Valiantmauz has a point. The climate is a big factor in both war and poverty.
But still, If Gore wins, I’ll want to forget that, too.
By the way, if there were a nobel prize for tiresome pomposity, Hitchens would be on my short list and I don’t put much stock in his prophesy. As an atheist, his lips to nobody-in-particular’s ear.

The scarcity of resources will be the reasons behind violence in the the very near future. Indeed, perhaps this war is as much about a looming scarcity as anything else.
Al Gore has been speaking, writing and thinking about this topic for well over 20 years. Our current president apparently doesn’t like to think about it and therefore does not.
I would say that this awareness is the only means to a future peace.
It is perhaps necessary for us to empty ourselves of the presuppositions about Gore that were planted in our heads by those who did not wish for us to think. He is a nerd – pure and simple and therefore we are irritated by his knowledge. We were wrong. He is prophetic in his work.

and he was prophetic about the internet also (he did not “create” it, but he did advocate its development while in the Senate).

Thinker, I think you might be overgeneralizing. I’m not great at it, but I like to think. I’ve known a lot of nerds and liked most of them. I mainly find him annoying because he comes across as smug and patronizing. That’s no reason not to listen, but it’s a fine reason to avoid the acceptance speech.

Why Not? Who else could have gotten so many people a little more interested in the subject that will surely affect us all? As the advertising industry knows, it is often someone who is rather unappealing who makes us remember the message. Anyone seen a “head on” commercial lately?

Yeah, Doug, I admit it – wasn’t my best – and did overgeneralize. But, I’ve heard so many people say something along the lines – “he thinks he is so smart.” He is and they’re not. Of course most of those people are members of my extended family and those family gatherings tend to raise my blood pressure just a tad. That’s also what they have also said about me since I was about 5 – “She thinks she is so smart.” So I moved – far far away. To give you an idea – one of my nieces was offered a job with Tom Delay – the offer came the same day as the indictment – so she didn’t take it.
Gore does come across as patronizing at times, and I wouldn’t want to have a beer with him or listen to music with Tipper – wish his sense of humor was as intact as his nerdiness.

Thinker is right: in a world of finite resources, encouraging so many people to think about the consequences of our consumptive lifestyle does contribute to peace for the future. His movie has converted many people to use less energy in their day-to-day living, and that’s a wonderful thing. An overheated planet – more desert land, less accessible water, cities engulfed by oceans – is not going to be a planet with a lot of peace, as humans battle over scarce resources. Think about it.