The 35 Errors in "An Inconvenient Truth" - Part 13

ERROR 33 Gore's bogus pictures and film footage

1.In the book accompanying Gore’s film, the story of the pied flycatchers and the caterpillars is accompanied by a picture of a bird feeding her hungry chicks.

2. Gore similarly misuses spectacular footage of a glacier apparently calving off enormous slabs of ice into the sea – footage that is often shown on television to accompany stories about “global warming.” (As seen above).

The Facts:

1. Closer inspection shows that the bird is not a pied flycatcher but a black tern; and that she is not carrying a caterpillar in her beak, but a small fish.

2. The glacier in question is one that is known to be advancing and to be doing so more rapidly and more often than previously. It is in southern Argentina, where its snout crosses and eventually dams, Lake Argentino. Water builds up behind the ice dam and eventually bursts it, causing the spectacular collapse of ice into the lake that is so misleadingly used as the iconic image of the effect of “global warming” on glaciers. The breaking of the ice dam used to occur every eight years or so: now, however, it occurs every five years, not because of “global warming” but because of the regional cooling of the southern Atlantic.

ERROR 34 The Thames Barrier "closing more frequently"

Gore says that rising sea levels are compelling the operators of the Thames Barrier to close it more frequently than when it was first built.

The Facts:

The barrier is indeed closed more frequently than when it was built, but the reason has nothing to do with “global warming” or rising sea levels. The reason is a change of policy by which the barrier is closed during exceptionally low tides, so as to retain water in the tidal Thames rather than keeping it out. Yet even the present leader of the official Opposition in the UK Parliament recently used a major speech as the opportunity to mention today’s more frequent closing of the Thames Barrier as though it were a matter of grave concern.

ERROR 35 "No fact...in dispute by anybody."

Gore says that his prediction that the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide will rise to more than 600 parts per million by volume as soon as 2050 is “not controversial in any way or in dispute by anybody.”

The Facts:

Not one of the half-dozen official projections of growth in CO2 concentration made by the IPCC shows as much as 600 parts per million by 2050.

So Lord Monkton categorically dissected each of the errors in question and compared them with the real world facts (as they stand), yet more disturbingly a believer like Professor Matthew England is so blinded by his adoration for Gore that he can find not even one. This from a man of science claiming to be looking after the best interests of the wider community in this debate, rather than the best interest of seeking more funding arrangements.

The 35 Errors in "An Inconvenient Truth" - Part 12

ERROR 30 Carbon dioxide is "pollution"

Gore describes carbon dioxide as “global warming pollution.”

The Facts:

Tests have shown that even at concentrations 30 times those of the present day even the most delicate plants flourish. Well-managed forests, such as those of the United States, are growing at record rates because the extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is feeding the trees. Carbon dioxide, in geological timescale, is at a very low concentration at present. Half a billion years ago it was at 7000 parts per million by volume, about 18 times today’s concentration.

See more in this article: CO2 is Green and Green is Good

ERROR 31 The European heat wave of 2003 "killed 35,000"

Gore says, “A couple of years ago in Europe they had that heat wave that killed 35,000.”

The Facts:

Though some scientists agree with Gore, the scientific consensus is that extreme warm anomalies more unusual than the 2003 heat wave occur regularly; extreme cold anomalies also occur regularly; El Niño and volcanism appear to be of much greater importance than any general warming trend; and there is little evidence that regional heat or cold waves are significantly increasing or decreasing with time. In general, warm is better than cold, which is why the largest number of life-forms are in the tropics and the least number are at the poles. A cold snap in the winter following the European heat wave killed 20,000 in the UK alone. Though the IPCC says 150,000 people a year are being killed worldwide by “global warming,” it reaches this figure only by deliberately excluding the number of people who are not being killed because there is less cold weather. In the US alone, it has been estimated that 174,000 fewer people are being killed each year because there are fewer episodes of extreme cold.

