Nobel Peace Prize 2007

The news divided opinions and three days after their announcement, heated discussions still rule prime time TV: Does Al Gore deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for simply making a documentary?

Whereas we deem this is great news for all budding documentary film makers (here is one more awared to ogle and this one is a real biggie!), we reckon that Gore's documentary, "An Inconventient Truth", is indeed a work of great importance - and why not use a politicised medium like film to get your message across? Interesting, however, that the media in the States now speculates on Gore running for presidency after all....

What gets less media attention is the fact that Mr Gore shares the Nobel Peace Prize with the U.N. organisation IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, currently headed by Indian scientist Dr Rajendra Pachauri.

In a statement, the Nobel Prize committee announced: "The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 is to be shared, in two equal parts, between the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

The committee explained their decision intended to bring into sharper focus the actions "necessary to protect the world's future climate and thereby to reduce the threat to the security of mankind."

The winners, however, make an odd couple, but it could be just because of their difference that they could become the leaders the world is looking for to save the planet from the effects of severe climate change. Whereas former US Vice President Al Gore is the lovechild of the world's media who has made him the face of global warming, the role of the IPCC is far less glamorous and focuses on publishing lengthy reports, evaluating the risk of climate change caused by human activity.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri, head of the IPCC, was taken by surprise on hearing the news and modestly described himself only as a "symbol" for the organisation, giving the staff and the research behind the scenes all the credit.

According to news reports, the two global warming campaigners didn't get off to a good start when Dr Pachauri was appointed to his post in 2002. Apparently Al Gore doesn't have a very high opinion of Dr Pachauri's work and called him names of a derogatory nature.

  On hearing the news, Dr Pachauri, however, showed sportsmannship and acknowledged Al Gore's hard work and said he is looking forward to working with the man of the hour. The two men exchanged, befitting the subject of their research, "warm" words on the phone, burying their differences - at least for the time being.

Founded by Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prize has been awarded every year since 1901 for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma, and a cash award.