Oregon Public Broadcasting

Former vice president Al Gore painted a grim picture of a post-climate change planet, in an interview with OPB's Think Out Loud. But as Rob Manning reports, he was upbeat about making long-term progress.

Gore pointed to problems like pine beetles in Pacific Northwest forests and acidic ocean water on the coast as evidence that climate change is already affecting the environment.

But Gore said climate change can be limited if policy makers sustain their focus.

Al Gore: "The great cathedrals of Europe in the past were built by multiple generations over a century and more, because they felt those values were worth holding to for long periods of time. We now have a challenge that requires that kind of long-term thinking."

Gore said that he was disappointed but not surprised that leaders appear to be dampening expectations for the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen.

He says it may take several attempts to get strong global agreements in place.