Liveblog of Al Gore Climate Hearing

by Iain Murray on January 28, 2009

No TV station seems to be covering this live, but you can watch here.

Kerry in his introduction says “if there was a cost-free way of tackling climate change, we’d take it, but there isn’t.” There is (at least comparatively) – adaptation – and Kerry, Gore and their ilk have stood in the way of research and implementation of adaptation. Lugar makes this point in a slightly confused fashion (and gives too much credence to the finagled Stern Report), but eventually gets good on the subject of biotech.

Gore links global warming, financial crisis and terrorism as all caused by our use of coal and oil. How convenient for him. Oh, and China as well. Urges Congress to pass “the entirety” of the shtimulus bill. Presumably including the resodding of the National Mall as a vital step in combating the climate crisis.

Says Kyoto II must be negotiated this year, not next. I presume he will strongly criticize the Administration when this doesn’t happen.

Says developing companies are leading the way. Praises Brazil for its bold leadership – when they are investing over $100 billion in oil exploration over the next 5 years. There’s an inconvenient truth for you, Al. And what about the gorilla in the room – China?

Praises Reagan for leading the Montreal Protocol, which he says is a model. This was debunked by CEI ten years ago.

Here comes the slideshow! All of a sudden it’s “some scientists,” not all scientists. Interesting. Arctic graphics all very impressive, but fact remains that there are strong arguments that the changes there are natural. Gore remains worried about Greenland. He’s out of date.

No real change in Gore’s arguments about glaciers, beetles and wildfires from An Inconvenient Truth. All are dealt with in Marlo Lewis’ magnum opus Al Gore’s Science Fiction. Still wants to link Hurricanes to Global Warming, despite retreats on that from scientists.

Shows he’s read ‘How to Lie with Statistics’ in his contemptible attempt to say disasters now are worse than they were. Roger Pielke Jr and Indur Goklany have both debunked that notion comprehensively.

On oceanic acidification, there is a splendid new study from SPPI that really puts that question to rest.

In questions, Gore endorses 350ppm as the “target level” for CO2, and notes that some people don’t think we can do “what the science mandates.” Very revealing phrasing. To those in the coal industry, he says that new energy jobs will give them “even better jobs.” I’d like to see the evidence for that specific claim.

Says wind power is now fully mature and competitive. So no subsidies needed, then? No, he says it can expand its role with subsidies. Aha. Meanwhile, perhaps someone should tell the backers of the London Array.

Also says that solar is mature too. The plain fact is that all forms of solar energy are remarkably inefficient, and the best summary of why is in William Tucker’s new book, Terrestrial Energy (and Tucker supports strong action on global warming).

Unfortunately, technical problems made me miss the rest of Kerry’s questions, so I’ll end there.

Bottom line: nothing new from Gore, despite his assertions to the contrary. His concerns are overblown and his “solutions” remain grossly expensive pipe dreams. I personally believe global warming is a risk, but Gore’s program represents a potentially disastrous misallocation of global resources.

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