In a return he described as emotional, Gore testified before House panels that it is not too late to deal with climate change “and we have everything we need to get started.” He said it will require a ban on any new coal-burning power plants, which lack state-of-the-art controls to capture greenhouse gases.

Gore also said he foresees a revolution in small-scale electricity producers for replacing coal, likening the development to what the Internet has done for the exchange of information. He also advocated tougher fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks.

Gore has gained international recognition with his Oscar-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” as perhaps the leading spokesman on global warming.