“When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”

The Second Time Around

In 1976, a dorky 28-year-old kid dropped out of Vanderbilt Law School to run for a seat in congress.  As a former journalist with a passion for exposing corruption and injustice, particularly in areas of environmentalism, he knew that a congressional position would greatly help him bring his concerns into the public spotlight.

He won the ‘76 election easily, thanks in large part to the fact that his father had also been a successful politician in his hometown.  That same year, he established the first congressional hearings on climate change, co-sponsored hearings on toxic waste and global warming, and began a lifelong crusade to raise awareness of the earth’s environmental crisis.  

He was re-elected back to congress for four additional terms, then went on to serve in the Senate for nearly 20 more years.  All the while, he continued his efforts at raising awareness of what he thought was (and still is) the single most significant conflict mankind will ever face… the threat of cooking ourselves into extinction.  

Unfortunately, the his colleagues weren’t really interested in this issue.  He gave thousands of speeches and presentations across the globe, wrote articles and books, met with Nobel laureate scientists and climate experts, and continued to support legislative committees and caucuses on climate change.  And still… nobody really seemed to notice.

He was up against two significant obstacles preventing his voice from being heard.  

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