If anybody deserves credit for almost single-handedly revitalizing the once defunct movement for offshore oil drilling, it’s former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

After spending a few years wandering the political desert, salvaging his tarnished reputation and peddling his views on various conservative outlets, Gingrich made a political comeback of sorts when he founded American Solutions for Winning the Future, a supposedly non-partisan (or, in his words, “tri-partisan”) 527 group, in late 2007.

Al Gore has announced a multi-million dollar campaign urging the U.S. to slash greenhouse emissions. The effort by the Alliance for Climate Protection will combine advertising, online organizing and partnerships with grass-roots groups to educate the public about climate change and press politicians for solutions.

The movement crosses political boundaries, with several one-time opponents coming together in their bid to protect the planet from global warming.

Massachusetts Senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry and ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich are advocating separate approaches to climate change, with Kerry calling for government regulation and Gingrich touting voluntary change fuelled by government incentives.