An Inconvenient Truth...

[TheDoctor]

However, I get a little tired of the rich and famous telling me how I'm supposed to live my life while not changing theirs. Energy conservation is critical to the Kennedys-until somebody wants to put wind turbines up that might block their ocean views from Hyannesport. John Kerry talks a great game about the environment from his 3 houses, his private jet and his limo. When the Hollywood stars drop their limo service and private jets, I'll take what they have to say about what car I should drive more seriously.

Sean Hannity made similar charges against VP Gore and here is the response of Vice President Gore's office. http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/16/hannity-gore/

This afternoon, ThinkProgress reached Vice President Gore’s office for response to Hannity’s attacks. Here’s what his office told us:

– Gore lives a strict carbon-neutral lifestyle both in his work and private life. That means he tries to reduce his emissions as much as possible, and then purchases carbon offsets for the remaining emissions.

– In his private life, Gore tries to reduce his emissions as much as possible. He drives a hybrid, flies commercially whenever he can, and purchases green power. In the few instances where work has demanded that he travel privately, he purchases carbon offsets for the emissions.

 

[TheDoctor]

Apparently, it's confined to one eating establishment in Tomorrowland...


Cosmic rays blamed for global warming

This theory does not hold up well under examination http://www.realclimate.org/index.ph...warming-but-no-trend-in-galactic-cosmic-rays/

There is little evidence for a connection between solar activity (as inferred from trends in galactic cosmic rays) and recent global warming. Since the paper by Friis-Christensen and Lassen (1991), there has been an enhanced controversy about the role of solar activity for earth's climate. Svensmark (1998) later proposed that changes in the inter-planetary magnetic fields (IMF) resulting from variations on the sun can affect the climate through galactic cosmic rays (GCR) by modulating earth's cloud cover. Svensmark and others have also argued that recent global warming has been a result of solar activity and reduced cloud cover. Damon and Laut have criticized their hypothesis and argue that the work by both Friis-Christensen and Lassen and Svensmark contain serious flaws. For one thing, it is clear that the GCR does not contain any clear and significant long-term trend (e.g. Fig. 1, but also in papers by Svensmark).

Svensmark's failure to comment on the lack of a clear and significant long-term downward GCR trend, and how changes in GCR can explain a global warming without containing such a trend, is one major weakness of his argument that GCR is responsible for recent global warming. This issue is discussed in detail in Benestad (2002). Moreover, the lack of trend in GCR is also consistent with little long-term change in other solar proxies, such as sunspot number and the solar cycle length, since the 1960s, when the most recent warming started.

The fact that there is little recent trend in the GCR and solar activity does not mean that solar activity is unimportant for earth's climate. There are a large number of recent peer-reviewed scientific publications demonstrating how solar activity can affect our climate (Benestad, 2002), such as how changes in the UV radiation following the solar activity affect the stratospheric ozone concentrations (1999) and how earth's temperatures respond to changes in the total solar irradiance (Meehl, 2003). Furthermore, the lack of trend in GCR does not falsify the mechanism proposed by Svensmark, i.e. that GCR act as a trigger for cloud condensation nuclei and are related to the amount of low clouds. As for this latter issue, the jury is still out.

 

[Alyssa88]

I'm going to see it tommorrow. My school is showing it again this semester for free. I had to go to classe when they showed it last semester, but I am happy I won't be missing it again.

 

[DawnCt1]

And don't forget the Disney Cruise Ships that get 30 ft.per gallon.

 

[TheDoctor]

Apparently, it's confined to one eating establishment in Tomorrowland...


Cosmic rays blamed for global warming

Here is some more on the cosmic ray theory. First, one of the IPCC related sites cited this study to show why the cosmic ray study was not considered seriously http://www.springerlink.com/content/l64g687813204127/

Svensmark and Friis-Christensen (1997)noted a similarity between the shape of the timeseries curve of average cloud coverage fraction formid- to low-latitude ocean-areas and the time seriescurve of cosmic ray flux intensity. They proposed acausal relationship – a `missing link' for solarcycle influence on Earth climate. Further spatial andtemporal analysis of the same ISCCP C2 data in thispaper indicates that the cloud coverage variationpatterns are those to be expected for the atmosphericcirculation changes characteristic of El Niño,weakening the case for cosmic rays as a climaticforcing factor.

Another article notes that background radiation has been tracked for some time and that there is no coorelatoin between such radiation and changes in global weather patterns. http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/02/

while the experiments were potentially of interest, they are a long way from actually demonstrating an influence of cosmic rays on the real world climate, and in no way justify the hyperbole that Svensmark and colleagues put into their press releases and more 'popular' pieces. Even if the evidence for solar forcing were legitimate, any bizarre calculus that takes evidence for solar forcing of climate as evidence against greenhouse gases for current climate change is simply wrong. Whether cosmic rays are correlated with climate or not, they have been regularly measured by the neutron monitor at Climax Station (Colorado) since 1953 and show no long term trend. No trend = no explanation for current changes.

