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PrintMarch 11, 2009
Al Gore Ducks Warming Debate (Updated)
In an article in today's Wall Street Journal, John Fund reports that Al Gore
has refused to appear with Czech President Vaclav Klaus:
Once again Al Gore has ducked the chance to debate critics of his global
warming doomsday predictions. The former vice president loves to lecture
others on the need to address global warming, but usually insists on
appearing alone and largely unchallenged at conferences.
At the Wall Street Journal's ECO:nomics conference in Santa Barbara,
California, Mr. Gore was initially scheduled to appear with Czech President
Vaclav Klaus, a noted skeptic on global warming. Mr. Gore changed his
schedule so he could appear the previous day. President Klaus told me this
week that the major reason he agreed to travel from Europe was the chance to
interact with Mr. Gore. "I don't understand all of this reluctance to engage
with others," he told me.
Several other critics of Mr. Gore also tried to interact with him at the
conference -- with little success. Willie Soon, an astrophysicist at
Harvard, asked Mr. Gore during the Q-and-A period what exactly he was trying
to accomplish in practical terms with his proposals. Mr. Gore ignored the
substance of the question and snidely said he was trying to save humanity.
warming doomsday predictions. The former vice president loves to lecture
others on the need to address global warming, but usually insists on
appearing alone and largely unchallenged at conferences.
At the Wall Street Journal's ECO:nomics conference in Santa Barbara,
California, Mr. Gore was initially scheduled to appear with Czech President
Vaclav Klaus, a noted skeptic on global warming. Mr. Gore changed his
schedule so he could appear the previous day. President Klaus told me this
week that the major reason he agreed to travel from Europe was the chance to
interact with Mr. Gore. "I don't understand all of this reluctance to engage
with others," he told me.
Several other critics of Mr. Gore also tried to interact with him at the
conference -- with little success. Willie Soon, an astrophysicist at
Harvard, asked Mr. Gore during the Q-and-A period what exactly he was trying
to accomplish in practical terms with his proposals. Mr. Gore ignored the
substance of the question and snidely said he was trying to save humanity.
If the theory of man made global warming is such a slam dunk, why is Mr. Gore afraid to debate?
UPDATE:
Marc Sheppard, who is covering the International Conference on Climate Change for American Thinker, adds the following,
Gore has refused to debate time and time again. In fact, he has been forced
to use the tired term "The Debate Is Over" so many times, he may as well
have it stamped to his head.
At last week's Wall Street Journal Eco-nomics conference, Gore was directly
challenged to debate by Danish statistician Bjorn Lomborg. His reply:
"But you know, the scientific community has dealt with this - the approach
is extremely misleading, and the scientific community has gone through this chapter and verse."
The Goracle has similarly squirmed out of debates with Dennis Avery and Lord
Monckton of Brenchley, just to name a few.
Monday morning at ICCC, California Congressman Tom McClintock informed the
audience that Heartland had offered to sponsor a debate at Oxford University
against any of three skeptics and in the format of Gore's choice.
But the man who would be leader of the green world will not accept any such
challenge. And the reason is quite simple. As Lord Monckton put it so
colorfully yesterday in his rousing address to close the conference: The
bed-wetter knows he'll lose.