ERROR 32 Pied flycatchers "cannot feed their young"

Gore says “The peak arrival date for migratory birds 25 years ago was April 25. Their chicks hatched on June 3, just at the time when the caterpillars were coming out: Nature’s plan. But 20 years of warming later the caterpillars peaked two weeks earlier. The chicks tried to catch up with it, but they couldn’t. So they are in trouble.”

The Facts:

Adaptation is easy for the flycatchers: they merely fly a few tens of kilometres further north and they will find caterpillars hatching at the appropriate time. Besides, though Gore does not say so, what is bad news for the pied flycatchers is good news for the caterpillars, and for the butterflies they will become.

The 35 Errors in "An Inconvenient Truth" - Part 11

ERROR 27 Mosquitoes"climbing to higher altitudes"

Gore says that, because of “global warming”, mosquitoes are climbing to higher altitudes.

The Facts:

Most recent outbreaks have been at lower levels than those of a century and more ago. He says that Nairobi was founded 1000 m above sea level so as to be above the mosquito line. It was not. In the period before anthropogenic warming could have had any significant effect, there were ten malaria outbreaks in Nairobi, one of which reached as far up as Eldoret, almost 3000 m above sea level. Malaria is not a tropical disease. Mosquitoes do not need tropical temperatures: they need no more than 15 degrees Celsius to breed. The largest malaria outbreak of modern times was in Siberia in the 1920s and 1930s, when 13 million were infected, 600,000 died and 30,000 died as far north as Arkhangelsk, on the Arctic Circle. There is no reason to suppose that malaria will spread even if the climate continues to become warmer.

ERROR 28 Many tropical diseases "spread through 'global warming"

Gore says that, as well as malaria, “global warming” is spreading dengue fever, Lyme disease, West Nile virus, arena virus, avian flu, Ebola virus, E. Coli 0157:H7, Hanta virus, Legionella, leptospirosis, multi-drug-resistant TB, Nipah virus, SARS and Vibrio Cholerae 0139

The Facts:

Only the first four diseases are insect-borne, but none is tropical. Of the other diseases named by Gore either in his film or in the accompanying book, not one is sensitive to increasing temperature. They are spread not by warmer weather but by rats, chickens, primates, pigs, poor hygiene, ill-maintained air conditioning, or cold weather.

ERROR 29 West Nile virus in the US "spread through 'global warming"

Gore says that West Nile virus spread throughout the US in just two years, implicitly because of “global warming”

The Facts:

The climate in the US ranges from some of the world’s hottest deserts to some of its iciest tundra. West Nile virus flourishes in any climate. Warming of the climate, however caused, does not affect its incidence or prevalence.

The 35 Errors In "An Inconvenient Truth" - Part 10

ERROR 24 West Antarctic ice sheet "unstable"

Gore says disturbing changes have been measured under the West Antarctic ice sheet, implicitly because of “global warming.”

The Facts:

Most of the recession in this ice sheet over the past 10,000 years has occurred in the absence of any sea-level or temperature forcing. In most of Antarctica, the ice is in fact growing thicker. Mean Antarctic temperature has actually fallen throughout the past half century. In some Antarctic glens, environmental damage has been caused by temperature decreases of up to 2 degrees Celsius. Antarctic sea-ice spread to a 30-year record extent in late 2007.
*See the figures above

ERROR 25 Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves "breaking up“

Gore says half a dozen ice shelves each “larger than Rhode Island” have broken up and vanished from the Antarctic Peninsula recently, implicitly because of “global warming.”

The Facts:

Gore does not explain that the ice shelves have melted before, as studies of seabed sediments have shown. The Antarctic Peninsula accounts for about 2% of the continent, in most of which the ice is growing thicker. All the recently-melted shelves, added together, amount to an area less than one-fifty-fifth the size of Texas.

