an inconvenient truth

has anyone else seen the new movie about climate change? very well done - informative, clear, scary. I think that everyone sould see it and take personal action. I'm curious what the peertrainer community thinks!

Tue. Jun 13, 10:14pm

Anxious to see this, just waiting for the DVD to rent. Watched Gore on Larry King. He's set up a website devoted to this too, but I can't remember what it is.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 5:05 AM

it's not that i disagree with the premise of this documentary, but I really can't stand al gore. i wish he would go away. and it's not about his politics.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 10:05 AM

I haven't seen the movie, but, I want to point out, global warming happens naturally, and the theory that we (humans) are causing it because of our pollution is really that, a theory. It hasn't been proven. It may be true, but it may not. I work as a catastrophe risk analyst, and it is also only a theory that global warming is causing the increase in hurricanes, etc. In fact, most of the more highly-regarded experts on the subject believe that global warming is not the cause of the increase in hurricanes, but rather that it's a naturally-occurring cycle of about 20 years (this is also supported by history).

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 10:46 AM

We have a heretic on this board!! Heretics have traditionally been burned at the stake. To test this theory, walk into a cocktail party in Manhattan, mention that Global Warming is just a theory, and see how long it takes for you to be verbally abused or forcibly removed.

On a slightly more serious note, the guys who do South Park have been absolutely brutal on Al Gore. The last episode of the season had Gore coming to South Park dressed up as a character called "Manbearpig" (half man, half bear, half pig) that tries to scare the children into Global Warming awareness.

Link

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 10:58 AM

but we should be scared

What could be more scary than the entire planet overheating, I mean really? Some things are overblown, and some things are not.
On a related note, I heard an npr (or bbc?) about how the extra CO2 is making the oceans more acidic, and within the century parts of the ocean will become so acidic that the calcium carbonate of mussel shells will start to DISSOLVE faster than the animals can grow it -- thus they will die. What could be more awful?
BTW, I'm a biologist not a physicist, but I think its safe to say the scientists are largely united on the idea that global warming is happening. They may argue about how fast and how much, but it's real. And other "theories" in science include the cell theory (organisms are made of cells), the theory of gravity, evolution, etc... Scientists don't like to use the word "fact" or "proven" for ANYTHING -- in fact, those words tend to clue you in that the person is not part of academic science research, is probably selling something!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 11:38 AM

Well. There IS a hurricane cycle, no question. The question is whether, if you plotted that cycle as a sine wave, the amplitude of the wave (severity/height of the high points, if you will) is increasing. If one eyeballs that wave, it sure looks like it! The cautionary note on interpreting it this way, however, is that the number of observations (number of years over which hurricane data have been recorded) is too low for many statistical tests to have any power.

So, would you rather wait around and say, "Hmmm, I'm not 100% sure what's going on so I won't change anything until I have 75 years more data?" That strikes me as a bad idea. In 75 more years the time series might be long enough, but we'll be 75 years more down that road.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 11:49 AM

Global Warming - whatever. I don't buy it. Not that I don't think the planet could be slowly warming up - maybe it is - but so what. I care so little about it that I don't even know what steps we're supposed to be taking to avoid it.

And now I'm wondering how many people I am infuriating just by saying this...!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 1:49 PM

I do think that we should be focusing on cleaner air, not because of some theory of global warming, but because clearner air is better to breathe in. It is such a simple point and I don't think anyone is FOR dirty air. I just wonder about the folks pushing the global warming thing-- wouldn't they be better served focusing on clean air--- something that nobody is against?

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 2:10 PM

agree with 10:46 poster

It does happen naturally- and wasn't it some years back ppl were "afraid" of the nest ice age coming around the corner? The Earth we are standing on now is so old- and humans as a population or entity are so new... We are basically a 'blip' in time... Humans won't be around forever.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 2:13 PM

I haven't seen the film. I think there is little doubt that CO2 emissions are contributing to a palpable global warming effect - whether it will end in catastrophe I don't think we can tell, but surely we would want to minimise risks rather than ignore them? The effect has been measured for years now, though it has accelerated only over the last couple of decades.

I don't think the attitude "humans won't be around forever" is a very constructive one. On that rationale, since you, 2:13pm poster, will DEFINITELY not be around forever (unlike the human race as a whole, which has a slim chance, after all, thanks to intelligence), why bother to be healthy at all? Why not eat Haagan Daas and French Fries and Pizza and whatever you desire whenever you desire it over the next couple of years, since you know you won't be around forever, and in any case obesity also happens naturally? You eat, you get fat - what could be more natural than that? Must be ok then, right? In fact, why not have some unprotected sex with random people while you're at it -- what could be more natural than that? STDs also happen naturally, and anyway, you won't be around forever.

