That Al Gore's definitive statement on the crisis of the climate change movement appeared in the back pages of Rolling Stone magazine rather than in a more prominent and prestigious location is one sign of the decline in his reputation.  At the peak of the climate movement, such an essay might have appeared in Foreign Affairs or any of the world's leading newspapers.  If he had chosen Rolling Stone to reach a hipper crowd, the article would likely have run as the cover story and ignited a global debate.

As it was, the reaction to the...