The 2007 Nobel Peace Price won by IPCC and Al Gore

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the former vice president of United States, Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. have won the 2007 Nobel Peace Price "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change". The price will be shared in two equal parts between IPCC and Al Gore.

The award was announced through a press release dated October 12, 2007 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the committee that administers the Nobel Peace Price. The release stated that indications of changes in the earth's future climate must be treated with the utmost seriousness and with the precautionary principle uppermost in our minds. The committee observed that extensive climate changes may alter and threaten the living conditions of much of mankind, induce large-scale migration and lead to greater competition for the earth's resources, place particularly heavy burdens on the world's most vulnerable countries. There may be increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states.

The IPCC has been rewarded for having created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming through the efforts of thousands of scientists and officials from over one hundred countries that have collaborated to achieve greater certainty as to the scale of the warming. The release said, whereas in the 1980s global warming seemed to be merely an interesting hypothesis, the 1990s produced firmer evidence in its support. In the last few years, the connections have become even clearer and the consequences still more apparent.

Al Gore was said to has for a long time been one of the world's leading environmentalist politicians. He became aware at an early stage of the climatic challenges the world is facing. His strong commitment, reflected in political activity, lectures, films and books, has strengthened the struggle against climate change. He is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted.

The committee stated that by awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 to the IPCC and Al Gore, the Norwegian Nobel Committee is seeking to contribute to a sharper focus on the processes and decisions that appear to be necessary to protect the world’s future climate, and thereby to reduce the threat to the security of mankind. Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man’s control.

For further information visit the following sites: Nobel Peace Price or the Nobel Prize