Al the environmentalist?

I see that Al Gore has written yet another book on the environment. Which begs the question, what makes Al an expert on such matters? He has degrees in political science and Law, but nothing in geology, earth science, climatology or meteorology...that is, unless Vanderbilt Law School has expanded their curriculum. So what is it that qualifies Al to write two books on the environment? If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear. Meanwhile, I've come up with my own little narrative on environmental matters. Basically, I just don't buy this whole "the earth is dying" thing. I know we've been told this for decades, but I'm a scientist and thus I believe the data. Show me the facts that prove the earth is dying, and I'll gladly pick up a sign and stand outside the governor's house in Kentucky. Until then, these are the facts that I believe. Hey, if ol' Hot Lips Gore can do it, so can I.

Visit this website for all the info, complete with citations and all. I'll include some excerpts for your reading enjoyment.

"The Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine received signatures from over 17,100 basic and applied American scientists - two-thirds with advanced degrees - to a document saying, "There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate."

"Kyoto Protocol would have a devastating effect on the U.S. economy. If Kyoto had been ratified and implemented by the U.S., the EIA estimates gasoline prices would rise 14 to 66 cents per gallon by the year 2010, electricity prices would go up 20 to 86 percent9 and compliance with the treaty would cost the United States economy $400 billion per year"

"The U.S. Department of Interior estimates that ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) holds between 9 and 16 billion barrels of oil. This is enough to replace half of what we currently import from the entire Persian Gulf region for 36 years, or could replace what we now import from Saudi Arabia for almost 30 years. ANWR's oil has a potential value between $125 and $350 billion (in 1998 dollars)5 and would provide between 250,000 and 735,000 new jobs"

"Between now and 2100, the world's forest area is expected to remain constant or increase. Contrary to environmentalists' claims, forest cover has not been dramatically reduced in recent history...There is more wood grown in the U.S. than is cut each year, and the number of acres planted with trees goes up nearly every year"

"National air quality levels measured at thousands of monitoring stations across the country show improvement over the past 20 years for all six principal pollutants"

"According to the United Nations, the ozone layer is expected to slowly recover over the next 50 years"

So read the stats and cross reference the cited studies, then come to your own conclusion. In my opinion, we are not on the brink of a catastrophic environmental crisis. Fortunately, the data seems to support my position.

If you want to read a book that's both entertaining AND highly educational, I suggest this book by Michael Crichton. Yes, I know it's fiction, but Crichton puts a lot of research into his writings. It's quite an enjoyable read.