Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 48287
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2007/10/10-14 [Science/GlobalWarming] UID:48287 Activity:low
10/10   My google-fu is weak.  Can anyone point me to the 11 items the UK court
        ruled had to be pointed out as errors in "An Inconvenient Truth"?
        \_ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7037671.stm
        \_ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2632660.ece
        \_ Here's some more for you based on my prior research.  I don't have
           anything to add on the other items I don't mention:
           re: error 2: The Pacific atolls are slowly 'sinking' due to plate
           tectonics, not rising sea level.  This has been going on since
           before the industrial age.  If you find a map of the Pacific plates
           you'll see there's a direct correlation between subducting plates
           and which islands are 'sinking'.
           re: error 5: lost snow on various mountains is caused by local
           environmental change (such as locals chopping down trees which
           changes the humidity levels).
           re: error 7: Katrina caused high levels of damage in New Orleans
           due to insufficiently maintained levy system (because of local
           corruption going back decades).  Florida gets hit by much stronger
           hurricanes without nearly the same level of damage.
           \_ Maintenance and inspection were the responsibility of the local
              government but the problem was that the original design by the
              Army Corps of Engineers wasn't good enough and money was never
              allocated to improve them (Bush consistently underfunded the
              Army Corps of Engineers)
              \_ Sorry, but there was tons of cash devoted to the repairs over
                 the last few decades.  This is not a Bush generated mess.
                 It would be fair to be critical of the post-mess reaction from
                 FEMA (and thus Bush), but it is not fair to say that they
                 collapsed because of Bush.  That runs contrary to the reality
                 of the situation.  As if you repair decades of needed repairs
                 in a year or two.  No.  The entire infrastructure of this
                 country has been left to rot for decades.  Bridges, roads,
                 water ways, everything.  The world did not magically startup
                 in perfect conditon on 1/20/2001.
                 \_ I agree with you on this, but claiming that global warming
                    certainly had nothing to do with it is quite a stretch. It
                    is open for debate, as are pretty much all of the
                    nine "errors." -!pp
           re: error 9: nevermind, the Judge in the article got this one down.
2024/11/22 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
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news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7037671.stm
Printable version Gore climate film's 'nine errors' Al Gore in promotional still Al Gore's film was sent to schools in England, Wales and Scotland A High Court judge who ruled on whether climate change film, An Inconvenient Truth, could be shown in schools said it contains "nine scientific errors". Mr Justice Burton said the government could still send the film to schools - if accompanied by guidance giving the other side of the argument. He was ruling on an attempt by a Kent school governor to ban the film from secondary schools. The Oscar-winning film was made by former US Vice-President Al Gore. The judge said nine statements in the film were not supported by mainstream scientific consensus. In his final verdict, the judge said the film could be shown as long as updated guidelines were followed. These say teachers should point out controversial or disputed sections. Without the guidance, updated after the case was launched, the government would have been breaking the law, the judge said. The government has sent the film to all secondary schools in England, and the administrations in Wales and Scotland have done the same. The Department for Children, Schools and Families was not under a duty to forbid the film, provided it was accompanied by the guidance, he said. "I conclude that the claimant substantially won this case by virtue of my finding that, but for the new guidance note, the film would have been distributed in breach of sections 406 and 407 of the 1996 Education Act", he said. The nine errors alleged by the judge included: Mr Gore's assertion that a sea-level rise of up to 20 feet would be caused by melting of ice in either West Antarctica or Greenland "in the near future". The judge said this was "distinctly alarmist" and it was common ground that if Greenland's ice melted it would release this amount of water - "but only after, and over, millennia". Mr Gore's assertion that the disappearance of snow on Mount Kilimanjaro in East Africa was expressly attributable to global warming - the court heard the scientific consensus was that it cannot be established the snow recession is mainly attributable to human-induced climate change. Mr Gore's reference to a new scientific study showing that, for the first time, polar bears had actually drowned "swimming long distances - up to 60 miles - to find the ice". The judge said: "The only scientific study that either side before me can find is one which indicates that four polar bears have recently been found drowned because of a storm." The case was brought by school governor Stewart Dimmock, from Dover, a father of two. His lawyers described the ruling as a "landmark victory". Mr Dimmock said: "I am elated with today's result, but still disappointed that the film is able to be shown in schools. Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro has had its snow reduce in recent years "If it was not for the case brought by myself, our young people would still be being indoctrinated with this political spin." The judge awarded Mr Dimmock two-thirds of his estimated legal costs of more than 200,000, against the government. BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin said the ruling would be "embarrassing for Mr Gore" but would not affect the government, which said it is happy that the judge did not dismiss the film's mainstream argument. But, he added, this controversy could encourage the public to think there was scientific doubt about the facts of climate change. Children's Minister Kevin Brennan had earlier said: "It is important to be clear that the central arguments put forward in An Inconvenient Truth, that climate change is mainly caused by man-made emissions of greenhouse gases and will have serious adverse consequences, are supported by the vast weight of scientific opinion. "Nothing in the judge's comments today detract from that."
