Climate Change: The Politics of Science

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Speaking to a friendly group from the Society of Environmental Journalists in a land fit for polar bears (Wisconsin), the former U.S. vice president, Al Gore, tussled with Irish journalist, Phelim McAleer, regarding the inaccuracies cited by a UK panel in his political film, An Inconvenient Truth.

Suffice to say, Gore would have been well-served to respond openly to McAleer's question--to say either he disagreed with the UK's findings or concede that at the time of the film's production--that he relied on the best scientific information available.

Instead, Gore's non-answer plucked credibility from the cause he vows to support. Gore places himself in the company of other politicians who find the truth inconvenient, who find tough questions from the media unpalatable, and in doing so, he loses the stature to claim the moral high ground.

The politics of this debate is easy to understand. The Senate bill on carbon emissions that Gore hopes to see signed this year weighs in the balance. And his defense of every aspect of his film is a cede-no-ground mentality in his public campaign. We get that.

Throughout the centuries, developments in science have clashed with influential leaders and the prevailing wisdom of the day. Copernicus. Galileo. Einstein. Countless others. Nonetheless, the desire to understand and explain the movement of the planets, the anatomy of the human body or the theory of relativity--rested on a lofty notion--the pursuit of truth.

Gore's weakness in clinging to untruths shows a rigidness of character and intellect that haunted him during his tenure in the White House. His willingness to stand on a platform for carbon emissions and conservation in public that he does not support in his own practices at home further exposes a lack in moral leadership.

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research reported that Gore's home consumes more electricity each month than the average home does in one year. (After public pressure Gore did apply for permits to install solar panels in his Nashville home.)

Even so, a $3,000/month electric bill belies an insatiable appetite for energy consumption--and flies in the face of others who ride their bikes to work, buy hybrid vehicles, unplug appliances when not in use and make countless other creative sacrifices each day.

I'm pleased to contribute to open and honest dialogue on climate change for Blog Action Day and welcome your comments. Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance.