As I have written several times before, I am a global warming agnostic. Even though I rather suspect my scientific background is at least equal to Al Gore’s (whose academic career was, shall we say, “checkered”), I do not consider myself qualified to opine. (And, yes, I do favor conservation, anti-pollution measures and energy independence… duh… it’s anthropogenic global warming we’re discussing here.)
But… you knew there’d be one, didn’t you… I was fascinated by the dialog on the subject between Czech President Vaclav Klaus (an economist whose academic career was anything but “checkered”) and readers of the Financial Times. Klaus writes well in his second language, a lot better than almost all American politicians (including Gore) in their first language, so perhaps I am seduced by his literacy and learning. But Klaus does seem to make a number of strong points from the point of view of a professional economist with some scientific background, points that most of our politicians (in the present “religious” cllimate) do not dare to make, even if they agree with them.
I wonder if Gore would debate Klaus. I doubt it. There’s no profit in it for Al. The Czech Republic is a small country, after all, and Al is after bigger game. Why risk having your arguments eviscerated?
But I don’t think it’s the US Presidency that Al’s after. I think it’s the Nobel Prize. Reason: there’s more money for him in the Nobel. And I think money (and fame) is a lot of Al’s goal at the moment. Can you imagine how much he’s making touring the world as the Apostle of Environmental Armageddon? Tens, maybe even hundreds of millions. Why give that up? Why put that at jeopardy with pesky facts – or worse, with the inevitable clamor for full IRS disclosure were he to run for office?
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20 Comments
1. Dale Gribble:Algore is only the global messiah because, like jonCarry, Hillarys people had a little talk with him and showed him some unreleased documents.The two commandments were 1. Thou shall not dis the Queen. 2.Thou shall not run for president.The silky pony is really running for Howard Dean’s job and Obama will be dispached(maybe VP, maybe total distruction) when the rest of the field is put to bed. That’s my prediction and I’m sticking to it.
Jun 21, 2007 - 9:45 am 2. Hermie:Gore wants it all…A Nobel plus the presidency.
He’s trying to get the Nobel in time for the ‘08 elections, so he can use it as leverage in the campaign.
He uses the Oscar for his propaganda …er… documentary to pull in the gullible. (Hey! It won an Oscar it must be genuine.). He’ll use the Nobel as ‘proof’ he is an authority and worthy of being POTUS.
Of course, they seem to give the Nobel Peace Prize to just about anyone, like Jimmy (I Heart Hamas) Carter. I would doubt he’d get an actual Science Prize since he has never lifted a finger in any field of research; but then, if they can pervert the Peace Prize, they can pervert anything
Jun 21, 2007 - 10:03 am 3. David:Here is an interesting lay article written by a geologist discussing the theories of many of my collegues:
There are many in the solar community who think we may be due for a long term cooling period, much like the little ice age of a few hundred years ago. If this solar cooling does happen (and personally I think it will) one interesting side effect will be the re-absorption of carbon dioxide by the cooling oceans. Scientifically and politically the next 30 years will be more than a little interesting.
Jun 21, 2007 - 10:12 am 4. Always right:OK, al wants a nobel (does it count for much nowadays except for “real science” categories?). What do you think Jimmy Carter’s goal is? At first I thought he wanted to be UN Sec Gen, but he’s kind of too old for that. “World’s #1 fool” is already his, what else could it be?
Jun 21, 2007 - 10:25 am 5. Hermie:‘Emperor of the Galactic Empire’ has already been suggested.
Jun 21, 2007 - 10:30 am 6. Lem:Al getting a Novel prize would be like giving Times Magazine ‘man of the year’ to Paris Hilton.
Oh wait, that’s exactly what they did last year.
If Algoracle get’s a Novel Prize I’m moving to the Czech Republic
Jun 21, 2007 - 10:46 am 7. Eric Akawie:Al wants a Nobel for one simple reason: Bill Clinton doesn’t have one.
Jun 21, 2007 - 10:51 am 8. stu:Lem I recently returned from a visit to the Czech Republic and it was lovely. My guide pointed to the base of what was formerly a statue of that great Czech statesman Stalin and told me that during that golden age of communist control this statue was referred to by all as the meat que. There was none to be found in the butcher shops, naturally.
Jun 21, 2007 - 11:50 am 9. Waldo Lydecker:Simon is simple.
Jun 21, 2007 - 2:45 pm 10. TomTom:And his hot-blooded followers are nitwits.
That ol’ Waldo, he just cracks me up! Should’ve signed off as The Pie Man. We can’t all help loving his 1st grade humor and his erudition, can we?
Jun 21, 2007 - 3:37 pm 11. Roger:Waldo Lydecker from Laura…. Wasn’t he based on Alexander Woolcott? Hmmm….
Jun 21, 2007 - 3:37 pm 12. mezzrow:Waldo Lydecker from Laura…. Wasn’t he based on Alexander Woolcott? Hmmm….
Don’t worry, the ad hominem attack came up with the grade school alliteration. Sounds more like Herman Mankiewicz with a lobotomy to me.
Jun 21, 2007 - 4:13 pm 13. Barry Dauphin:Hot-blooded followers who are hot because of global warming no doubt!
Why does an ex-vice president who shouts about global warming sport a physique appropos for hibernation? Maybe he wants to make money before the big cool off when he heads for his cave.
Jun 21, 2007 - 7:40 pm 14. Webutante:Afraid Gore would be no match for Vaclav, even in his second language.
Al is having so much fun that if he ever became president and moved to the White House, he might have to, you know, tone down his carbon footprint a bit and not be able to use all them thar offsets….
Jun 21, 2007 - 8:48 pm 15. David:Waldo Lydecker, wow I had a collegue with the same first name as you who could never publish, well because, he like you had nothing to say.
Jun 22, 2007 - 12:55 am 16. David:My link died try this Solar variability.
Jun 22, 2007 - 1:06 am 17. Lem:A few years ago a second smaller black hole was discovered near the center of the galaxy.
It now appears that Al’s carbon footprint was so large it enveloped half the galaxy, astronomers missed the black hole completely.
It (the footprint) was dubbed ‘dark matter’ because you couldn’t see it but you could feel it when it moved; they also called it ‘gravitas’
Jun 22, 2007 - 7:11 am 18. watxc:Al Gore did something right (for himself) by inventing the internet. Pre IPO Google options and Apple stock make his net worth of upwards of ~100 to 500 millions.
Jun 22, 2007 - 12:27 pm 19. legion:Gore would never debate Klaus–he fears debating Klaus as he fears Bjorn Lomborg and Michael Crichton. All of them are more intelligent and more articulate than Gore, with a much better command of the underlying issues in question.
As long as Al Gore can pose as the uncontested expert on this issue, he will be in his element. But when questioned closely, he tends to break down badly, like Bill Clinton.
What we need is a gambling venue for betting on benchmarks for (anthropogenic) global warming. We will need strong benchmarks if carbon taxes ever get off the ground.
Jun 22, 2007 - 12:44 pm 20. Bostonian:Gore & his supports don’t bother to explain why the temperature change (as little as it is) PRECEDES the increase in carbon dioxide by 800 years.
See e.g.,
http://motls.blogspot.com/2006/07/ carbon-dioxide-and-temperatures-ice.html (includes a reference to a little-noticed paper in Science)
How is that for an inconvenient fact?
Jun 22, 2007 - 1:44 pm