Al Gore and Tom Stoppard among 2008 Dan David Prize Winn...( The seven 2008 Dan David Prize laure...)

The seven 2008 Dan David Prize laureates, including Al Gore and Sir Tom Stoppard, were recognized for their impact on the world at a ceremony held May 19 at Tel Aviv University. Israeli President Shimon Peres gave the keynote address.

Laureates were selected based on their activities in the three time dimensions of past, present and future.

Gore received the $1 million prize for his present work in Social Responsibility with Particular Emphasis on the Environment, due to his contribution to creating greater worldwide awareness of global climate change. Accepting the prize, Gore called on those concerned about the environment to demand that politicians to make a change to renewable sources of energy, such as solar power. What we need, Gore said, is sufficient political will. But as the people of Israel know, sufficient political will is a renewable resource.

Sharing the $1 million prize in the field of Creative Rendering of the Past Literature, Theater, Film are filmmaker Atom Egoyan, author Amos Oz and playwright Stoppard.

Oz (Arad, Israel) was honored for his works emphasizing the individual and exploring conflicts between nations.

Stoppard (London) was recognized for his portrayal of the search for meaning while displaying dazzling theatricality and genius for laughter.

Egoyan (Toronto) was noted for his exploration of the human impact of historical events and the nature of truth and its representation through art.

Three geoscientists were recognized with the $1 million Dan David Prize for their research affecting the future:

• Geoffrey Eglinton (University of Bristol, United Kingdom) for his studies of organic chemical fossils, which reveal the climates of ancient worlds and the implications for t
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