Does Al Gore really have the Inconvenient Truth?

Question

Well, I just finished seeing "Global Warming: What you need to know" and I will see an Inconvenient Truth real soon and I had a question that a lot of people probably have, being does global warming exist?
Here are the facts:
The earth's average tempertature has increased by 1 degree centigrade (which may not seem much, but small changes can have big impacts)
Humans have at least a 5% impact on global temperatures (which is also quite a lot).
The earth's current tempertature does not concede with the expected cycle, (meaning that this warming isn't just something that happened all the time)
The earth's carbon dioxide level directly coincides with the earth's rise in temperature.
In the next 50-100 years, low level countries and states such as Bangledash and Florida may disappear completely.

Knowing all this, do you believe in global warming, and do you think that America should ratify the Kyoto Protocol?

Archer Christifori-If you noted, I never stated my belief in global warming. Secondly geological records such as ice indicates that melting is quickly accelerating and indicates a large change in climate. Also land masses such as the afromentioned Bangledash is showing change that support the global warming theory. Thirdly I noticed that many countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol are not doing bad economically (including China) so I am not sure why America can't (over 150 countries ratified it already). Also China acutally pollute a lot less then America, and their carbon dioxide/person is much lower then the average.

Steve- Most of the facts came from the "Global Warming: What you need to know" video, and if you find the time, I hope you can watch it. Anyways, the current cycle was mapped out by literally a throng of computers and there is definitely a clear difference. All of the 20 hottest years in record have been recorded since the past 26 years, that seems to indicate an impact.
Besides, even if there is no impact, lowering Carbon Dioxide outake would still do a world of good.
Finally one more fact pulled from the video, 99.9% of scientist believe in global warming. But if you believe differently, that's fine with me. If I expected everyone to believe in global warming, I would not have posed this question.

Answer 1

The US must ratify the Kyoto protocal, being the first step toward doing something about this global problem which we are cheifly to blame.

CO2 is 30% higher than it has been for 650,000 years. Methane is 130% greater. These are two of the main pollutants humans put into the atmosphere in excess, and they are two of the primary greenhouse gases.

Look at the 'hockeystick', which shows a dramatic warming since 1950 after a fairly stable climate for 1000 years. In fact, the 10 hottest years in recorded history have all happened since 1990, with 2005 being the hottest, and 2006 is shaping up to maybe break that record.
(see links below)

How's that for proof of man's fault in this? There is ample proof, any real scientist will tell you that.

There has NEVER been an article doubting man's influence on global warming published in a peer-reviewed journal. A recent study of almost 1000 proved that.

Yes, the earth naturally heats and cools, but the rate and amount we are warming now is unprecedented in the recent geologic past. We are doing this, and we must stop it. This is not some political statement or rhetoric. This is science trying to educate a crass, ignorant public of the damage they are doing. The magnitude of temperature increase ALREADY is about 10x that of the 'little ice age' of the middle ages, and rate and amount are only going up.

Just to be clear, glacial and interglacial cycles are mainly controlled by astronomical fluctuations, but we have a detailed record of the last 7 cycles, and what the climate and CO2 is doing now is way different and extreme. The rate of increase is much higher than in the past AND the value itself is much higher.

HI CO2:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4467420.stm
HOCKEY STICK:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5109188.stm
General climate stuff:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3897061.stm

Answer 2

Let's go through your facts:

1) Average temp has increased by 1 C in the past 100 years

Ok I can agree with that, every study gives a different number but that's a good ballpark.

2) Humans have at least 5% impact on temps

I'm going to have to call BS unless you can give me your source. That number is not 'quite a lot' as you mention, and seems too small to be distinguishable from a 0% impact by any statistical means

3) Current temps do not coincide with current cycle

This is entirely bogus. If it was so cut and dried, there would be no debate on the subject. But even Al Gore doesn't have enough hardcore proof to show that this is out of normal cycles.