And there I was believing that the biggest natural instinct we have is that of the survival of our race! I guess we're actually much more short-sighted than that.

It's just a shame that we in this country, as <2% of the world's population using >25% of the world's resources, get to decide the entire planet's fate.

powerfrau

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 3:19 PM

10:46 poster here

Haha, to the 10:58am poster who called me a heretic! Please re-read my post. I did not once say that global warming is a theory! Not once!

It is true (to the 11:49am poster) that we don't have enough historical data to know if global warming is affecting the hurricane cycle. Probably even another 75 years won't tell us that. What we do know, though, is that the Earth has gone through temperature-change cycles, and has been both significantly hotter and significantly cooler than it is right now. Major catastrophes have happened, and altered the climate in instants, and also the climate has changed over time, from hot to cold to hot to cold, over and over. It happened before humans existed, and it'll happen once we're extinct.

I would never say "humans are not causing global warming," because I don't know whether that statement is true or false. But, I think it's just as bad for someone to say "humans are causing global warming, which is going to be catastrophic," because first, we don't know if humans are causing global warming, and second, we don't know if it will be catastrophic. Yes, some species will not be able to adjust, but that's been going on forever. New species will evolve, just as has happened throughout history. Humans will adapt because we have the technology to do so - the polluting, "evil" technology.

Yes, we should try to pollute less. I don't think too many people would disagree. But, using theories as truth, and threatening that we're causing catastrophes, etc., can only discredit any campaigns to lower pollution, because experts will always be able to cut apart the arguments. Propaganda and scare tactics only work for so long.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 3:36 PM

I haven't seen this movie yet, but I'm interested in it. I'm waiting for DVD first because I hate movie theater prices, but that's another topic.

I took an environmental science class last year that presented both sides of the Global Warming debate. My professors (there were 5 co-teaching the class) brought in two professors from the college with oposing views on whether what we're seeing is a natural cycle of earth or something caused by human impact on the environment. They were both very interesting.

I still don't know what I think, although it probably falls somewhere in the middle. Still, reducing pollution is something we should all work toward no matter where the truth about global warming falls.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 3:48 PM

haha, powerfrau, right on! I used to work down the hall from someone who had a sticker on the door reading:

IF YOU'RE NOT AN ENVIRONMENTALIST
then you're suicidal and should seek counseling

There is BROAD agreement in the scientific community that human activity IS causing global warming. There's no way to predict all the knock-on effects, but there will be effects, and they will be detrimental to millions of people, particularly those already living in marginal (for instance semi-arid) areas.

While variations in both temperature means and temperature extremes (two different things!) have occurred throughout Earth's history, the argument that because it might happen naturally it must be okay is weak at best. It's kind of like saying that intraspecific competition for resources is natural, so the Holocaust was okay. yeah---WHOA!!--then define "okay"??

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 4:10 PM

Good god, i can't believe how many people on here posted with such ridiculous ignorant viewpoints about global warming. All evidence suggests that we, in our tiny blip of time have done far more damage via C)2 emissions han centuries before us... we can destroy the earth in far less time than we've been around. Of course it's labeled a theory, like the earlier poster said... but most informed, intelligent people realize this is just a word. Oceans are rising, the ozone layer's decreasing, global warming is definitely happening, and those of you who think "why bother doing anything" i'm assuming don't care what happens to your kids or grandkids... they're going to be dying of skin cancer and coughing from their awful asthma.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 4:13 PM

I love how people use words like "BROAD agreement" and "ignorant viewpoints," just for the effects of the words. I haven't seen anyone siting any articles from any established journals/professors/etc. The only thing close was the poster from 3:48pm who acknowledged that two professors have opposing viewpoints.

At one point in time, there was "BROAD agreement" that the Earth was flat, and only people with "ignorant viewpoints" believed that if you kept sailing east, you wouldn't actually fall off the Earth! That really wasn't so long ago!

This post cracks me up! People are so uppity! On both sides!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 5:00 PM

Hey 5:00 pm, you can use google scholar as well as the rest of us if you want to research what scientists actually say in the primary literature.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 5:26 PM

Is there anything wrong with the following statements?

Global warming occurs naturally with the warming/cooling cycles of the Earth.

The Earth's temperature is elevated now, which is causing ice at the poles to melt. The ozone layer is thinning. Etc, etc

Human activity increases the rate of global warming.

