Since his (questionable) defeat in the 2000 presidential election, Albert Arnold “Al” Gore, Jr. has been on a crusade to save the planet from anthropogenic (man made) global warming… or is that climate change now? Anyhow, the crux of Mr. Gore’s argument is that humans are causing the planet to warm/climate to change/violent weather to become more frequent/polar bears to die/arctic ice to melt because humans release carbon dioxide (CO2) in to the atmosphere through our use of carbon based energy, among other “sins.” Is this true or is Al Gore one of the biggest con men of the 21st century?
Let’s start with Al Gore’s assertion that polar bears are an endangered species heading towards extinction due to global warming. This global warming is causing the accelerated melt of arctic ice. Due to this melt, an increasing number of polar bears are apparently having to swim further out to sea to hunt for their food and drown in the process. The truth is that the polar bear population has increased from 40 years ago and number well over 25,000. They are one of best land animal swimmers on the planet, who can swim up to 100 miles and use the floating sea ice to hunt seals using a hunting method called “aquatic stalk.” Hardly a species on the verge of extinction.
Al Gore has stated that paying a global carbon tax will help to decrease the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, hence decelerating climate change. If we analyze the origins of the carbon tax, we will find that it doesn’t have a spotless history. In 2003, Al Gore partnered with David Blood, CEO of Goldman Sachs’ asset-management divisionuntil 2003, to establish Generation Investment Management, LLC in 2004. Al Gore immediately has a conflict of interest when trying to push for carbon taxes, as any cap-and-trade or direct taxation system would make Mr. Gore a significantly wealthier man than he already is. Carbon taxes have already had a significant effect on Australians where electricity bills have increased 15% in just one year alone.
Another claim by Al Gore is that due to global warming/climate change, the melting ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctic will increase sea levels to the point that islands such as the Maldives will be underwater. If that is the case, why did Al Gore purchase a US$9 million oceanfront property in 2010? Won’t it be underwater eventually? Not only that, why is he increasing his “carbon footprint” by purchasing multiple properties all across the United States? We’re not talking about a modest four bedroom house here. We’re talking about the 1.5 acre oceanfront property in California, a 10,000 sq. foot property in Nashville, TN, a 4,000 sq. foot house in Arlington, VA, etc. For someone preaching that everyone should live a “carbon neutral” lifestyle, he is certainly not following his own advice. Not to mention how much carbon is released when he travels by private jet all around the world spewing this questionable science.
Returning to the melting polar ice caps, Al Gore stated in 2009 at the Copenhagen climate summit that “there is a 75 per cent chance of the entire polar ice cap melting during the summertime by 2014” (interesting how he left himself some wiggle room there just incase his wild prediction didn’t come true). As of September 2013, Artic ice has INCREASED by 60% in one year alone. The ice sheet in the Antarctic is also experiencing record gains. Of course the conclusion is that Al Gore is trying to fear monger people in to accepting more green initiatives and pay carbon taxes that will make him “the first carbon billionaire” being heavily invested in green technology companies.
Got an Apple product? Most likely you’re reading this article on an iPhone, iPad or MacBook. Well unfortunately whenever we purchase an Apple product, it increasesrevenues for Apple, which increases Apple’s stock price and it also increases Al Gore’s bank account because he sits on the board of directors of Apple Inc. You would think with Al Gore being on the board of directors he would do everything in his power to decrease the carbon footprint of Apple. However in 2012, Apple’s carbon emissions increased by 34%. Hardly a modest increase. Furthermore, it was recently discovered that the iPhone uses more energy than a refridgerator. Since most electricity comes from coal, the carbon footprint of all those iPhones is enormous. This is simply hypocritical.
It’s becoming obvious that the climate predictions made by Al Gore are not coming to fruition and his hypocrisy is as clearly visible as the (Pinocchio) nose on his face. He is shamelessly trying to get governments and individuals to accept green technologies and carbon taxes that will make him an even wealthier man than he already is. It is time to call out Al Gore for being the con man in a suit that he is. If he was doing this out of the goodness of his misguided heart, that would one thing. However, he is clearly trying to scare people in order to profit massively off of this skeptical science. It is time we not blindly accept what mainstream media, Al Gore and other climate con men say and do our own research on this subject, otherwise we will simply not be able to afford to such basic necessities as electricity.