4) CO2 levels directly coincide with temperature

They may rise and fall at the same rate, but the cause and effect may not be as strongly correlated as you may think. Human caused emissions have not been around long enough to determine if they will throw the any of the Earth's cycles out of whack.

5) Low level countries may disappear

My response to this is: So what?! The Earth has to be changing constantly. Before man, Florida may have flooded very frequently. So now that man is here is it no longer a natural occurance? Maybe man was lucky to settle there while they could, but they didnt know it would inevitably flood again.

I don't believe in anthropogenic (human caused) global warming. The Kyoto Protocol would shut out economy down by at least 25%. Who wants to give up their job for a better environment? I didn't think so. Until we KNOW humans are causing catastrophic changes, the Kyoto Protocol should stay out of America's list of legislation.

Answer 3

I think that Al gore is an idiot that needs to get his face hidden. That said, I do think that there could be something to global warming but at the same time, I think too many people are alarmists. You may not be old enough to remember but just before the alarmists started with global warming, they were alarming everybody with "we're heading for another ice age'. They seem to always have something to scream about. I do think we need to take precautions and minimize those things which cause problems. but let's not lose our heads. The problem is being worked on. If it was as bad as they're saying, why were the worst polluters, the oil refineries, allowed to never improve their pollution efficiency. Al Gore is just out to make money from being an alarmist.

Answer 4

No Idea. That is why I am a CPA and not a Climatologist. I am informed enough to know that i dont know everything, but to not buy into too much hype. I recycle, drive a vehicle that gets thirty miles to the gallon (havent bought a hybrid b/c this one is paid for) and I keep my A/c at 80. What more can I do but hope to god that the people I vote into office are listening to people like you and making the right decisions.

Now if you want to talk about capitalism, interest rates, and taxes, I'm your girl. But that is all probably to you what Global Warming is to me. Uninteresting, something I have to deal with and cant really change.

Answer 5

As a geologist who has studied this issue as it relates to geological time and processes. Al Gore's premises are based on flaw science.
1st the earth is in solar ellipsis that varies apogee and perigee over 180,000 year cycles. The proximity to the sun is the primary cause of global temperatures.. Simple enough eh?

We and "entering" or have been entering what is called the interglacial cycle for the last 20,000 years. Temperature have been increasing.

The bigger question according to Gore is human's have control over it when in fact we don't.. Unless we find a way to force the way our planet orbits the sun it's nothing in terms of our behavior will change it.

The problem with Kyoto is another issue all together. The US is in fact going beyond the terms of Kyoto but we do not sign it because the US woudl wind up footing the bill to pay for clean up of people (China, Russia and many third world entities) that are not as conscious of pollution.

Al Gore's rantings in "Convenient Lies" are designed as leftist environmental propaganda plain and simple. A baby seal sells more baby food then will a shark.. Global Communism adopted the environmental movement in the post Reagan era to get sheeple to buy into their global theology. Pure and Simple Al Gore's book and movie are crap based on junk science for the sole purpose of spreading liberalism and globalism. Nothing more nothing less.

Read "State of Fear' by Michael Crichton, and go to the "junkscience.com" website, both site items that debunk this "myth".. Get smart and start thinking for yourselves and be critical thinkers..

Answer 6

Yes, I very much believe in global warming. Of course the idiot naysayers, which comprises a large portion of fundies and neocons, will keep denying it until it wipes out the species.

America should start *leading* and sign Kyoto, even if it affects our economy, because the world and our species is more important than the standard of living in the US.

Answer 7

Talk about having the answer to your question while you write it, sheesh.
Global warming is BS, check the geologic records.
Algore wouldn't know the truth if it bit him.
The Kyoto treat would hamstring the US economy, which its designed to do. Why aren't you as concerned about the blatant polution in China?
I smell an agenda.

Answer 8

Yeah i do b-lieve in global warming and i think the majority answering ur questions are a bunch of republicans. u can tell

Answer 9

No


Al gore is so full of crap it comes out his ears