Mr. Gore goes to Washington

Al Gore
Al Gore chats with committee members shortly before beginning his testimony on global warming at a hearing on March 22, 2007.
Manny Garcia/AFB/Getty images

(AP) Al Gore is finding he hasn't convinced everyone about the dangers of global warming. The former vice president was met by overflow crowds as he testified on Thursday before House and Senate panels about what he calls a "true planetary emergency."

One skeptic -- Republican Congressman Joe Barton -- told Gore he's "totally wrong," as he challenged Gore's conclusion that carbon dioxide emissions cause rising global temperatures. Barton says the science on global warming is "uneven and evolving." But Gore said there's broad agreement in the scientific community.

He was also challenged on the Senate side by Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who has labeled global warming a hoax. Inhofe grilled Gore about his own use of energy at his Tennessee mansion. When Gore tried to respond at length, Inhofe cut him off. Gore suggested that he and Inhofe discuss it over breakfast.

Gore told lawmakers they should cut carbon dioxide and other warming gases by 90 percent in the next four decades to avoid a crisis.

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