image Despite what the sceptics think about climate change, Al Gore has considerably raised its profile throughout the world, he is passionately devoted to initiating international action on this.

The latest controversy is whether he should win the Nobel Peace Prize because of his outstanding work. He has been nominated for the Nobel prize jointly with Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Canadian Inuit activist who has campaigned about the effect of climate change on Arctic peoples.

If a campaigner against global warming carries off the $1.5 million prize money this Friday, there will have been a shift to reward work outside traditional peacekeeping and reinforce the link between peace and the environment.

A prerequisite for the peace prize is that you have to make a difference, and there is no doubt that Al and his campaigners have done this. I believe they deserve to win this prestigious honour. I do not know the background of the other 180 nominations, but clearly Al’s work will help save countless lives.

The latest stark warning about climate change came from Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in London last week.

They were told that consequences could include widespread starvation, as farm yields fall 50% in parts of Africa, water shortages for 300m and the destruction of 20-30% of species. If targets are missed the rise could reach 4C.

“We have come to the conclusion that global warming is unequivocal,� he said. “What is particularly worrying is that it is accelerating�.

Do you feel Al and Sheila should win the Nobel Peace Prize?

Update 12 October: Just confirmed, Al Gore and the and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have been jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. What an honour.