It's official - a rumor that Al Gore would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has become truth today!

Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today, along with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for their work to alert the world about global warming.

Al Gore's work has helped educate the world about this enormous challenge, and his commitment to environmental issues runs very deep. His book "Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit," published in 1992, is certainly worth a read for a primer on global warming.

NWF is thrilled that Al Gore's tireless efforts to tackle global warming and devotion to environmental issues are being recognized by the Nobel committee.

Read about what NWF's staff has to say about this exciting announcement!

The Water Resources Development Act, which has passed both the House and Senate, includes key reform measures that would help better protect and mitigate for the loss of wetlands and requires the corps to update and modernize its environmental and fiscal practices. We intend to fight for further reforms in future bills including a measure that Senator Kerry offered gaining 51 votes on the Senate floor earlier this year requiring the Corps to confront the realities of global warming and promote non-structural solutions where possible.

WRDA also included major new authorizations to advance Coastal Louisiana, Everglades and Great Lakes restoration. President Bush has threatened a veto over the bill's price tag.

NWF worked with Representatives Blumenauer, Gilchrest and Welch to enact an amendment to the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act that requires that maps used as part of NFIP incorporate the best available climate science. Accurate floodplain maps will ensure that citizens are aware of the flood risks in their community and help prevent the loss of human life, property, and important wildlife habitat as we face more global-warming powered weather events. This policy goal was a major part of our Protecting Wildlife from Global Warming initiative.