Climate change effort comes to Nashville

NASHVILLE, May 15 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, at an event in Nashville, has begun his campaign for passage of tough laws to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Gore was joined at the North American Summit by scientists Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and David Suzuki of Canada, The Tennessean reported Friday.

"Now is the time to take action," said Jenny Clad, executive director of The Climate Project. "We actually have a beacon on which to set our sights."

The Climate Project, formed by Gore in 2006, is holding the summit Thursday through Saturday, the newspaper reported.

Clad said the event is aimed at passing legislation before the Copenhagen Treaty negotiations in December. The Copenhagen Treaty would replace the current Kyoto treaty.

Gore shares the Nobel Prize with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their efforts to disseminate knowledge about climate change.