The World in 2030

The World in 2030 113
In the year 2030 historians may look back on the first
decade of the 21 st century and identify it as the period in
which humans first became serious about tackling climate
change. A clear and almost palpable change in the Western
Zeitgeist is occurring – even as this report is being written
– and it now seems as if hardly a day can pass without a
major public figure, a supermarket chain or a government
leader pledging new-found allegiance to the battle against
global warming. VIII
One former political leader who can claim to have been
involved in tackling climate change longer than most is
former US Vice President Al Gore. As well as starring in a
feature film about climate change called ‘An Inconvenient
Truth’ 223 (which won an Oscar for ‘Best Documentary’), Mr
Gore also remains active politically. Called to testify to the
US Congressional Committee on Energy and Air Quality in
March 2007 he said:
‘I want to testify today about what I believe is a planetary
emergency, a crisis that threatens the survival of
our civilization and the habitability of the Earth.
‘The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you
go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene
here, you don’t say ‘I read a science fiction novel
that says it’s not a problem.’ You take action.’ 224
VIII
Indeed, in commissioning this report (and encouraging a focus on climate change and energy conservation)
PlasticsEurope has acted on behalf of the European plastics manufacturing industry to
raise public awareness about this serious problem.