Al Gore Likens Climate Deniers to Uvalde Officers 'Waiting' During Shooting

Former vice president and environmentalist Al Gore recently compared the lack of response to climate change to the inaction by law enforcement officers in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting.

"Climate deniers are really in some ways similar to all of those almost 400 law enforcement officers in Uvalde, Texas, who were waiting outside an unlocked door while the children were being massacred. They heard the screams, they heard the gunshots, and nobody stepped forward," he said during a segment on NBC's Meet the Press that was posted to Twitter on Saturday.

New footage was released last week of the events surrounding the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School where 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos killed 19 children and two teachers. The 82-minute video sparked outrage over the police's delayed response. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District plans to hold a special board meeting soon to consider the termination of police chief Pete Arredondo, who is currently on unpaid leave.

Meanwhile, Gore described climate change as a "global emergency" during the brief segment on Meet the Press, adding that there is more that can be done to counter its consequences.

"What we're doing with our inaction and failing to walk through the door and stop the killing is not typical of what we are capable of as human beings," he said, who is also author of the 2006 book, An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It.

His remarks come as an immense heat wave swept across the United States and Europe this week, with temperatures reaching a high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, causing wildfires.

Meanwhile, Amtrak placed heat restrictions on its trains on Friday, warning that extreme heat can cause rail and catenary wires to expand. The corporation said its trains will be operated at a lower speed, which could cause potential trip delays, and that the restrictions are based on rail temperature.

"We do have the solutions and I think these extreme events that are getting steadily worse and more severe, are really beginning to change minds. We have to have unity as a nation to come together and stop making this political football. It shouldn't be a partisan issue," Gore said on Meet the Press.

In a tweet referencing the soaring temperatures in Europe on Tuesday, Gore tweeted: "How many more records will be broken and communities engulfed in flames before we take the action needed to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis?"

Last year, Gore noted that the COVID-19 pandemic should teach people to take climate warnings by scientists seriously. His remarks back then came in response to the United Nations' climate change report that stated that human activities are "unequivocally" causing a rise in Earth's temperature.

"One of the most important lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is that when scientists are warning about a looming threat, we all ought to listen," he said.

Newsweek reached out to Gore's media office for comment.