In a return he described as emotional, Gore testified before House panels [1] that it is not too late to deal with climate change "and we have everything we need to get started." He said it will require a ban on any new coal-burning power plants, which lack state-of-the-art controls to capture greenhouse gases.

Gore also said he foresees a revolution in small-scale electricity producers for replacing coal, likening the development to what the Internet has done for the exchange of information. He also advocated tougher fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks.

Gore has gained international recognition with his Oscar-winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," as perhaps the leading spokesman on global warming.