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www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2632660.ece
Sitemap From Times Online October 10, 2007 Al Gore told there are nine inconvienient truths in his film Al Gore Nico Hines A High Court judge today ruled that An Inconvenient Truth can be distributed to every school in the country but only if it comes with a note explaining nine scientific errors in Al Gore's Oscar-winning film. The Government had pledged to send thousands of copies of the film to schools across the country, but a Kent father challenged that policy saying it would "brainwash" children. A judge was asked to adjudicate between Stewart Dimmock and the Department of Children, Schools and Families. Mr Justice Burton ruled that the film could be sent to schools, but only if it was accompanied by new guidlines to balance the former US vice-president's "one-sided" views The judge said some of the errors were made in "the context of alarmism and exaggeration" in order to support Mr Gore's thesis on global warming. He said that while the film was dramatic and highly professional, it formed part the ex-politician's global crusade on climate change and not all the claims were supported by the current mainstream scientific consensus. He went on to list those errors: Error one Al Gore: A sea-level rise of up to 20 feet would be caused by melting of either West Antarctica or Greenland "in the near future". The judge's finding: "This is distinctly alarmist and part of Mr Gore's "wake-up call". It was common ground that if Greenland melted it would release this amount of water - "but only after, and over, millennia." Error two Gore: Low-lying inhabited Pacific atolls are already "being inundated because of anthropogenic global warming." Judge: There was no evidence of any evacuation having yet happened. Error three Gore: The documentary described global warming potentially "shutting down the Ocean Conveyor" - the process by which the Gulf Stream is carried over the North Atlantic to western Europe. Judge: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it was "very unlikely" it would be shut down, though it might slow down. Error four Gore: He asserted - by ridiculing the opposite view - that two graphs, one plotting a rise in C02 and the other the rise in temperature over a period of 650,000 years, showed "an exact fit". Judge: Although there was general scientific agreement that there was a connection, "the two graphs do not establish what Mr Gore asserts". Error five Gore: The disappearance of snow on Mt Kilimanjaro was expressly attributable to global warming. Judge: This "specifically impressed" David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, but the scientific consensus was that it cannot be established that the recession of snows on Mt Kilimanjaro is mainly attributable to human-induced climate change. Error six Gore: The drying up of Lake Chad was used in the film as a prime example of a catastrophic result of global warming, said the judge. Judge: "It is generally accepted that the evidence remains insufficient to establish such an attribution. It is apparently considered to be far more likely to result from other factors, such as population increase and over-grazing, and regional climate variability." Error seven Gore: Hurricane Katrina and the consequent devastation in New Orleans to global warming. Error eight Gore: Referred to a new scientific study showing that, for the first time, polar bears were being found that had actually drowned "swimming long distances - up to 60 miles - to find the ice". Judge: "The only scientific study that either side before me can find is one which indicates that four polar bears have recently been found drowned because of a storm." That was not to say there might not in future be drowning-related deaths of bears if the trend of regression of pack ice continued - "but it plainly does not support Mr Gore's description". Error nine Gore: Coral reefs all over the world were bleaching because of global warming and other factors. Judge: The IPCC had reported that, if temperatures were to rise by 1-3 degrees centigrade, there would be increased coral bleaching and mortality, unless the coral could adapt. But separating the impacts of stresses due to climate change from other stresses, such as over-fishing, and pollution was difficult. Have your say Same thing happened in the 80's with a film called "If you love this planet" that basically scared every kid to thinking that a nuclear war was going to start any day now. Tony, Vancouver , There could be no greater proof that the idea that human behaviour has any affect on the climate as opposed to the sun, for example, than the political consensus around it (notwithstanding the Texan oil industry financed plutocratic exception). I quote succesful independent (ie not state or mass media sponsored) weather forecaster Piers Corbyn: "Climate Change exists and always has done but there is no observational evidence that global warming - or the new buzz phrase 'Climate Change' - is caused by Carbon Dioxide produced by man or by nature." Sean Lydon, London, To Max from Belfast: The Great Global Warming swindle has been seriously challenged by climate change scientists and reporters. It was created by people formerly involved in 'Living Marxism' a highly political 'think-tank' and press organisation that is pro-technology and anti climate-change-science (seeing it as a curb on progress) they receive significant funding from large corporations to lobby government on these issues... Craig Betney, Edinburgh, Midlothian The IPCC report is a concensus amongst many scientist and is cautionary. There are EXTREMES and the documentary brings those out saying what COULD happen if we do not change our ways. Wonder if he has been to Chicago and eaten at Wildfire-That's my favorite restaurant! will kuhl, london, England I find much of these comments rather alarming, even the USA government has finally realised that Global Warming is a problem and needs to be gripped. If Al Gore's film even with these minor errors raises awareness amongst the youngsters of today then that is no bad thing. We are facing a global dilemma, if you want to play the ostrich with head in sand, then please do so on a beach so as the sea rises, you be some of the first to go. In the meantime, the rest of us can get on with doing something about it, supported by the WMO, MetOff and EU and US Governments. B Robinson, Plymouth, UK I am so glad these "truth" mistakes were pointed out. There are many elements such as El Nino and La Nina that effect weather patterns over the years. While I understand global warming is an issue we should try and start tackling, fanatics like Al Gore should pipe down and stop causing panic and worry. Chris, Tampa, USA Eight faulty (mainly because hasty) examples of consequences of global warming and one semantic quibble of the meaning of "exact fit"--although Gore did acknowlege that the fit betwen the data was not perfect. anthropogenic greenhouse gases are warming the planet more than natural sources; That something MAY entail immense sacrifices, but unchecked climate change will be vastly worse. Brant Boucher, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada How many climate scientists have "had their say" here? The impression of a "controversy" is because the claims of a few unqualified nuts are given equal weight to the views of the majority of scientific opinion. I dislike Gore intensely, but his claims are broadly correct. Steve Graham, Craigavon, Northern Ireland Al Gore was an inept politician who is now trying to make it as a scientist/producer. Even if everything that he said was true and he had a plethora of scientific evidence to back it up he still is guilty of alarmism and exaggeration. The environment and earth are cyclical and constantly adapting. Nothing occurs rapidly in nature so we should not overreact to scientific evidence that is found. Ultimately, the greatest effect of man on nature, be it in good will or not, is our presence here. Cynthia, San Antonio, usa / tx First of all, it's the sunspots. Anyone can do a search of the web and find lots of articles by real scientists who studied sunpot activity and conclude that that is what warms the earth more than an...