Sunday, November 01, 2009

Al Gore, Bungled

And you thought North American journalists screwed stuff up. The original Maktoob article (Maktoob is Jordan based) is gone, but Marc Sheppard's American Thinker post gives the gist of it:

“The North Pole ice cap is 40 percent gone already and could be completely and totally gone in the winter months in the next 5 to 10 years.”

Such thaw, cautioned Gore, “could increase sea levels by 67 metres” and that “each one metre of sea level rise (SLR) is associated with 100 million climate refugees in the world.” That’s up a full 47 meters from the already horrifying predictions he’s made previously.

The swiftly corrected version, however, reads:

Gore said if Greenland and West Antarctica, made up of massive ice sheets, were to melt it could increase sea levels by 6-7 metres, speaking in the heart of an oil-rich region not known for its regard for the environment.

In other words, 1) Gore is not talking about polar ice (which lies over water so would do very little to raise sea-levels were it to melt), and 2) is not talking about something that is due to happen in the next five to 10 years, though both the Greenland and Antarctic sheets have indeed begun to shed mass.

Maktoob claims to have "checked the tape" and Gore did apparently refer to arctic ice-cap disappearing in the "winter" months, so he might have reversed his seasons inadvertantly. Also, this statement seems a bit mysterious to me:

"Greenland and West Antarctica are such massive amounts of ice each one of would lead to a six to seven metre increase in sea level if it were to melt. And both West Antarctica and Greenland are beginning to melt," he said.

The six/seven metre is right enough for the Greenland sheet but, were the Antarctic ice cap to melt (not something anyone expects anytime soon), the average sea level would rise, you guessed it... 67 meters (230 feet).

So more confusion here, but more likely on the part of Maktoob than Mr. Gore.

16 comments:

Frank said...

Just a slip of the bum.

Ti-Guy said...

Good God...what brought you to American Thinker? I don't believe there's an online publication more ironically titled than that one.

It's particularly precious because you find the most pretentious idiots writing there. The Bloggin' Torees would do well to copy it and provide Kathy Shaidle, Joan Tintor, Joseph Ben-Ami, the Ghost of a Flea guy and a few other Canadian analogues their true home.

...I left out Ezra Levant and Mark Stain, because they know they're writing garbage.

bigcitylib said...

The story started from there and is now wild in the denio-sphere. I wouldn't normally pay much attention to it.

CanadianSense said...

Has Al Gore sold his recently purchased sea level condo worth $ 4 million in SF yet?

Follow the money and the snake oil is not far behind.

Ti-Guy said...

Has Al Gore sold his recently purchased sea level condo worth $ 4 million in SF yet?

Here's his face, Mr. Cheney. Let me hold your drink while you line up the shot...

Liberal Bloggers: enough of this twat. It's obvious that even a simple matter of fact like this is enough to prompt him to derail discussion and contribute nothing of value or interest.

At least FranD's trolling is short...

CanadianSense said...

TG,

rude comments and censorship is your style.

This post on topic, AG making some comments, his financial holdings or real estate (follow the money)is important.

You claim deniers are Big Oil Shills?

If you feel uncomfortable reading a dissenting post, set up your own blog call it Red Line Fascist and censor posts.

Best of luck...

Frank said...

"I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are" - Al Gore


"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." - this guy.

Ti-Guy said...

I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are."

That's just common sense, Frank. Although you understanding "factual presentations" as "lies" isn't. It's irrational.

CanadianSense said...

FrankD,

TG does not rely on "real" evidence to come to his conclusions.

He went to the Jean Chretien school of logic. A proof is a proof.

TG, Al Gore, Liberals may have vested interests in money going to subsidies for wind, farm, solar industry.

Ti-Guy said...

Eveyone's calling you CanadianNonsense, CS, so stop acting like I'm the only one who's fed up with you.

Come on everyone...grab your registered firearm and lock and load. It's troll huntin' season!

Gayle said...

Just wait until he starts researching your old posts TG.

He already embarassed himself on Janke's blog by doing that to me. I am sure even Janke's regulars were laughing at that one.

Seriously, he is easily mocked and discredited. Just do that and ignore his personal attacks. Anyone can see he resorts to them because he has nothing intelligent to say about the actual topic.

Ti-Guy said...

Christ, he's at Wanke's blog too? My God...he's like a massless particle...he's everywhere.

He's not even Canadian, by the way.

CanadianSense said...

Gayle

repeating you were "researched" and SJ blog you have support is funny.

Your ego again?

Your contribution on SJ, really?

Your entire anti-Harper tirade position was recorded on a liberal blog. Did you deny your post or retract anything you said? No.

Best of luck Gayle denying your position on big government in Ottawa and fear of the CPC.

Ti-Guy said...

Try writing in your mother tongue, NonCanadianNonsense. We're all multi-culties here so some of us could probably understand it and you might just end up sounding a bit more coherent.

Just some well-meaning advice...

Gayle said...

Imagine that. I wrote something and did not retract it.

Wow. That is one killer argument you are making there CS.

Thanks for the laugh.

Anonymous said...

Al "The Prophet of Profit" Gore provides endless entertainment for both Warmongers and Deniers.

You really have to admit he's in a special "all buffoon, all the time" class. Nobody comes close, although on a good day, David "Dr. Fruit Fly" Suzuki can give him a run for his money or carbon footprint.