Last Friday, ex-vice president-cum-documentarian Al Gore brought his “inconvenient truth” — that we are rapidly destroying the earth — to Santiago de Chile, where he spoke before a crowd of 1700 which included Chilean president Michelle Bachelet. It seems that the message could not have come at a better time, as Santiago mobilizes in the face of the highest smog levels since 1999:

On Saturday, the Particle Quality Index (ICAP) hit 409, well above the 300 that is required for the government to declare a pre-emergency. While levels had returned to normal by late Sunday, environmentalists are concerned that the capital’s new public transport system is not living up to its promises of safer, cleaner air for its residents.

One of the aims of President Bachelet’s controversial Transantiago transportation project was to reduce pollution in Chile’s capital, by “creating a transportation system that is technologically modern, environmentally clean, technically efficient and economically sustainable.” I wonder if it’s too soon to tell, or whether the pollution level in Santiago was too far gone for such quick results, but the fact is nothing has gotten better — yet.

Gore gave his now well-known presentation (video above), which includes snippets from his documentary, the Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth, and warned:

“Chile is in the part of the world that is going to be experiencing a lot more heat waves,” said Gore after the presentation.

In response to Gore’s speech, President Bachelet promised that her government will keep working to maintain a “responsible environmental policy”.

Via / Univision.com and The Santiago Times

Santiago smog photo via hprechtb’s Flickr page

Video via YouTube