Sunday, June 03, 2007

"The Debate is Over" (A Convenient Lie Part 2)

"the debate in the scientific community is over." -Al Gore in An Inconvenient Truth

The above statement is convenient, isn't it. Gore has plenty of people believing that most, if not all of the scientists in the world are all in agreement on global warming. I say convenient because that way, anybody who argues his points can easily get labelled as misinformed or being anti-science. That the debate is over is one of the most ridiculous things Gore says.

1n 1997, Frederick Seitz, a former president of the National Academy of Sciences convinced thousands of fellow scientists to sign the Oregon Petition, an act to urge the United States to not join the Kyoto accord. It's been alleged that some of the 19,700 signatures were fudged and duplicated. Point is that not all of them were.

More recently, many verified climatologists, who had at one time believed in global warming, have reconsidered their positions. They really took issue with a recent UN report that wasn't very scientifically-based. Look at the article Once Believers, Now Skeptics.

A November 2006 survey of environmental scientists indicated more evidence that the debate is not over. The poll resulted in the following:
  • 34 percent of environmental scientists and practitioners disagree that global warming is a serious problem facing the planet.
  • 41 percent disagree that the planet's recent warmth "can be, in large part, attributed to human activity."
  • 71 percent disagree that recent hurricane activity is significantly attributable to human activity.
  • 33 percent disagree that the U.S. government is not doing enough to address global warming.
  • 47 percent disagree that international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol provide a solid framework for combating global climate change.
Whether you are looking for arguments agreeing or disagreeing with global warming, one can find a multitude of articles on the Internet. Most of them are from non-scientists like me (although I bet I know more about this than most bloggers). Just keep that in mind. That is why I am reluctant to give my own opinions. I will wait until I feel I've read more.

One thing is sure though, this issue is far from the scientific consensus that Gore mentions - making his statement a convenient lie.

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