The Earth may reach temperatures too hot or too cold for the survival of man.

Technology both speeds up and slows down the effects humans have on the Earth.

Man will die but leading a healthy lifestyle may prolong one's life.

In conclusion,

Eat, drink, and smoke everything because life ends. Or live a heatlhy lifestyle in hopes that your actions lead to a longer life.
Likewise, pollute, consume a lot, and reuse nothing because the Earth will change no matter what. Or leave a small footpring in hopes that your actions lead to a longer life for the Earth and all species living on it (possibly including you).

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 5:45 PM

Adam and Eve drove an Excursion...

some reading this thread may be amused by this link

Link

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 6:26 PM

Why not take the time to learn more about this "theory" of global warming? You can choose to disagree with the facts in the movie if you like after watching it, but why not spend 90 minutes this week to get a little more educated on the topic? You'll still have 9,990 minutes left this week to do whatever else you need to do. This is not a political issue. Other countries see a growing problem and are acting on it, find out why by seeing this movie.

To learn more about this growing problem and how you can help reverse the trend, visit http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Link

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 7:01 PM

there is no point in calling people names ... but I am certain that anyone who does not believe that manknind is causing the earth to warm rapidly, and does not believe that there are many potential climactic dangers for ourselves and our offspring, is not actively listening, reading or learning about the issue. Ignoring the opportunity to become educated by science - this is a popular approach practiced by the Bush administration - but it is not reasonable to ignore the opportunity to learn, nor to deny our responisbility to care for the earth.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 10:50 PM

Quality not Quantity

Who cares about a longer life....if it is a miserable experience?

Good eating / exercising habits and clean air will improve the quality of life for the individual and the earth's inhabitants, respectively. The only way to provide evidence that man has an effect on the CO2 and hence global warming is to reverse our habits and see if it affects what could be a natural cycle. We won't know until we try, but if we don't try, it may become too late. Our waterways were extremely polluted in the 60s (or whenever...) and we changed our behavior (with industry kicking and screaming like they are today) and voila! we now have cleaner waterways. We DID affect it! I don't need any more proof that man affects the environment.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 11:00 PM

The real inconvenient truth is that

we are a commercially driven consumer economy driven by greed. How much evidence have you left so fat announcing "you were here". With cheap goods from overseas, we toss away and buy more without a thought. Single or limited use convenience products rule the market place (Swiffer and other cleaning products for start, not to mention the energy and waste used/created by it's manufacturing/packaging/distribution). We need to change our way of thinking before nature wipes the slate clean. In the meantime, Europe and China (yes China-one of the wealthiest men in China is a solar power entrepreneur) are kicking our butt coming up with affordable innovative earth friendly products. We can all start to make small thoughful changes in our life and question our purchases more closely with little or no discomfort, regardless of whether you believe in human-driven climate change or not. Plus, not bowing to commercialism is sure to lead to less stress and debt and more pleasure in the things that really matter.

Thursday, June 15, 2006, 12:40 AM

1240 AM poster

You hit it right on the nose!

Why do most people want more, more, and more?

Thursday, June 15, 2006, 5:16 PM

The 12:40 AM poster stumbled over the solution for this problem. Solar power is starting to succeed in the marketplace. Because there is demand for it. Smart entreprenuers will make money meeting that demand. People are innovating earth-friendly products?? Great. I bet a handful of those guys, when successful, will deliver more value than any of the hot air that Gore spews daily.

Free Markets = Free Men

Thursday, June 15, 2006, 5:58 PM

references

To the poster who wants to see references, fair enough. Here's an example of what the scientists are arguing about -- not whether its happening, but how fast and how much. It's just a short summary of research, but you can look up the original in Nature. This summary is from an April 2006 issue of Science (Science and Nature are the top two most prestigious scientific journals).
Note how someone could use this data to either confirm the idea of global warming (yes, its happening) OR to seemingly contradict it (oh, look, its not as bad as some people were saying). But the important overall point is that even a few degrees can mean big trouble.

Link

Friday, June 16, 2006, 1:41 AM

I saw the movie last week, and I strongly recommend that anyone who has not seen it, go watch it.

One of the most interesting things Gore presented was that they did a study of a statistically significant sample (10%) of all the articles published on the topic of global warming in peer-reviewed science journals and looked at how many said that there was any question about whether or not global warming is occuring as a result of human activity. Result: 0%.

Then, they did a similar survey of all news articles on the topic of global warming....something like 50% said that there was a question on whether or not humans are causing global warming to occur.

