Why are global warming skeptics obsessed with Al Gore?

Question

Look, I don't care what you think about "An Inconvenient Truth" (though the top climate scientists gave it 5 stars for accuracy)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-06-27-gore-science-truth_x.htm

I don't care if you think Gore is a fat hypocritical idiot. Al Gore is completely irrelevant to global warming, except that he and "An Inconvenient Truth" have attracted attention to the issue.

In that film Gore simply presented some of the scientific evidence that humans are the primary cause of global warming. He did not invent GW - heck, he's never even researched it! Criticizing Gore is irrelevant to the issue.

People need to stop obsessing about Gore and examine the scientific evidence

http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/wg1-report.html

Gore is right about one thing - any reasonable person who examines all the evidence with an open mind should conclude that humans are almost certainly the primary cause of GW.

Why are global warming skeptics obsessed with Al Irrelevant Gore?

Answer 1

From a social-psychological perspective, its actuallly a fairly common pattern. The "skeptics" are almost entirely members of the religious right (or at least the neo-conservatives). For them, global warming has become, to all intents and purposes, a heresy. And what do religious fanatics do in such cases? The label those they see as proponents of the heresy as "doers of the Devil's work" and seek to discredit them.

And--just like any such deluded groups, they believe they can make the heresy go away by attacking those who speak it. There is simply no room in their world view for the idea that scientific facts won't change--and theere is simply nothing they can do about it.

PS--don't get me wrong--I'm a Christian. But there's a big difference between belief in a spiritual aspect to reality and blind fanaticism. Fortunately for our country--the fanatics are a tiny--if vocal--minority.

Answer 2

Al Gore maybe a good guy ,but the film is to obvious a promotional film for his politics
this is unfortunate ,because the cause is just .

His projection is imperfect and So it is a weak link at the moment,as far as Global warming is concerned

Even Idiots can attack Al Gore saying he eats too much caviar or does not have compost toilets on his plane and he leaves his electric candles burning all night .

Very few people are Attacking the scientific anaylises that are published ,very few people understand them .

As far as i am concerned any attempts to help the Environment ,are welcome ,even the not so clever ones What the people have for breackfast
or what their dogs drinks does not interests me .

Al Gore has been greatly succesfull at one thing ,this we have to give him credit for ,He has put Global Warming on the centre stage

Many people say ,they saw the movie and NOW they are concerned ,so for that 3 cheers to Al Gore,

Is that not the point that matters ??????

Global warming will not be affected by Al Gore and it never Was ,he only pointed and said -hey what is that coming at us

.And so are thousands of people by now

But the public loves to hunt for imperfections or anything that can even vaguely discredit people who say things that scare them or things they dont agree with or things that mean that they will have to change ,

Dont worry about it ,when water shortage becomes relevant (when the price of beer goes up)or when the world food production begins to affect the cities ,Everybody will sit up and take note,

I wonder if they will then start giving God a hard
time after all he must be the next in line
lol
(i said LOL)

Answer 3

I agree that we cause environmental mayhem.

What the issue is with Al Gore/ David Suzuki/ Greenpeace is that they do not invite debate. They have taken the moral high ground and therefore are above question and anyone who dare offer rebuttal or even question their data is obviously in the pay of the corporate overlords who run the universe.

Perhaps what scares people is that his movie is being taught as fact, or else.

I think the only thing that will slow global warming is the true cost of energy being passed to the consumer. Get rid of the subsidies and then people will use energy more wisely.

Answer 4

It is easier to go for character assassination than to dispute the findings of internationally agreed upon scientific research and methods. For the former, all you need is an opinion; for the latter, all you need is a Ph.D. and access to statistical prowess, environmental and ecological understandings and insights, at least 50 years worth of research and study solely looking at whether or not humans have a hand in increasing global warming trends, and compassion.

See links below for more info on the findings of the International Committee on Climate Change.
___________________

and just a short read for the still-skeptical;
From:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/02/02/climate.change.report/
(CNN) -- Global warming is here and humans are "very likely" the blame, an international group of scientists meeting in Paris, France, announced Friday.

In a 21-page report for policymakers, the group of climate experts unanimously linked -- with "90 percent" certainty -- the increase of average global temperatures since the mid-20th century to the increase of manmade greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Fossil fuels like methane and carbon dioxide trap heat near the surface, a process known as the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon, but human activities, like the burning of fossil fuels, can pour enormous volumes of these gases into the atmosphere, raising the planet's temperature and destabilizing the climate.

Answer 5

hmmmm, interesting point, I think he has raised some awareness although the entire movie to me seemed like him shouting out "PICK ME I'M A BETTER PRESIDENT" but maybe that was just me , especially at the end when it said "pick a president that promises to fight global warming" but again maybe just me. I think global warming is an important issue and Al Gore is just another person i don't worship him and i don't really see why people would worship him for just making a movie wich again i think was made to Inproveprove his image but whatever im not sure i helped much sorry if i didn't

Answer 6

Because there is no scientific basis for skepticism. Details here:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/myths/index.html
http://gristmill.grist.org/skeptics
http://www.logicalscience.com/skeptic_arguments/skeptic-arguments.html

So skeptics attack Al Gore, even though he has absolutely nothing to do with the truth of the science of global warming, instead of talking science. Because science says global warming is real, and mostly caused by us.

Good websites for more info:

http://profend.com/global-warming/
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/
http://www.realclimate.org
"climate science from climate scientists"

Answer 7

Skeptics? You mean global warming realist. There are those that think Global Warming is man made, and that man can change it, and there are those that know that 1. The Sun is the key behind Warming, and 2. Man cannot control it.

Answer 8

Al Gore is obsessed with himself. Personally, I basically ignore him.

Answer 9

If Al starts eating tofu and riding a bike everywhere, maybe i'll take him seriously.

And when his energy bill isn't 10 times larger than mine.

Answer 10

He IS the face of AGW alarmism whether you like it or not...

This is not a question of science. If it were, you wouldn't be on this forum since you spend half of your time on Yahoo Answers in political categories. You participate in NO OTHER science forums outside of environmental, despite your claimed physics education.