The whole story circulates too widely to comment on it, after all everyone and his mother in law already spent a few sleepless night waiting for the wall of seawater swallowing his dwelling. And everyone has already discussed with his mother in law the derision of some people (especially of Republican persuasion in US of A) about this famous water wall.
But it seems that, after getting that Oscar, Al Gore is not content with his cinematic achievements, trying to use the momentum for political advancement.
Even though he has stated he does not intend to run again, polls suggest Mr Gore would be one of the favoured candidates among Democrats, challenging the popularity of Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The first part of this quote is a consolation, the second a warning: it may happen. And the big question is whether the public will hand the job to the person who… how to say it mildly… reinvents more than just himself.
It has become rather an accepted practice in some “progressive” circles to counter the lies of the other side by even bigger lies and exaggerations, all “for the cause” (let’s call it The Moore Principle). When some leftist journalists say that the truth does not matter anymore, when some documentary makers produce fairy tales, it seems only logical that a person with presidential aspirations and similar political leanings will pick up and use the same method. Look what some sober people are saying about Al Gore and his ride on the wave.
Some of Mr. Gore’s centrist detractors point to a report last month by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations body that studies global warming. The panel went further than ever before in saying that humans were the main cause of the globe’s warming since 1950, part of Mr. Gore’s message that few scientists dispute. But it also portrayed climate change as a slow-motion process.
It estimated that the world’s seas in this century would rise a maximum of 23 inches — down from earlier estimates. Mr. Gore, citing no particular time frame, envisions rises of up to 20 feet and depicts parts of New York, Florida and other heavily populated areas as sinking beneath the waves, implying, at least visually, that inundation is imminent.
I am not too good in non-metric units of measure, but I guess that a difference between 23 inches and 20 feet is a bit more than a centimetre or two. I would also guess that fear, even when not coupled with greed, is a very good brain stimulator and makes crowds much more receptive to the message and the messenger. And the messenger is right here, looming larger than life, waving his Oscar (what symbol stronger than this one was invented in US?) and, while not explicitly promising salvation, at least broadly hinting that he (of course) is the savior. The Moore principle at its finest.
As Terry Glavin says:
Climate change alarmism is every bit as corrosive to public debates and public policy as climate change denial. Inattention to the truth, inconvenient or otherwise, is no better than propaganda.
But Al Gore seems to be undisturbed by the people who, belonging to his camp, are worried about the price of “inattention to truth” (That’s Terry Glavin, being more British than a Brit in this case – as far as understatement is concerned). This is the answer Gore offers his critics:
I am trying to communicate the essence of it in the lay language that I understand.
So – maybe there is an opportunity here for the man? Like, for example, to improve his understanding and to start with purchasing a measuring tape to get an inkling of the difference between an inch and a foot.
And as for the title of the above linked article: ” Reinvented Gore returns to Capitol Hill”: reinvention seems to be a strong feature of Gore, after all he has already (re)invented the Internet…
Cross-posted on SimplyJews
I’m sure you’re being facetious in not being sure about the conversion is 12 inches = 1 foot. That makes the difference between 23 inches and 20 feet is slightly more than a factor of 10.
Just a rounding error, I’m sure…
J.
Actually, the report says that the “Global Sea-Level Rise” in 2100 would be between 9 & 88 cm, with the median being 48cm (see! they even give it to you in metric!) For Americans, that’s 3.5 to 34 inches with the median just shy of 19.(http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg2/029.htm) Still a far cry from 20ft, but it’s interesting to note the 10:1 range in possible outcomes. It seems that left a lot of fudge room. And, being that this is from the UN, I don’t suppose that politics might have fudged a number or two.
Also, Gore never said that he “invented the internet”. His actual quote was “in Congress, I took the lead in creating the Internet” (If you think that “create” and “invent” are the same thing, I’d recommend a dictionary : Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb; GE creates lightbulb). And the accuracy of Gore’s statement has been confirmed, by Vint Cerf, the man who actually DID invent the internet.
Jay, I confess to being a bit facetious. As we speak, I look at my nifty conversion utility on my Treo 650. It still works, the poor thingy. At least I was not lying for the cause, you know ;-)
Cheers.
James,
Even the worst case (88 cm) is almost an order of magnitude (7 times roughly) less than the dire 20 feet. This is really a lot of fudging.
With all due respect to Vin Cerf, who indeed was one of the inventors, the role of Al Gore is rather dubious. I still claim that in Gore’s case the difference between “created” and “invented” is academic, cause he has done neither.
See here the more or less accepted version of Internet life story.
Best.
What do the scientists think about the need for action?
Audio Clip