I'm not trying to weigh in on the more important questions like how bad it's going to be, how much exactly humans have been causing, or what we should do about it, etc. Just pointing out that it's no wonder people on this board think that there is a question even though the scientific community is in agreement on that most important fact. How are people going to know the truth if the media keep bluring it? And how are we ever going to get people mobilized into doing something about it?

Friday, June 16, 2006, 2:09 PM

Media says there is no global warming....

When I was in college, I regularly read science journals, and I NEVER found ONE thing that contradicted global warming. Just as the last poster said....the MEDIA is the one that is saying half the scientists don't believe it. NOT the scientists. I finally got to see the Al Gore movie (FYI - I can't stand the guy myself...) and he brings up the same point with the statistical samples. It's sad how many people are being led by media.

All you really have to do is look at the resources we are using these days compared to a hundred years ago and do the math in your head. If you think we don't have any effect on global warming and the state of the environment as a whole, then you don't understand the basics of cause and effect.

The really scary part of the movie was the ice shelf in Antartica that broke down in 32 days. Scary.

-CoffeeGal

Sunday, June 18, 2006, 10:27 PM

I just saw the movie and highly recommend it. He has a very effective way to present the data. I was one of those people who actually semi-bought into the sceptic part because we have had glacial versus warming oscilations throughout time. Well, Gore presented that data in a very effective way. He showed the most recent findings that go back 650,000 (!) years and sure enough I was sitting there thinking, see? this is what is going on now! It's just a natural cycle. Then he put the last 30 years and I felt like I was sucker punched. I'm convinced and am doing my part to tell people to at least go see his story. And as Margaret Mead said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Al Gore is on a very lonely mission in America.

Sunday, June 25, 2006, 7:57 PM

now that the movie has come out on DVD, has anyone else seen it? what did you think?

i saw it in a class and was truly stunned by how much i didn't know. it's a really important, informative, influential, and terrifying film. i think everyone should see it.

and just to give a shout out, visit stopglobalwarming.com . it's a great site.

Monday, January 22, 2007, 11:47 PM

Global warming apparently is a theory not held by the majority of meterologists in this country. It is propoganda/dogma.

The real question should be= do you favor clean air and policies that help the air get cleaned? I think most of us believe in that.

Did you know that the last year was the first year that use of oil fell year over year in developed countries? I'll dig up the link. There is demand for clean air technologies, and companies are providing it! Ironically it will be huge corporations, driven by profit that get the air clean-- not a bunch of hysterical leftists.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 4:57 AM

AL GORE INVENTED GLOBAL WARMING

Science, like politics, can be spun to prove or disprove just about anything you can imagine. It takes little more than performing tests and keeping the results that you want, or that proves your theory, or that gets you the grant money. Billions and Billions of dollars are being poured into the global warming theory all in a lame attempt to prove it.

While I am not an environmentalist, and conversly to a previous poster, I an mot suicidal and do not need counseling, I feel that a degree of environmental protection is necessary. The very thought of environmentalism, right or wrong, makes me remember the fall of BIG STEEL in the northeast - sending many jobs overseas due to increased costs of steel production. I will never chain myself to a tree to save a rainforest, but I'll use a low flush toilet.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 7:23 AM

I am not an expert, but I do work in a related field (catastrophe risk analysis, i.e. potential loss due to hurricanes), and hear many experts speak about hurricane frequency cycles, increased sea surface temperature, etc. I saw An Inconvenient Truth about a month ago, and remember hearing Al Gore say some things as though they were fact, when I've heard experts say the exact opposite pretty recently (in which case, I can't tell which is true and which is false), but I also noticed Gore doing one thing in particular - implying that correlation and causation are the same. They are not. Two things may be correlated (likely to happen one after the other), but the second is not necessarily caused by the first.

As it was a month ago, I can't really remember specifics, which I'm sure will get this post totally blasted by some, but if I remember any, or have time to go to the website, etc., I will try to come back and repost some of the things he stated that are questionable.

By the way, I am not bashing Al Gore. I voted for him in 2000, and would vote for him again (depending on who he was running against in a primary; if he made it to the national election, there's no question I'd vote for him). I just try to see everything for what it is, and a lot of his movie was propoganda, and part was scare tactics. In any case, he makes a good point - we certainly aren't helping anything by polluting, etc., and we could all reduce the amount of waste. We know that 'not polluting' will not cause harm, and that polluting does harm the environment, so that's a good reason to stop polluting. What we do not know is whether or not our polluting is changing the global climate in a significant way, or if we are merely watching an earth cycle that humans have not seen before.

