'We can reclaim control of our destiny,' Al Gore says of climate change

Former Vice President Al Gore expressed optimism that humanity can still repair the damage to the environment that is causing global warming.

“The good news is we can reclaim control of our destiny,” Gore, who has long warned of the dangers of climate change, said on “State of the Union” in an interview that aired Sunday.

“We have the ability to do this,” Gore said, adding: “And it’s not impractical,” citing solar power, wind power and electric vehicles.

"We can do this,” he told host Jake Tapper, “if we just overcome the greed and political power of the big fossil fuel polluters who have been trying to control this process. It's time for people at the grassroots level in every country to speak up, and the good news is, that’s happening too. “

Sunday’s episode of “State of the Union” focused on 2023 as a year of record-setting temperatures and natural disasters. Gore made it clear that humans still have to choose the right course and follow it to fix the planet or face grave consequences.

“If we don't take action, there could be as many as one billion climate refugees crossing international borders in the next several decades,” he said. “Well, a few million has contributed to this wave of populist authoritarianism and dictatorships and so forth. What would one billion do? We can't do this. We could lose our capacity for self-governance. “