An Inconvenient List Of Materially False Statements
Noel Sheppard over at Newsbusters got his hands on the specific list of eleven falsehoods in Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth as determined by a British court. (Earlier posts here and here.) The specifics were listed on this website, that of the political party Stewart Dimmock, the plaintiff in the suit, belongs to.
- The film claims that melting snows on Mount Kilimanjaro evidence global warming. The Government’s expert was forced to concede that this is not correct.
- The film suggests that evidence from ice cores proves that rising CO2 causes temperature increases over 650,000 years. The Court found that the film was misleading: over that period the rises in CO2 lagged behind the temperature rises by 800-2000 years.
- The film uses emotive images of Hurricane Katrina and suggests that this has been caused by global warming. The Government’s expert had to accept that it was “not possible” to attribute one-off events to global warming.
- The film shows the drying up of Lake Chad and claims that this was caused by global warming. The Government’s expert had to accept that this was not the case.
- The film claims that a study showed that polar bears had drowned due to disappearing arctic ice. It turned out that Mr Gore had misread the study: in fact four polar bears drowned and this was because of a particularly violent storm.
- The film threatens that global warming could stop the Gulf Stream throwing Europe into an ice age: the Claimant’s evidence was that this was a scientific impossibility.
- The film blames global warming for species losses including coral reef bleaching. The Government could not find any evidence to support this claim.
- The film suggests that the Greenland ice covering could melt causing sea levels to rise dangerously. The evidence is that Greenland will not melt for millennia.
- The film suggests that the Antarctic ice covering is melting, the evidence was that it is in fact increasing.
- The film suggests that sea levels could rise by 7m causing the displacement of millions of people. In fact the evidence is that sea levels are expected to rise by about 40cm over the next hundred years and that there is no such threat of massive migration.
- The film claims that rising sea levels has caused the evacuation of certain Pacific islands to New Zealand. The Government are unable to substantiate this and the Court observed that this appears to be a false claim.
Those points have to be brought specifically to the attention of any students who view the film in British schools. As Noel observes, however:
In the end, a climate change skeptic in the States must hope that an American truck driver files such a lawsuit here so that a U.S. judge can make similar determinations.
Of course, even if one could find such an impartial jurist, our media wouldn't find it newsworthy, would they?
But at least people who read more widely than just what the MSM spoon feeds now have access to a legally binding court decision that prove that Al Gore conveniently tells lies to make his points.
Environment, Junk Science, Left Wing, Legal | Gaius Tuesday, 9 October , 2007
By James of England, Tuesday, 9 October , 2007 @ 2:47 pm
It’s a surprisingly short list. My favourite lie to be ommitted is the claim that US cars cannot be sold in China because the Chinese have high emmissions standards. It’s my favourite because small children with minimal time in major Chinese cities know it to be false and yet journalists in their thousands, many of whom have spent considerable time amongst the US SUVs of China, nod their heads in agreement.
My guess is that his “20 foot” claims about the sea level rises only got in because of his somewhat lawyerly disclaimer. He says that it might not happen, but then has some arresting graphics showing what the world would be like if he did. He doesn’t mention that the IPCC and other major authorities suggest that he’s proposing a figure at least 17 feet too high, and perhaps over 19 too high. Lots of people leave terrified by the image of what might happen to Manhattan. Shows how generous the court was being to Mr. Gore, and yet it still found all this.
By James of England, Tuesday, 9 October , 2007 @ 2:48 pm
It’s a surprisingly short list. My favourite lie to be ommitted is the claim that US cars cannot be sold in China because the Chinese have high emmissions standards. It’s my favourite because small children with minimal time in major Chinese cities know it to be false and yet journalists in their thousands, many of whom have spent considerable time amongst the US SUVs of China, nod their heads in agreement.
By James of England, Tuesday, 9 October , 2007 @ 3:51 pm
Well, dang. They totally did have the sea level rise and what I’d thought was a successful attempt to put a stop to the outgoing message totally didn’t. oops. Sorry.
By benning, Tuesday, 9 October , 2007 @ 8:16 pm
No court in this country would make such a finding. The press would pressure it until it simply gave up.
Gore’s a liar and that’s all I needed to know. He’s also a fantasist. Might have a nice career in the field of writing fantasy if he ever applies himself. Something he failed to do in College.
By Peter Hughes, Wednesday, 10 October , 2007 @ 7:07 am
People are traveling to Greenland to see first hand the melting glaciers. I think Pelosi went last Summer. They witness a calving and think that its melting. Nearly everyone I ask doesn’t seem to know that calving is due to the flow of ice from the interior of the glacier due to a buildup of ice and snow, not because its melting.
The Hubbard glacier of Alaska has been advancing for more than 100 years and has twice closed the entrance to Russell Fiord.
Maybe the real worry is Global Dumbing.
By K T Cat, Wednesday, 10 October , 2007 @ 1:10 pm
You’re lying! It’s sunny today here in San Diego today. It wasn’t so sunny last week. That proves Al Gore’s assertions conclusively!
By Infidel, Thursday, 11 October , 2007 @ 1:22 pm
You failed to mention that the judge quite clearly expressed that the movie won’t be banned from schools, as Dimmock demanded, because the detected errors were minor in nature and that the movie contains four messages that are very well and truthfully documented: That climate change is made by man, that temperatures will rise further, that the climate change will have bad consequences and that it is possible for governments and individuals to do something about it.