Gore Burns 439,500 Lbs of Fuel to Attend Summit

“The most vulnerable part of the Earth’s environment is the very thin layer of air clinging near to the surface of the planet, that we are now so carelessly filling with gaseous wastes that we are actually altering the relationship between the Earth and the Sun – by trapping more solar radiation under this growing blanket of pollution that envelops the entire world,” Vice President Gore told the U.N. Global Warming conference of 159 nations this morning in Koyto, Japan.

In what was one the most dramatic speeches in recent memory, Gore announced to world leaders: “Whether we recognize it or not, we are now engaged in an epic battle to right the balance of our Earth, and the tide of this battle will turn on when the majority of people in the world become sufficiently aroused by shared sense of urgent danger to join an all-out effort.”

Applause filed the halls of the Kyoto International Conference Center. “We must achieve a safe overall concentration level for greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.”

The message is serious. So serious in fact, the DRUDGE REPORT has calculated that Vice President Al Gore is burning more than 439,500 pounds of fuel, or 65,600 gallons, at a cost of more than $131,000 on his 16,000 mile daytrip, just to deliver the warning.

Now that’s commitment.

Air Force II’s Global Warming Express features an itinerary that takes the vice president from Washington to Florida to Washington to Alaska to Japan and back — all in just 72-hours.

Saturday, December 6, 1997

9:45 a.m. – Air Force II departs Andrews AFB enroute Fort Myers, Fla.

12:05 p.m. – Air Force II arrives Southwest Florida Regional Airport. Gate 69-A.

2 p.m. – Vice President Gore addresses the 50th Anniversary/Rededication, Everglades Municipal Airport, Everglades National Park.

6:40 p.m. – Air Force II departs Florida en route AFB.

8:35 p.m. – Air Force II arrives at Andrews Air Force Base.

9:45 p.m. – Air Force II departs Andrews Air Force Base en route Elmendorf Air Force Base

Sunday, Dec. 7

1:15 a.m. — Air Force II arrives Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska

2:45 a.m. — Air Force II departs Elmendorf Air Force Base en route Osaka, Japan

Monday, Dec. 8

5 a.m. — Air Force II arrives Osaka International Airport, Osaka Japan

11:15 p.m. — Air Force II departs Osaka, Japan en route Elmendorf Air Force Base

12:35 p.m. — Air Force II arrives Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska

2:05 p.m. — Air Force II departs Elmendorf Air Force Base en route Andrews Air Force Base

Tuesday, Dec. 9

12:45 a.m. — Air Force II arrives Andrews Air Force Base