Former Vice President Al Gore delivered an impassioned speech at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, condemning “polluters” and calling for immediate action on climate change.

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, USA - OCTOBER 17 2017: Former US Vice President Al Gore speaking about the Climate Reality Project.

Gore’s address on Monday came during a summit that has featured discussions on taxing meat and dairy industries and funding climate initiatives in less-developed nations.

Gore strongly urged attendees to heed the warnings of climate scientists, claiming their predictions about the state of the planet have been accurate.

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“The fact that the scientists who predicted all of this decades ago have been proven dead right should cause the rest of us to pay more attention to what they’re telling us now!” Gore declared, receiving applause from the audience. “Do we listen to the polluters, who don’t want to do anything meaningful that might reduce fossil fuels, or do we listen to the scientists who have been telling us what we need to do?”

Highlighting recent environmental crises, Gore pointed to extreme droughts in various regions. “This was a very extreme drought in China in the middle of this year, and what’s happening in the Amazon, the Rio Solimões, the Rio Negro, it’s the worst drought on record in the Amazon — 90% of the river flow in Colombia is gone, Ecuador’s losing its hydro because of this,” he said.

He also mentioned droughts in Namibia and Zimbabwe, where livestock and wildlife are being killed to feed starving populations. “How long are we going to let this get worse until we decide to take action?! I’m sorry, I press my own buttons these days,” Gore added.

He warned of the melting ice in Greenland, claiming that it could have dire consequences for global ocean currents. “That is fresh water coming off Greenland into the North Atlantic, where a key part of the ocean current circulation system is involved. It could be disrupted,” Gore said.

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While acknowledging that some scientists disagree, Gore noted that an increasing number are raising alarms. “And if you look at the bottom statement, these peer-reviewed — these scientists say in this peer-reviewed study, ‘We estimate a collapse around mid-century.’ What?! What?!”

Gore expressed frustration at the lack of progress in combating climate change. “Some of the load-bearing elements of our entire Earth ecological system are at risk. And what are we doing? Just talking away, talking away, not making much progress. Again, I’m getting stirred up here so I’ll try to calm down,” he said.

The conference also saw participation from several Biden-Harris administration officials, including Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, White House climate advisor John Podesta, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Despite the Biden-Harris administration backing away from a major emissions initiative during the event, Podesta assured attendees that the United States would remain engaged in addressing climate change, even with former President Donald Trump’s return to office.

According to Bloomberg, Podesta stated, “We’re still here, we’re still fighting.”

COP29, which began Monday, continues to focus on strategies for addressing climate challenges globally, including funding mechanisms for less-developed nations and taxation proposals aimed at reducing emissions.

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