An Inconvenient Truth

I don't think its made up, but I think it is exaggerated. Some of the quotes he uses from experts are from the 1930's.... There are lots of other sources of information that might help you make your final decision.

I actually talked to the head of the science department at my school after our crazy English teacher gave us 10 bonus points to watch the movie and do a worksheet about it. I definitely believe that Global Warming is real, but Al Gore just made a doom and gloom film that doesn't focus on the real problem. Global warming would still occur if we went back to the stone age. Methane gas from animal "gas" is a contributor to the global warming problem (10% for some countries, New Zealand had the same issue with sheep). We can't just think that if we cut emissions we can stop the process. In the end, we need to focus on some way to convert the gases in the atmosphere. The other problem is that the only real alternative currently to pollution causing power, is nuclear power. Obviously the environmentalists aren't going to be happy if this is the solution. Biofuel is a very ineffective source, and hydrogen would also be very effective and expensive. The issues I have with the movie are many. I won't gripe about the blantant focus on the ineffectiveness of Republicans when he turned a blind eye to the the years that Democrats also chose non-action. Second, he manipulated the facts to an insane degree. Yes, global warming will cause flooding, but it has nothing to do with ice melting. The ice melting reforms at other areas(in general practice) and melting ice will do little to actually cause flooding. Thermal expansion of the water will cause flooding. I guess my final and pessimistic response is that global warming will ultimately self-correct itself and buy us at least another 100+ years. If the ice caps melt, fresh water will disrupt the thermal water channel that funnels warm water along the European and American coasts. This will cause a less extreme version of The Day After Tommorow. I believe that temperatures around the world will drop by about 30ish degrees. The United States will pretty much strive through it, but some of the Northern countries would have some serious cold weather to deal with, but they'd only have to deal with it until the global warming fully kicked in again.

Actually some of it may be exaggerated but some of it is underestimated. I read an article in the NY Times about what is going on in Greenland right now. They have always had huge massive glaciers and they expected these to slowly go away with global warming - several decades BUT they are breaking up and disappearing a LOT faster than was expected. What they thought was a penninsula suddenly turned out to be an island. One day it had ice over it and just a couple days later, there was nothing but fast running water in a deep channel between it and the mainland. At this rate they are saying Greenland may be glacier free in JUST 10 years. They say that the glaciers in Greenland alone (if melted) would be enough to raise sea level 25 inches. This would flood a bunch of places. And that is ONLY the glaciers in Greenland - it doesn't include the glaciers in other countries. I don't think the world will be "completely uninhabitable" but there will be a lot less dry land and a lot of climate changes.

I do believe that there is a climate change... but I don't believe it to be as serious as some (Al Gore) would like us to believe. Temperatures have often varied and this is just a scare tactic.