2. Who are we ?
Randy
Wendling
Anna
Haskins Ed
Johnson
Frank
Sikon
Biblical
Poets
3. Introduction
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!
4. 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.
5. An Inconvenient Truth - 3 As
(The) ABSOLUTE
Exposes the shocking reality of how humankind has aided
in the destruction of our planet.
(The) ARGUMENT AGAINST
The 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 For
With wit, smarts and hope, AN INVONCENIENT TRUTH ultimately brings home
Gore’s persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming
as s a political issue – rather, it is the biggest moral challenges facing our global
civilization
6. From the Big Bang to Complex Stars:
The Universe’s Decelerating Phase
7. • 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
Facts
8. 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
Facts
9. Facts
• 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.
10. 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
11. 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,"
12. 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."
13. 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.“
14. Arguments 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
15. Arguments 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?
16. Understanding 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
17. 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
18. Conclusion
• 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!
