What could bring Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich together or make Al Sharpton team with Pat Robertson?

Summed up in a single concept: global warming.

The Climate Project, or TCP, is former Vice President Al Gore’s global warming initiative. In creating it, he has teamed with The Alliance for Climate Protection to form “We Campaign,” one of TCP’s many partnerships aimed at grassroots reform.

Based in Nashville and in operation since June 2006, TCP’s goal, according to its Web site, is to “create public awareness of the climate crisis at a grassroots level,” and local staff members said Gore personally trained 1,000 of its volunteers to spread TCP’s message.

Currently, the TCP staff claim to have more than 2,300 presenters and to have performed more than 10,000 presentations worldwide. The nonprofit organization’s volunteers also reportedly pay their own way to receive training and spread the TCP message.

TCP’s other partners include The Climate Project Australia, The Climate Project Spain, The Climate Project Canada and the University of Cambridge Programme for Industry.

Alex Carey, TCP’s communications manager since December, said, “Like many people, I saw An Inconvenient Truth, which awakened my concern about climate change and my interest in environmental issues in general. Working for The Climate Project gives me an opportunity to help raise awareness about the issue and potential solutions.”

TCP volunteers’ presentations include a slideshow version of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s 2005 documentary that, in spite of reportedly containing “nine scientific errors or omissions,” according to subsequent findings and a ruling by High Court Judge Michael Burton of Britain, became an Oscar winner.

Jenny Clad, the group’s executive director, said people leave the presentations “with a sense of urgency of the climate crisis as well as a sense that they have the power to do something about it.”

Such presentations are presented free of charge, and a list of upcoming presentations by area is available at theclimateproject.org. Also, if a presentation is not scheduled for a given area, one may be requested via the Web site.

“As more and more people understand what’s at stake, they become a part of the solution and share both in the challenges and opportunities presented by the climate crisis,” Gore has said.