ERROR 26 Larsen B Ice Shelf "broke up because of' global warming"

Gore focuses on the Larsen B ice shelf, saying that it completely disappeared in 35 days.

The Facts:

There has been extensive ice-shelf break-up throughout the past 10,000 years, and the maximum ice-shelf extent may have been in the Little Ice Age in the late 15th century.

The figure above shows the area where ice shelves disintegrate and get reported in the media. What does not get reported is that many of these ice shelves disintegrate periodically. The size gets reported without keeping it in proportion to what is actually happening – areas of larger than usual ice growth. Notice that the area where the shelves disintegrate does not even have an orange line representing the median of the 1979-2000 ice extent in the area. This is because it is not unusual for the ice to melt in this area.

One of the other things that Al Gore forgot to mention about the Antarctic Peninsular is the active volcano(s) in that region that may be an alternate source of any recent shelf destruction.

Each of the red dots is a volcano in Antarctica. Note how many are on the peninsula near the Larsen and Wilkins Ice shelf's which are the ones most used to prove a link to global warming and in the western half of Antarctica in general.

The 35 Errors In "An Incovenient Truth" - Part 9

ERROR 22 Mountain glaciers worldwide "disappearing"

Gore says that “the ice has a story to tell, and it is worldwide.” He shows several before-and-after pictures of glaciers disappearing.

The Facts:

The glacial melt began in the 1820s, long before humankind could have had any effect, and has continued at a uniform rate since, showing no acceleration since humankind began increasing the quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere. Total ice volumes in three of the last four Ice Ages were lower than they are today, and “global warming” had nothing to do with that.

Despite Al Gore’s claim that glaciers are “disappearing” world wide, he clearly forgot to mention these ones that are growing in some cases for the first time in 250 years.

NORWAY : Ålfotbreen Glacier, Briksdalsbreen Glacier, Nigardsbreen Glacier
Hardangerjøkulen Glacier, Hansebreen Glacier, Jostefonn Glacier,
Engabreen glacier ;
FRANCE: Mt.Blanc;
SWITZERLAND: Silvretta Glacier;
KIRGHIZTAN: Abramov;
RUSSIA: Maali Glacier;
GREENLAND: glacier advancing 7.2 miles per year!;
NEW ZEALAND: All 48 glaciers in the Southern Alps have grown during the past year, most notably the Fox, Franz Josef glaciers.
SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier; Chile's: Pio XI Glacier;
ECUADOR: Antizana 15 Alpha Glacier;
UNITED STATES: Colorado, Washington (Mount St. Helens, Mt. Rainier*and Mt. Shuksan), California (Mount Shasta)' Montana, Glacier Peak, Washington, Alaska (Mt. McKinley and Hubbard first time in 250 years).
CANADA: Helm Glacier, Place Glacier
HIMALAYER’S: in the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram.

So it could also be argued there is world wide growth of Glacier’s too.

ERROR 23 Sahara desert "drying"

Gore says terrible tragedies are occurring in the southern Sahara because of drought which he blames on “global warming.”

The Facts:

There is no drought caused by “global warming.” In 2007 there were record rains across the whole of the southern Sahara. In the past 25 years the Sahara has shrunk by some 300,000 square kilometres because of additional rainfall. Some scientists think “global warming” may actually mitigate pre-existing droughts because there will be more water vapor in the atmosphere. Before 1200 AD there were frequent, prolonged and severe droughts in the Great Plains. Since 1200 AD, there has been more rainfall. Likewise, the US has had more rainfall since the 1950s than it had in the earlier part of the 20th Century, when the great droughts which were then common were described by John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath. South African rainfall was also more stable in the second half of the 20th Century, when human effect on climate is said to have become significant, than in the first half.

The 35 Errors In "An Inconvenient Truth" - Part 8

ERROR 18 Arctic "warming fastest"

Gore says the Arctic has been warming faster than the rest of the planet.

