This is not an assessment on the debate over the reality of the causes of global warming, rather a comment on political aspect of the issue.
As most of you know, a great deal of political power can often be gained by exploiting fear.
The Republicans have been doing this since 9/11. A political cynic would say that Al Gore is borrowing a page from that well worn and known playbook in a bid for the presidency.
Some interesting observations about the two issues 9/11 and global warming and their politicizing:
Both have indirect causes in oil an oil consumption.
The choice of fear to be exploited falls in neatly with perceived assumptions and stereotypes of liberals and conservatives.
Conservatives believe that our greatest threats originate from the outside. Liberals believe our greatest threats originate from within.
My judgment from a purely political point of view is that the conservatives have the position that will win them greater power. People would rather believe that their problems come from outside of themselves. "Other people need to change, not me."
Also, while global warming could produce some horrific and history altering catastrophes, it is much more difficult (as this thread attests to) to assign cause. It is a threat that is huge but significantly unlike terrorism.
* 9/11 was unprecedented in American history; it had human agents with real anti-American motivations.
* Hurricanes, heat waves, fires, droughts and the like have all happened before. We have learned to expect them as an indifferent and general forces of nature that is terrible for humanity but is not necessarily caused by humanity.
* It is much easier to create a boogie man from a select ethnic, religious group and individuals within fairly a known geography, than to give it to every person who ever operated a motor vehicle.
* Unfortunately, for Gore, global warming does not leak a video every six months threatening us.
The ironic truth, of course, is that they are both serious problems that would go a long way in being solved if we eliminated fossil fuels as a primary energy source.
Cheers