One thing that really, really bothered me in the movie is, at the end, he shows the graph showing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, and average temperatures, and how the temperature goes up in relation to when the CO2 goes up. Then at the end, he shows that the CO2 is higher now than ever. BUT, he does not show the average temperatures for this same time period. It had to be omitted on purpose; it must not show what he wanted to say!

And for everyone who will now say "but all the news reports said that this year was the hottest year on record," years on record are years in which the temperature was recorded. Humans did not invent thermometers that long ago, so the hottest year on record is, approximately, the hottest year in the past 100 years. Out of millions of years, that's not very statistically significant at all.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 10:17 AM

I was watching some old Warren Miller ski movies yesterday and it was strange to people skiiing on galciers that no longer exist.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 11:00 AM

I saw the movie. It wasn't new information, but a good start to get the message out there. Oprah had Al Gore on her show taking about it so you know it has hit the masses. That is a good thing!
In response to all of the alarming replies to the original post; this is why the planet and air quality, etc. is going to #%$@! People out there like most of you are ignoring the problem of global warming and the like. You are too selfish to make a changes! You should all be very afraid for your kids and loved ones, they are our future! You are making things bad for them.
I am in it with Mother Earth! I am helping to preserve what is left. My mark will be green when I leave this planet not brown with pollution and disregard.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 2:06 PM

an inconvenient truth

I just watched this movie and found it very informative. I also have reason to believe that there are special interest groups making negative comments and posting media on sites such as this one and U-tube to discredit Al Gore and the movie. My advice is to watch the movie, find out more on your own, and be skeptical about what you see posted online.

Also, I just wanted to say that even if none of the movie is true, how can doing the things to help our environment possible hurt us. I noticed the comments about commericalism above. Right on! Anybody else interested in that topic shoould check out www.thestoryofstuff.org.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008, 12:50 PM

Climate change is cyclical. It is only the hubris and ego of humans to think that we effect the weather. Just like humans thought the sun revolved around the Earth. Ice ages come and go on the Earth's schedule.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008, 3:52 PM

3:52- bravo!!!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008, 6:27 PM

Opps

I'm Sorry I made a mistake on the website address the correst address

www.thestoryofstuff.com

Thursday, March 27, 2008, 8:39 AM

It's true that one single human being can have little effect on the the environment of the planet as a whole. However, if you take in account the current estimate of 6.70 billion people and that estimate that by 2050 there will be roughly 9 billion people on the planet and if you look at the research you can see that humans are and will continue to have adverse effects on the environment unless we can seriously change our habits. Saying we are arrogant for beliveing we are causeing these adverse effects is the same as not taking the blame. If we act like we didn't cause the problem, them we don't have to take responsiblity for fixing it and we don't have to change the way we do things. I'm sure the planet will be here long after human beings have gone, but how much longer we survive as a species wil depend on what we do today.

Thursday, March 27, 2008, 9:18 AM

OK all you small thoughtful changes people. Get rid of your SUVs and water in disposable plastic bottles. You all start that ball rolling. Hypocrites.

Thursday, March 27, 2008, 9:32 AM

response to 9:32

Actually some of us have done just that.... Ever heard of reusable water bottle and a hyrbrid. You have to start somewhere... what have YOU done?

Thursday, March 27, 2008, 12:26 PM

The title of the movie is "An Inconvenient Truth".

Thursday, March 27, 2008, 12:27 PM

Well 12:26

I never drove an SUV, I ride a bike or walk to work. I have one thermos bottle I use for my beverages over and over. I have solar panels installed at my home to continually heat my water. I composte and grow beautiful winter roses with it. I am a vegetarian. I organized the community park clean up we do twice a year.
So if all I say is give up your SUV and try re-using your water bottles, no big deal. It isn't like I asked you to walk somewhere or G** forbid, recycle your tin.
BTW tip of the day, try recycling your used computer components or periodicals by donating them to the local library, community center,or shelter.
Have a good weekend and if the weather is nice get outdoors and pick up those cigarette butts, and plastic bargs by the road.

Friday, March 28, 2008, 5:03 PM

I care about our earth...God made it...but we are all going to die one day...I dont know if anyone knows that but death a lone is an inconvinient truth...NOT TRYING TO OFFEND PLEASE DO NOT VERBALLY SLASH ME!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008, 5:05 PM

Dr. Death

Huh? Point? Really? We are all going to die? Who knew?

Tuesday, April 1, 2008, 6:02 PM

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