Al Gore Calls Myanmar Cyclone a 'Consequence' of Global Warming
Pastor Dale Morgan
Al Gore Calls Myanmar Cyclone a 'Consequence' of Global Warming*
Former vice president tells NPR's 'Fresh Air' cyclone is example of
'consequences that scientists have long predicted might be associated
with continued global warming.'
By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
5/6/2008 4:04:54 PM
Using tragedy to advance an agenda has been a strategy for many global
warming activists, and it was just a matter of time before someone found
a way to tie the recent Myanmar cyclone to global warming.
Former Vice President Al Gore in an interview on NPR’s May 6 “Fresh Air”
broadcast did just that. He was interviewed by “Fresh Air” host Terry
Gross about the release of his book, “The Assault on Reason,” in paperback.
“And as we’re talking today, Terry, the death count in Myanmar from the
cyclone that hit there yesterday has been rising from 15,000 to way on
up there to much higher numbers now being speculated,” Gore said. “And
last year a catastrophic storm from last fall hit Bangladesh. The year
before, the strongest cyclone in more than 50 years hit China – and
we’re seeing consequences that scientists have long predicted might be
associated with continued global warming.”
Gore claimed global warming is forcing ocean temperatures to rise, which
is causing storms, including cyclones and hurricanes, to intensify.
“It’s also important to note that the emerging consensus among the
climate scientists is although any individual storm can’t be linked
singularly to global warming – we’ve always had hurricanes,” Gore said.
“Nevertheless, the trend toward more Category 5 storms – the larger ones
and trend toward stronger and more destructive storms appears to be
linked to global warming and specifically to the impact of global
warming on higher ocean temperatures in the top couple of hundred feet
of the ocean, which drives convection energy and moisture into these
storms and makes them more powerful.”
In October 2007, CNN Meteorologist Rob Marciano disputed Gore’s claim
that there is a strong correlation between intense storms and global
warming. He explained that “global warming does not conclusively cause
stronger hurricanes like we've seen,” pointing out that “by the end of
this century we might get about a 5-percent increase.”