Getting Real with Climate Reality: Five Lessons from Climate Leadership Training in Mongolia

Earlier this month, I joined more than 450 participants in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for a Climate Reality Leadership training led by former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Laureate Al Gore. The two-day program, held on October 2–3, 2025, brought together professionals, educators, and advocates focused on advancing effective responses to the climate crisis.

When the host asked who had traveled from outside Mongolia, I stood up. It turned out I was the only participant who had flown in for the event — though many foreign professionals and expatriates working in Mongolian organizations were also in attendance. That detail made me more aware that I was observing something valuable: how one of the world’s most coal-dependent economies is confronting the realities of transition from within.

1. The Challenge of Climate Transition

In global conversations about climate change, it is easy to treat energy transition as a matter of political will. In Mongolia, the issue is more structural.

Coal remains the foundation of the national economy, shaping both livelihoods and public revenues. Positioned between Russia and China, Mongolia is influenced by two major fossil-fuel powers, leaving limited flexibility in its export and energy strategies.

Participants around me — many working in local NGOs, development projects, and environmental agencies — spoke with candor about these constraints. The costs of coal dependence are visible: desertification in the countryside and heavy winter air pollution in Ulaanbaatar. Yet for most, abandoning coal without viable alternatives is not a choice but a risk to social stability.

The lesson was pragmatic: effective climate action must work within local economic and geographic realities.

2. The Power of Clear and Credible Communication

Vice President Gore’s presentation was the centerpiece of the training — two and a half hours without notes, seamlessly combining data, research, and compelling narrative.

It was not a motivational speech but an exercise in disciplined, powerful communication. Every image, statistic, and chart served a purpose. VP Gore has long been recognized for transforming climate communication, and seeing him present in person underscored why: he connects science to consequence, and consequence to responsibility.

The takeaway was straightforward. Facts alone rarely persuade; clarity and credibility do. Climate communication is most effective when it makes complex science understandable without losing precision. For another great example of how to communicate climate science simply and powerfully, watch Sir David Attenborough’s Address to World Leaders at COP26 in 2021, when he spoke as People’s Advocate for the Climate.

3. Evidence of Acceleration in Clean Energy

While much of the discussion acknowledged the escalating impacts of climate change, Vice President Gore also highlighted measurable progress. The economics of renewable energy have shifted faster than many expected.

A decade ago, installing a single gigawatt of solar power could take years. Today, it can be achieved in a matter of days. The costs of solar and wind power have dropped dramatically, positioning renewables not only as the ethical choice but also the economically rational one.

This reframing — from sacrifice to competitiveness — is one of the most important developments in climate policy. It allows nations to see sustainability not as a constraint, but as an engine for innovation and growth.

4. VP Gore: The Climate Leader the World Desperately Needs

Beyond data, Vice President Gore’s message centered on leadership. He argued that the climate crisis is not only a scientific or policy challenge but a moral one.

One image he showed captured this vividly: golfers playing calmly as a wildfire burned nearby. The photograph illustrated how societies normalize danger — a metaphor for our collective complacency.

Source: BBC/Facebook

What distinguishes VP Gore’s approach is consistency. For nearly two decades, he has combined advocacy, education, and institution-building to advance climate awareness across more than 170 countries. His work demonstrates that leadership in the climate era requires persistence, integrity, and the willingness to stay on message even when it is inconvenient or unpopular.

5. Democracy, Technology, and the Challenge of Misinformation

In his closing remarks, Vice President Gore addressed the political dimension of the climate crisis. “Democracy is a competitive advantage in combating climate change,” he said — a point that resonated deeply.

Democratic systems, despite their imperfections, create space for transparency and accountability. They allow public debate to pressure policymakers toward long-term interests rather than short-term populism.

He also spoke about technology, warning that artificial intelligence — if misused — can amplify misinformation. Referring to it as “Artificial Insanity,” he cautioned that digital tools are increasingly used to spread climate denial. His counterpoint was what he called “Ancient Intelligence”: human empathy, ethical reasoning, and collective wisdom. The argument was both practical and philosophical — the climate challenge is not only technical, but informational and moral.

A Reflection from Ulaanbaatar

Leaving the conference center that evening, I was struck by how the event blended urgency with realism. Mongolia’s situation mirrors that of many developing economies: a dependence on fossil fuels coexisting with an emerging recognition that the future must be different.

Vice President Gore’s training did not promise simple solutions. Instead, it offered a framework for aligning science, communication, and governance — the three pillars on which effective climate leadership rests.

As Gore reminded the audience in his closing line, a phrase that has become his signature:

“We have everything we need to solve the climate crisis — except political will. But political will is itself a renewable resource.”

For two days in Ulaanbaatar, that statement felt less like a slogan and more like a directive — one that applies as much to individuals as to nations.

If you’d like to get involved in this growing climate movement, think about joining The Climate Reality Project’s next training.

And take a few minutes to watch the Open Letter video the team produced over ten years ago for world leaders before the Paris Climate Treaty — its message rings even truer now.

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Written by: Murad Ismail