How much of an impact has Al Gore made on climate change education? A lot, actually.

An independent consulting company has recently issued a new report that says the Nobel Laureate and former Vice President’s non-profit environmental activism organization, The Climate Project, is a key factor in transforming public perception of climate change.

Milepost Consulting’s evalutation concludes that the organization founded by Gore, with its grassroots, word-of-mouth approach. influences people to live greener lives while customizing its message by region and community.

“The results of this evaluation demonstrate that TCP, at the grassroots level, has made a positive difference in the climate change debate,” said Jenny Clad, Executive Director of the Climate Project. “We are incredibly proud of the work our volunteers do, each TCP presenter owns part of this success.”

Founded in 2006, The Climate Project consists of more than 3,000 volunteer presenters internationally. These individuals include athletes, scientists, artists, academics, teenagers, faith leaders, business executives, educators, retirees, and others. Presenters begin their work with training and personal direction from Gore. Then they are encouraged to customize their talks by region and audience. Frequently, this customization and necessary additional research helps audiences better understand the immediacy of the climate crisis as well as the simplicity of the solutions they can implement to combat it.

Building a unique environmental movement

According to the study, The Climate Project’s (TCP) presentations and marketing campaigns have had marked effects on public attitudes about climate change; people who previously did not identify as “environmentalists” underwent the greatest mental shift, becoming more likely to support emissions reduction and reduce their carbon footprint.

People who attend TCP talks are more likely to change their behavior on behalf of the environment after watching the slideshow, which is based on Gore’s presentation in An Inconvenient Truth. According to the study, if this intention translates into simple actions at home, like changing incandescent light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs, presentation attendees would reduce carbon emissions by 569,755 tons annually, the approximate equivalent of taking 109,702 passenger cars off the road each year.

Milepost Consulting managed the evaluation and worked in collaboration with researchers from Stork Marketing and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The report’s conclusions are based on data collected over six months from TCP’s first 1000 U.S. trained presenters as well as presentation attendees.

The results indicate that audiences left TCP presentations substantially more knowledgeable about climate change, more supportive of emissions reduction efforts and highly committed to reducing their own carbon footprint.

According to lead researcher Dr. Dune Ives, “The Climate Project, based on findings from this study, has seeded a movement of knowledgeable and engaged individuals focused on taking action to solve the climate crisis.”

The Climate Project’s efforts have not only affected audiences, but also the presenters themselves. As a result of their work with TCP, presenters committed to changing their lifestyles to conserve energy and lessen environmental impact. Together, they cut their personal carbon emissions by an estimated 30%. TCP presenters also reported that climate change became an important factor when voting and making investment decisions, a direct result of their work with TCP.

TCP presentations are available to the public free of charge and are appropriate for any size group or organization. Presentations are continuously updated to include the latest climate science and current effects of climate change.

For more information, visit www.theclimateproject.org/presentation.php.