This post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Yesterday, Former Vice President Al Gore gave a speech in Washington, D.C. that called for the U.S. to produce all electricity from carbon-free sources by 2018.

You can read the full transcript on WeCanSolveIt.org.

Reactions around the blogosphere have been measured - generally applauding Gore's leadership, but questioning whether his initiative is doable. For example, see Dot Earth, EcoGeek, FireDogLake, and Gristmill.

Whatever you think of Gore's 10-year challenge, one thing is for sure - Al Gore knows how to draw attention to the world's most serious crisis. His leadership, which continues to be invaluable, won him the Nobel Peace Prize along with the IPCC.

And he's definitely right about this:

We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that's got to change.
...
[O]ne thing has become abundantly clear: when you connect the dots, it turns out that the real solutions to the climate crisis are the very same measures needed to renew our economy and escape the trap of ever-rising energy prices. Moreover, they are also the very same solutions we need to guarantee our national security without having to go to war in the Persian Gulf.