UK News
Al Gore's film to stay in classrooms despite scientific flaws
By Rich Bowden, M&C Staff Writer Oct 11, 2007, 11:54 GMT
Former US Vice President Al Gore lectures on global warming, at the 54th International Advertising Festival in Cannes, Southern France, 22 June 2007. EPA/MAXPPP / SERGE HAOUZI
(M&C) - Al Gore's award-winning climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" will be allowed to be shown in British classrooms despite a judge ruling it contained nine scientific errors.
Judge Michael Burton ruled yesterday that the documentary could be shown to schoolchildren however its shortcomings must be explained in guidance notes by teachers to prevent "promoting partisan political views".
The judge said certain errors had been made by the film makers "in the context of alarmism and exaggeration" to promote Mr Gore's view of global warming.
The court was hearing a case brought before it by Kent school governor Stewart Dimmock who said the documentary should be banned because of its scientific inaccuracies. Mr Dimmock referred to Mr Gore's film as containing "serious scientific inaccuracies, political propaganda and sentimental mush".
However children's minister Kevin Brennan said the film could still be shown and added the documentary's central views were backed by the "vast weight of scientific opinion".
The Academy Award winning film is being distribued to high schools in England and Wales.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Human actions must be the reason that the planet is warming because Al Gore and our truthful, honourable Government told us so - if it were not the case, but a natural climatic change, then our government couldn't milk us for even more cash for green issues. Forcing children to watch this crap is immoral and wrong. Until it is proven that carbon dioxide is the cause of global warming, and not methane (20 times more effective as a greenhouse gas) Al Gore et al should shut their gobs. Britain was a couple of degrees warmer when the Romans were here - grapes grew in northern areas, and during the Iron age the climate, according to Palaeontologists, was very wet.
It is just a convenient truth to steal more of our cash 'to help the environment'. Bollocks.
Shooting the messenger has never got rid of the bad news !
Al Gore may have got some things wrong in his film, but the basic case for mankind's involvement in global warming has been made by thousands of experts in the field.
As to Roman Times, grapes growing etc - sure there have been variations in climate over the centuries and there always will be, but the important point is that the changes have not previously happened so fast, so people were able to adapt. To refute all the other red-herrings put up (and spread around the net by many non-experts in the field) - enter 'New Scientist Global Myths' into Goggle and look at the Guide for the perplexed
Since when does judges have dual-duty as scientists???
page: 1
simon lomaxOct 11th, 2007 - 12:53:17
It's propaganda and that's all it is. The decision to allow it to be shown is rather sad in my view. If children are to be shown this brainwashing material i would hope that they get to see something real like terrorstorm. A completely 100% factual documentary unlike the gore movie.
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