Bending the Curve: Al Gore on ‘An Inconvenient Truth’: Science was “dead right”.

In the third episode of Bending the Curve, the YouTube series that highlights environmental successes, achievements, and results, scientists and engineers are rethinking aviation fuel, testing electric aircraft, preparing coastlines for stronger storms, helping farmers adapt to a hotter climate, and using new technology to measure pollution more accurately. And respected leaders continue to speak.

Environmental problems present opportunities, as much as they threaten the survival of earth’s plants and animals. People are developing new tools, changing industries, and learning how to live more successfully on a warming planet.

Al Gore: 20 Years After An Inconvenient Truth, the Climate Debate Has Changed

The year 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most influential environmental documentaries ever released: Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. Gore, who served as vice president of the United States during the 1990s, was among the first major national political figures to make climate change a central public issue.

When the film appeared in 2006, it became a landmark moment for the environmental movement. It won an Academy Award and brought climate science to a much larger audience.

It was also fiercely criticized. Opponents described the film as alarmist, extreme, or scientifically inaccurate. Two decades later, Gore told ABC News that he believes the major scientific conclusions presented in the documentary were “dead right”.

“Renewable energy occupies a far larger share of the electricity system,” Gore says. Solar and wind generation have expanded rapidly, and expectations about future fossil-fuel consumption have shifted as cleaner technologies become more competitive.

Gore has remained active in climate-related work. One of his more recent efforts is Climate TRACE, a project that uses satellites, artificial intelligence, and other data sources to independently estimate greenhouse-gas emissions.

The goal is straightforward: Make it harder for governments and corporations to hide or underestimate how much pollution they produce. Gore has taken on the challenge is measuring who is responsible, understanding where emissions are coming from, and identifying practical ways to reduce them. Accountability is the key.

Making Aviation Fuel From Air, Water, and Clean Electricity

Air travel remains one of the more difficult parts of the economy to decarbonize. Commercial aircraft require enormous amounts of energy, and conventional jet fuel is derived from fossil fuels.

A new facility in Moses Lake, Washington, as reported by KXLY-TV, is testing a very different approach. The plant, called Air Plant One, produces aviation fuel without using crude oil as its primary feedstock. Instead, the process uses carbon dioxide captured from the air, water, and renewable electricity.

The facility is operated by California-based company Twelve, which says its fuel can produce substantially lower carbon dioxide emissions than conventional aviation fuel.

The company is organized as a public benefit corporation, and major investors include Microsoft, Amazon, and Alaska Airlines. The airline has also committed to purchasing the fuel later this year.

Air Plant One represents an attempt to move sustainable aviation fuel out of the laboratory and into the commercial economy. If the technology succeeds at scale, it could offer airlines another path toward reducing emissions without waiting for an entirely new generation of aircraft.

Hawaii Firm Tests Electric Aircraft for Island Flights

Another aviation experiment is taking place in Hawaii. Mokulele Airlines is testing an all-electric aircraft built by Vermont-based manufacturer BETA Technologies, according to Hawaii News Now.

The aircraft is designed for relatively short trips, making Hawaii a particularly interesting testing ground. Flights between islands are much shorter than most mainland airline routes, which could make battery-powered aircraft more practical.

The plane can reportedly travel hundreds of miles on a charge, enough for many inter-island routes. And its electric propulsion system produces no direct tailpipe emissions. Recharging the batteries on the ground takes only an hour.

The technology can also save money. According to the company, electricity used to power the aircraft can be far cheaper than conventional aviation fuel. Lower fuel costs could eventually make electric aircraft attractive not only for environmental reasons but also for economic ones.

For now, however, these flights are still demonstrations. The planes will initially carry cargo rather than passengers while the company tests them under real-world operating conditions. BETA is also working with the Federal Aviation Administration toward certification.

Mangroves Could Become Front-Line Climate Infrastructure

The World Wildlife Fund has highlighted the growing importance of climate adaptation and resilience as communities prepare for stronger heat waves, floods, storms, and other climate-related hazards. An essay in Climate Home News highlights one area of research: mangrove forests in Mexico.

Mangroves are unusual coastal ecosystems adapted to saltwater environments. They also perform several jobs that are extremely valuable to human communities.

Mangrove forests can help absorb storm energy and reduce coastal erosion. They provide shelter and nursery habitat for fish and other wildlife. They also support people who depend on healthy coastal ecosystems. Mangroves increasingly look less like scenery and more like natural infrastructure.

The World Wildlife Fund is studying how climate change itself may affect these forests.

Researchers are also using artificial intelligence tools to better understand changes in mangrove ecosystems and determine how conservation strategies may need to evolve.

For many years, conservation focused heavily on preserving ecosystems because of their intrinsic ecological value. But scientists and planners are increasingly recognizing that healthy ecosystems can also protect human communities. Adaption may mean a new sea wall and protecting a forest.

Climate Change Is Forcing Winemakers to Adapt

Of all human activities, agriculture is one of the most vulnerable to global warming. Temperature, rainfall, and drought all affect the quality and quantity of every crop.

Wine grapes are particularly dependent on local conditions. Small differences in elevation, soil, temperature, and exposure can influence which grape varieties thrive and what the finished wine tastes like.

Growers have several possible adaptation strategies.

• They can shade vines with specialized cloth to reduce heat stress.
• They can plant grape varieties better suited to warmer conditions.
• Or they can move vineyards toward cooler areas.

All of those strategies cost money, which leads to an important economic question: Will consumers help pay for climate adaptation?

A Cornell University study discussed in the episode suggests that they might. Researchers found that consumers who learned that winemakers were investing in climate-adaptation strategies said they were willing to pay somewhat more for the resulting wine.

Of course, what consumers say in a survey does not always match what they actually buy. However, the results might encourage farmers to invest in expensive adaptation measures if they believe customers will recognize the effort and support the additional cost.

That could create a useful feedback loop: Growers make their operations more resilient; consumers reward those investments. Agricultural regions gain a better chance of continuing to produce crops under changing climate conditions.

Climate adaptation throughout agriculture will require new seeds, irrigation systems, shade structures, altered planting schedules, and sometimes entirely new crops. Consumers may ultimately play a role in determining how quickly those adaptations happen.

Watch Episode 3 of Bending the Curve on YouTube.

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