OPINION:
Al Gore, the world’s foremost pseudo- scientist, is blasting skeptical scientists for their adherence to the centuries-old scientific method. Having tested the man-made global warming hypothesis with empirical observations, many scientists have come to different conclusions, causing Mr. Gore to become the Lenny Bruce of the environmental extremist gang. Speaking at the Aspen Institute on Aug. 4, Mr. Gore blasted alternative climate-change theories, publicly labeling them “bulls-t” - his words, not mine.
Having already “invented the Internet,” Mr. Gore has moved on to more important things like inventing a new scientific method. Mr. Gore’s pseudo-scientific method must mean politically correct agendas always trump independent peer testing. If your scientific results contradict the politically correct consensus, you are a denier of a higher truth and your proof that his theories are false is bull (to use a more polite version).
Before Mr. Gore’s reliance on make-believe catastrophic climate model results, we were stuck with the good old scientific method, which says if the hypothesis cannot stand up to comparison with real, empirical observations, the hypothesis is false. Albert Einstein championed that test. Mr. Gore is abandoning it now because the test proves his “man-made CO2 is causing global climate change” hypothesis to be false.
Mr. Gore laments the fact that empirical observations are contradicting the “shared reality” he covets on his carefully chosen cocktail circuit. According to him, “It is no longer acceptable in mixed company - meaning bipartisan company - to use the goddamn word climate.” Pity.
For Mr. Gore, any notion that our world is one of constant change is bull. Well, Mr. Gore, with 18 or 20 natural climate drivers constantly at work, there is no way Earth can have a stable climate. There have been no flat lines on any temperature curve in the reconstructions of 500 million years of climate-CO2 relationships. How about the sun or major ocean currents that experience changing cycles? Well, is that just bull, too? Is anything that conflicts with the belief that man is the primary cause of climate change just more bull? My, what a dirty mouth our former veep has.
With all of Mr. Gore’s voiced confidence in his hypothesis, why won’t he debate the issue if he is certain that “the science is settled”? Here’s why: Fifteen of his major points in his 2006 film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” have been shown to be false, misleading or gross exaggerations. As long as many blindly follow him despite all of this, his best strategy is to remain off the debate circuit.
The problem with Mr. Gore’s new pseudo-scientific dogma is, of course, what’s at stake. Lenny Bruce was a comedian. Mr. Gore isn’t a comedian, as funny as he may appear. For some odd reason people still listen to him and he commands influence over national and global public policy. If he has his way, his man-made global warming agenda will melt our economy, our standard of living and even our national security.
Right now, the only thing global warming is melting is Al Gore’s brain.
Leighton Steward is a geologist, environmentalist, author and retired energy industry executive. He currently heads the organization Plants Need CO2.
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