The The Inconvenient Inconvenient

TruthTruth

Who are we ?Who are we ?

RandyWendling

Anna Haskins Ed

Johnson

Frank Sikon

Biblical Poets

IntroductionIntroduction

A Brief Overview and Analysis of the documentary “An Inconvenient

Truth” by Al Gore• Is it Global Warming OR a convenient

“Lack of Truth?”

• Has this Topic been turned into a political chess match?

Lets take a closer look!

An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient Truth • Premiered at the 2006 Susdance Film Festival

• Opened in New York and Los Angeles on May 24, 2006

• Third-highest-grossing documentary in the United States to date.

• Academy Award Winning

• Directed by Davis Guggenheim

• Presented by United States Vice President Al Gore

• Crusade• planetary emergency on climate change (global warming)

• Offers:

• a passionate and inspirational look

•at one man’s fervent crusade to halt global

•warming’s deadly progress in its tracks by

•exposing the myths and misconceptions

•that surround it.

An Inconvenient Truth - 3 AsAn Inconvenient Truth - 3 As

(The) ABSOLUTEExposes the shocking reality of how humankind has aided in

the destruction of our planet.

(The) ARGUMENT AGAINSTThe New York Times [NYT] fires a shot today at Al Gore and his Academy Award-winning global warming film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” saying it involves “hype” and shoddy science.

(The) ARGUMENT ForWith wit, smarts and hope, AN INVONCENIENT TRUTH ultimately brings home Gore’s persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warmingas s a political issue – rather, it is the biggest moral challenges facing our global civilization

From the Big Bang to Complex Stars: From the Big Bang to Complex Stars: The Universe’s Decelerating PhaseThe Universe’s Decelerating Phase

• World energy consumption is projected to increase by 54% from 2001 to 2025

• If current trends continue, the world may see a five-fold increase in waste generation by the year 2025

• If present water consumption patterns continue, two out of every three persons on Earth will live in water-stressed conditions by the year 2025

FactsFacts

The average American consumes 120 pounds of raw materials every day, extracted from farms, forests, rangelands and mines

Over 75 percent of these resources become waste (municipal and industrial) within a few months of being extracted

FactsFacts

FactsFacts

• The retreat of numerous glaciers• Possibility of a sudden rise in sea level of 6 meters (20 ft)• The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost

doubled in the last 30 years.• Carbon dioxide concentrations are higher than at any time

during the past 650,000 years• Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the

Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.• The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than

doubled over the past decade.

What if China consumes like America?What if China consumes like America?

• They would consume more paper than the world currently produces

• They would need 100 million tons of seafood = the entire world fish catch

• They would need over 80 million barrels of oil a day = slightly more than the 74 million barrels per day the world now produces

• They would roughly double global CO2 emissions

Points Against Points Against

• Carleton University paleoclimatologist Professor Tim Patterson testified, – "There is no meaningful correlation between CO2 levels and Earth's temperature

over this [geologic] time frame. In fact, when CO2 levels were over ten times higher than they are now, about 450 million years ago, the planet was in the depths of the absolute coldest period in the last half billion years."

– "On the basis of this evidence, how could anyone still believe that the recent relatively small increase in CO2 levels would be the major cause of the past century's modest warming?“

• Dr. Wibjorn Karlen, emeritus professor, Dept. of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Sweden, admits,

– "Some small areas in the Antarctic Peninsula have broken up recently, just like it has done back in time. The temperature in this part of Antarctica has increased recently, probably because of a small change in the position of the low pressure systems." When Greenland and Antarctica are assessed together, "their mass balance is considered to possibly increase the sea level by 0.03 mm/year - not much of an effect," KarlÈn concludes.

– He goes on to state "For several published records the region of the arctic has shown a slight a decrease for the last 50 years,"

Points Against Points Against

• Gore's point that 200 cities and towns in the American West set all time high temperature records is also misleading according to Dr. Roy Spencer, Principal Research Scientist at The University of Alabama in Huntsville.

– "It is not unusual for some locations, out of the thousands of cities and towns in the U.S., to set all-time records," he says. "The actual data shows that overall, recent temperatures in the U.S. were not unusual.“

• Dr. Dick Morgan, former advisor to the World Meteorological Organization and climatology researcher at University of Exeter,

– "There has been some decrease in ice thickness in the Canadian Arctic over the past 30 years but no melt down. The Canadian Ice Service records show that from 1971-1981 there was average, to above average, ice thickness. From 1981-1982 there was a sharp decrease of 15% but there was a quick recovery to average, to slightly above average, values from 1983-1995. A sharp drop of 30% occurred again 1996-1998 and since then there has been a steady increase to reach near normal conditions since 2001.“climate change (the 30 year average) and used an equal area projection, instead of the Mercator (which doubled the area of warming in Alaska, Siberia and the Antarctic Ocean) warming and cooling would have been almost in balance."

Points Against Points Against

• James E. Hansen, an environmental scientist, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies

– Dr. Hansen said, the former vice president’s work may hold “imperfections” and “technical flaws.” He pointed to hurricanes, an icon for Mr. Gore, who highlights the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and cites research suggesting that global warming will cause both storm frequency and deadliness to rise. Yet this past Atlantic season produced fewer hurricanes than forecasters predicted (five versus nine), and none that hit the United States.

• Professor Bob Carter of the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at James Cook University

– "Gore's circumstantial arguments are so weak that they are pathetic. It is simply incredible that they, and his film, are commanding public attention.“

– "The man is an embarrassment to US science and its many fine practitioners, a lot of whom know (but feel unable to state publicly) that his propaganda crusade is mostly based on junk science.“

Arguments ForArguments For

• Does Anyone know the future? – What scientists are right?– What if the claims that the movie makes have merit?– Can we afford to be wrong?

• Theory versus Theory

• What do we have to gain by dismissing global warming? – $$$ To save a buck? $$$$

• What do we stand to loose?– Alternative fuels– Alternative sources for electricity– Teaching the younger generation a little control and discipline

Arguments ForArguments For

• Christian and moral ethics– As Christians, should we use our power and influence to lead the world?

• Is war more important• Is corporate America more important?• WWJD

• The Earth is a precious gift from God– Should anything be more important for us not to respect one of God’s creations?– The Earth gives more to us than we do to it!

• We cannot live without it; It can live without us!

• How arrogant or worthless are we to harm or mistreat it?

Understanding the Lever of GodUnderstanding the Lever of God

God, Creator of the Universe, is man’s lever. We must stand on his Biblical promises. We must keep his laws. God gave us the responsibility of caring for his creation. Make it last for our kids and their generations to come.

"Give me a lever, a fulcrum, and place to stand and I will move the world."

Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BC), quoted by Pappus

of Alexandria, Synagoge, c. 340AD

What Can We Do To Help? What Can We Do To Help?

GREEN PRACTICES • Conserving the use of

resources – energy, water and materials

• Reducing paper use• Generating less solid waste• Improving indoor air quality• Purchasing products that are

more environmentally friendly• Using energy from renewable

resources

ConclusionConclusion

• Who do we believe?• Should politicians stay out of

environmental issues?• Would Global warming be

better received by a non-partisan, non-political figure?

• Should we take a proactive stance on all environmental issues?

YOU DECIDE!

Questions or Questions or Comments?Comments?