Why is Al Gore not a vegetarian? An op-ed in The Harvard Crimson asks that very question. An excerpt:
So why is Al Gore not a vegetarian?
Mr. Gore’s spokespeople have consistently denied media requests to answer this question, but a few brave acolytes have tried to defend him. Their answers fall back on two points: that Mr. Gore’s unique messenger status means it is his political actions, not his personal choices, that matter; and that his summit-filled lifestyle would make it hard to be a vegetarian.
Yet Mr. Gore’s credibility hangs on embodying his political beliefs in his own lifestyle. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, who as Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mr. Gore, is a vegetarian. Citing studies showing that producing 2.2 pounds of meat causes the emissions equivalent of 80 pounds of carbon dioxide, Dr Pachauri has publicly stated that the two best things an individual can do to fight global warming are to drive less and adopt a vegetarian diet.