The Facts:

While it is in general true that during periods of warming (whether natural or anthropogenic) the Arctic will warm faster than other regions, Gore does not mention that the Arctic has been cooling over the past 60 years, and is now one degree Celsius cooler than it was in the 1940s. There was a record amount of snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere in 2001.

Several vessels were icebound in the Arctic in the spring of 2007, but few newspapers reported this. The newspapers reported that the North-West Passage was free of ice in 2007, and said that this was for the first time since records began. But the records, taken by satellites, had only begun 29 years previously. The North-West Passage had also been open for shipping in 1945, and, in 1903, the great Norwegian explorer Amundsen had passed through it in a sailing ship.

ERROR 19 Greenland ice sheet "unstable“

Gore says “global warming” is making the Greenland ice sheet unstable.

The Facts:

Greenland ice grows 2in a year. The Greenland ice sheet survived each of the previous three interglacial periods, each of which was 5 degrees Celsius warmer than the present. It survived atmospheric CO2 concentrations of up to 1000 ppmv (compared with today’s 400 ppmv). It last melted 850,000 years ago, when humankind did not exist and could not have caused the melting. There is a close correlation between variations in Solar activity and temperature anomalies in Greenland, but there is no correlation between variations in CO2 concentration and temperature changes in Greenland. The IPCC (2001) says that to melt even half the Greenland ice sheet would require temperature to rise by 5.5 degrees C and remain that high for several thousand years.


ERROR 20 Himalayan glacial melt waters "failing"

Gore says 40% of the world’s population get their water supply from Himalayan glacial melt waters that are failing because of “global warming.”

The Facts:

The water comes almost entirely from snow-melt, not from ice-melt. Over the past 40 years there has been no decline in the amount of snow-melt in Eurasia.

ERROR 21 Peruvian glaciers "disappearing"

Gore says that a Peruvian glacier is less extensive now than it was in the 1940s, implying that “global warming” is the cause.

The Facts:

Except for the very highest peaks, the normal state of the Peruvian cordilleras has been ice-free throughout most of the past 10,000 years.

The 35 Errors In "An Inconvenient Truth" - Part 7

ERROR 14 Big storm insurances losses "increasing"

Gore says insurance losses arising from large storms and other extreme-weather events are increasing, by implication because of “global warming.”

The Facts:

Insured losses, as a percentage of the population of coastal areas in the path of hurricanes, were lower even in 2005 than they had been in 1925.

In 2006, a very quiet hurricane season, Lloyds of London posted their biggest-ever profit: £3.6 billion.

This is backed up by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which stated in Feb 2008:

A team of scientists have found that the economic damages from hurricanes have increased in the U.S. over time due to greater population, infrastructure, and wealth on the U.S. coastlines, and not to any spike in the number or intensity of hurricanes.

“There is nothing in the U.S. hurricane damage record that indicates global warming has caused a significant increase in destruction along our coasts.”

ERROR 15 Mumbai "flooding"

Gore says flooding in Mumbai is increasing, by implication because of “global warming.”

The Facts:

Rainfall trends at the two major weather stations in Mumbai show no increase in heavy rainfall over the past 48 years. (See graph above)

ERROR 16 Severe tornadoes "more frequent"

Gore says that 2004 set an all-time record for tornadoes in the US.

The Facts:

More tornadoes are being reported because detection systems are better than they were. But the number of severe tornadoes has been falling for more than 50 years. (Note the black line on the graph, above)

ERROR 17 The sun "heats the Arctic ocean"

Gore says that ice-melt allows the Sun to heat the Arctic Ocean, and a diagram shows the Sun’s rays heating it directly.

The Facts:

The ocean emits radiant energy at the moment of absorption, and would freeze if there were no atmosphere. It is the atmosphere, not the Sun that warms the ocean. Also, Gore’s diagram confuses the tropopause with the ionosphere, and he makes a number of other errors indicating that he does not understand the elementary physics of radiative transfer.