In his 2006 movie, “An Inconvenient Truth,” Al Gore presents the scientific and economic causes and effects of the widespread global warming that is occurring throughout the environment. He insists that his evidence is conclusive and that the “debate is over.”
In a Michael-Moore-style documentary, Gore presents such worldwide disasters as the melting of the ice sheets covering the Arctic and Greenland an occurrence that would cause major flooding as consequences of global warming. He examines the rising carbon dioxide levels and shows that the increasing fossil fuel byproducts being released into the atmosphere cause the warming. Later, he claims that most scientists agree that global warming is a reality. Additional evidence that Gore cites is the fact that the number of category four and five hurricanes has increased in the last 30 years. Additionally, malaria has spread to higher altitude places, and certain species of temperate-zone animals are migrating closer to the poles..
Gore claims that global warming is a very serious issue and that three hundred thousand people will die per year by 2025 because of its effects. Most recently, Gore has claimed that cigarette smoking also contributes to the problem.
In the past decade, the issue has become an extremely partisan debate. This is due to the fact that many people do not see both sides of this complex issue. Furthermore, the issue is more complicated than Gore makes it seem. First, it must be noted that the Earth is no fragile construct that can be swayed by a couple centuries of carbon dioxide from SUV’s and cigarettes. Alternatively, if we are harming the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, we have a responsibility to invest time and money into preserving our distant future. Regardless, the evidence Gore presents is inconclusive, tenuous at best.
A really inconvenient truth is that many prominent scientists oppose global warming theory and/or state that there is not enough evidence to support national global warming legislation. Furthermore, Gore disregards natural carbon dioxide release that is induced by volcanoes and natural forest fires with effects that render car exhaust trivial. His trend of global warming has only considered the past 30 years during which global temperatures have been rising. Before the 1970s, global cooling was the popular concern especially with the dip in temperatures between 1940 and 1970. How do global warming advocates account for inconsistencies such as the Arctic being warmer in 1940 than it is now or that the Greenland ice sheet is actually growing?
The other argument that must be addressed is that if there is even a possibility that global warming is true, shouldn’t we do something about it? For this we must examine the economic repercussions of any possible global warming legislation. A cutback in the use of fossil fuels would be devastating for the world economy, thrusting millions into poverty and prolonging economic crises in already borderline countries such as those in the Middle East. Hybrid cars that are expensive and inefficient have been produced as a new global warming fad. They are not a practical solution. The best and quickest response would be an upgrade in technology, which will come with further investment in research into alternate energy sources and related scientific endeavors. Another suggestion could be a switch from coal- or oil-fueled power plants to nuclear power, which would help lower the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The truth is that the evidence points both ways, for and against global warming, making it a tempting hypothesis at best and one that has never been close to proven. Al Gore has tried to take one side of the evidence and has succeeded in making it a one-sided argument. He suggests that there is no controversy when the reality is exactly the opposite. The debate is far from over and science has not evolved to the point where we can determine the capriciousness of the environment or what effects the greenhouse gases have on the atmosphere.
It is uncertain whether any environmental changes that may or may not have occurred in the last century are due to human activity. The Earth is a mystery, one that science has been trying to grasp for centuries and hopefully soon we will discover the answers. For now, Gore’s assertion that global warming is a fact is merely a myth.
Michael Birrer is a junior in the College.