 

[TheDoctor]

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006524397

Minneapolis, MN (AHN)-Former Vice President and current environmental activist Al Gore is under consideration to receive an honorary degree from the University of Minnesota for his work in climatology.

Gore has recently garnered worldwide attention for his Academy Award nominated global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," as well as his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work combating global climate change.

Although, University spokesperson Daniel Wolter did admit the University of Minnesota was interested in honoring Gore for his work on the subject, he refused to confirm or deny specific details surrounding the honoring ceremony.

"He's in the news and is a legitimate expert on a pressing issue of global concern, climate change, so this level of interest is understandable," Wolter said. "However, no plans have been set and it's unlikely that would occur this spring."

Wolter went on to say that the University will "continue to look into the matter."

According to the report, the University has given 223 honorary degrees since its inception with past recipients including Yanni, Charles Schultz, Sandra Day O'Connor and Hillary Clinton.

 

[Charade]

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006524397

cross posting again I see.

 

[TheDoctor]

This is cool. People are scalping tickets to see Vice President Gore do his slide show. http://www.thestar.com/News/article/184011

The hall holds about 1,500 people, and about 500 of those seats were reserved for invited guests. About 23,000 hopefuls vying for the rest swamped the university's online ticket office when sales opened at 11 a.m. on Feb. 7. The site crashed, and the telephone order desk and onsite box office were also overwhelmed.

"I thought about the money and whether or not I was that committed to seeing Al Gore," Vicky, who asked her last name not be used, said yesterday in an email. "I figured that since I even contemplated parting with the tickets that I might as well try selling them."

Now, she hopes they'll fetch as much as $200 each, 10 times their face value.

"An associate of mine had four tickets – one pair sold for $400 and the other for $500," she said.

On the other side of the fence, buyers, one of whom describes himself as "desperate," have posted offers to pay $100 to attend Gore's two-hour show.

Whether the deals – illegal, because scalping is banned in Ontario – actually occur is beside the point.

 

[rockbottomsound]

I'm going to see it tommorrow. My school is showing it again this semester for free. I had to go to classe when they showed it last semester, but I am happy I won't be missing it again.

That's terrific. Our public schools brainwashing all the kids into an anti anything that produces power way of thinking because "we are destroying the planet with the mini-van"

 

[Fitswimmer]

That's terrific. Our public schools brainwashing all the kids into an anti anything that produces power way of thinking because "we are destroying the planet with the mini-van"

They did that in the 70's too with Earth Day. We were taught how our parents had basically ruined the planet with all their polluting ways. Of course, that was also the time period of the Coming Ice Age, which was also the result of our parents driving big American cars and using plastic.

Been there, done that...it hasn't slowed consumption down any in the last 30 years.

 

[reeeoga]

An interesting addition to the debate: http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=YjI4NTc0YWMzNTA3ZjRmYmJiMDRjNmI5MGEwZTFhM2E=

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

And don't forget the Disney Cruise Ships that get 30 ft.per gallon.

And now they're building two more ships.

 

[TheDoctor]

Yeah. An Inconvenient Truth won the Oscar. Congrats to Vice President Al Gore

 

[Charade]

I thought that guy was gonna cry. We'd better get started. We have only 8 years left before it's too late.

 

[mickman1962]

In the mid 70's the scientific community was in agreement that we were entering into a new ice age 30 years later we are all going to drown. Looking at a 4.5 BILLION year old planets climate changes over a 15 year period is like predicting the stock market by looking at a 5 second span of time. Stop believing everything you see in a movie. Everyone of you have a computer, do some research and find out ALL the FACTS and then decide either way, but please don't believe the movie as unquestionable fact. Michael Moore makes powerful "documentaries" too, he's also full of crap.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

Yeah. An Inconvenient Truth won the Oscar. Congrats to Vice President Al Gore

Yeah, just like Michael Moore. Fiction parading as fact. Perhaps they could form an Abbot & Costello team.

 

[User Name]

I thought that guy was gonna cry. We'd better get started. We have only 8 years left before it's too late.

Again?

Don't they say that every 8 years?

 

[User Name]

A REAL Inconvenient Truth

POWER: GORE MANSION USES 20X AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD; CONSUMPTION INCREASE AFTER 'TRUTH'
Mon Feb 26 2007 17:16:14 ET

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through free market policy solutions, issued a press release late Monday:

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

For Further Information, Contact:
Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431
editor@tennesseepolicy.org

 

[LakeAriel]

Yeah, just like Michael Moore. Fiction parading as fact. Perhaps they could form an Abbot & Costello team.

You still don't get it do you? Go back and look again. Michael Moore was right!

 

[Charade]

A REAL Inconvenient Truth

POWER: GORE MANSION USES 20X AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD; CONSUMPTION INCREASE AFTER 'TRUTH'
Mon Feb 26 2007 17:16:14 ET

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through free market policy solutions, issued a press release late Monday:

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

For Further Information, Contact:
Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431
editor@tennesseepolicy.org

But but but!!! He buys carbon offsets!!!

Which means they kill the power of an entire third world village and send Gore the bill. Oh, and they plant 6 trees as well.