Scientists debate the accuracy of Al Gore’s documentary - An Inconvenient Truth
Still shaking up the
Know-Nothings...
There is no question that Al Gore’s 2006 documentary An Inconvenient
Truth is a powerful example of how scientific knowledge can be communicated to a
lay audience. What is up for debate is whether it accurately presents the
scientific argument that global warming is caused by human activities. Climate
change experts express their opinions on the scientific validity of the
film’s claims in articles just published online in Springer’s
journal, GeoJournal.
The papers in GeoJournal agree that it does an excellent job of raising public awareness of man-made global warming and explains why increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases lead to warming.
They also agree that its main weakness is that it tries to use individual extreme events, such as Hurricane Katrina, to prove the existence of global warming.
In the first opinion piece, Eric Steig from Washington University states that the film gets the fundamental science right. The minor factual errors do not undermine the main message of the film…
There are several articles in the GeoJournal [registration, subscription]. True Believers who reject peer-reviewed science will continue to be upset.
I noticed this headline in Google News for a few days; but, until I read it, I hadn't realized why it wasn't getting much play in the press or online. Silly me. It doesn't attack Gore or support neocon nutball politics.
The papers in GeoJournal agree that it does an excellent job of raising public awareness of man-made global warming and explains why increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases lead to warming.
They also agree that its main weakness is that it tries to use individual extreme events, such as Hurricane Katrina, to prove the existence of global warming.
In the first opinion piece, Eric Steig from Washington University states that the film gets the fundamental science right. The minor factual errors do not undermine the main message of the film…
There are several articles in the GeoJournal [registration, subscription]. True Believers who reject peer-reviewed science will continue to be upset.
I noticed this headline in Google News for a few days; but, until I read it, I hadn't realized why it wasn't getting much play in the press or online. Silly me. It doesn't attack Gore or support neocon nutball politics.
Posted: Thu - April 17, 2008 at 08:48 AM