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An Inconvenient Deception: How Al Gore Distorts Climate Science and Energy Policy

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Updated 2nd Edition: Al Gore's new movie An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is reviewed for its accuracy in climate science and energy policy. As was the case with Gore's first movie (An Inconvenient Truth), the movie is bursting with bad science, bad policy and some outright falsehoods. The storm events Gore addresses occur naturally, and there is little or no evidence they are being made worse from human activities: sea level is rising at the same rate it was before humans started burning fossil fuels; in Miami Beach the natural rise is magnified because buildings and streets were constructed on reclaimed swampland that has been sinking; the 9/11 memorial was not flooded by sea level rise from melting ice sheets, but a storm surge at high tide, which would have happened anyway and was not predicted by Gore in his first movie, as he claims; the Greenland ice sheet undergoes melt every summer, which was large in 2012 but then unusually weak in 2017; glaciers advance and retreat naturally, as evidenced by 1,000 to 2,000 year old tree stumps being uncovered in Alaska; rain gauge measurements reveal the conflict in Syria was not caused by reduced rainfall hurting farming there, and in fact the Middle East is greening from increasing CO2 in the atmosphere; agricultural yields in China have been rising, not falling as claimed by Gore. The renewable energy sources touted by Gore (wind and solar), while a laudable goal for our future, are currently very expensive: their federal subsidies per kilowatt-hour of energy produced are huge compared to coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. These costs are hidden from the public in increased federal and state tax rates. Gore is correct that "it is right to save humanity", but what we might need saving from the most are bad decisions that reduce prosperity and hurt the poor.

83 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2017

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About the author

Roy W. Spencer

14 books13 followers
Roy W. Spencer received his Ph.D. in meteorology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981. Before becoming a Principal Research Scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2001, he was a Senior Scientist for Climate Studies at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where he and Dr. John Christy received NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for their global temperature monitoring work with satellites. Dr. Spencer’s work with NASA continues as the U.S. Science Team leader for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer flying on NASA’s Aqua satellite. He has provided congressional testimony several times on the subject of global warming.

Dr. Spencer’s research has been entirely supported by U.S. government agencies: NASA, NOAA, and DOE. He has never been asked by any oil company to perform any kind of service. Not even Exxon-Mobil.

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5 stars
290 (71%)
4 stars
81 (20%)
3 stars
24 (5%)
2 stars
4 (<1%)
1 star
5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Author 20 books81 followers
September 1, 2017
A clear, simple and concise dispelling of the myths that Al Gore has been propagating in his movies, especially the second one (which bombed at the box office). Dr. Roy Spencer is an imminently qualified climatologist who is "skeptical" about the effects of man-made climate change. He doesn't deny that warming is taking place, only disputes how much is caused by man and what the long-term effects will be. No one really knows, and all the supposed "science" around the projections are nothing but computer models. The climate changes all the time, and to think man controls mother nature is absurd (how could we accelerate climate change?). This is a short, very worthwhile read.
Profile Image for Kathy.
766 reviews
September 11, 2017
Terrific read, full of great, reliable information to counter the distortions and outright lies of our former vice-president.
4 reviews
September 12, 2017
Roy Spencer Truth to power against man-made global warming hoax.

Mr. Spencer used his expertise and facts to debunk the sensational and self serving propaganda presented by a political hack by the name of Al Gore.
Profile Image for Fred Fanning.
Author 46 books53 followers
August 30, 2017
This is an outstanding book that finally sets the record straight on all the misinformation about Climate Change. It is a must read for anyone and everyone interested in our environment.
38 reviews1 follower
December 12, 2017
Truth seekers should consider.

Easy to read description of flaws in al gore’s newest book and documentary. Worth reading for balance. Wish there were more citations
Profile Image for Jim Hunter.
40 reviews1 follower
September 7, 2017
This is a concise, understandable and convincing rebuttal of global warming.
Regradless of one's position on this subject, this work clearly sets forth the reasons why skepticisim of global warming is firmly grounded and worthy of serious consideration.
A must read for everybody desirous of understanding the global warming debate.
Clearly, the science IS NOT settled!
Profile Image for Allen DeGrange.
6 reviews
September 7, 2017
Short and to the point.

It didn't waste my time and it was interesting.Snowflakes should read this (or ask their mothers to read it to them) so they can stop running around making fools of themselves screaming the end of the world is coming. It's a short read. Takes about a hour and it cost about a dollar or maybe three. I don't remember.
1 review
September 8, 2017
Fast, Concise, and Thought Provoking.

Dr. Roy Spencer continues his excellent rebuttal to pop-science and the misinformation around anthropogenic climate change. Easy read for a great price, highly recommended.
15 reviews1 follower
September 9, 2017
Whether you are believer or a skeptic about Anthropogenic Global Climate Change, there is something in this book that you should think about.

While recognizing the existence of climate change, and conceding the possibility that mankind may have some small contribution, Dr. Spencer has shown that man's influence on the world's climate cannot be as large as some people would like us to believe. In a few brief chapters, he has revealed the errors, misrepresentations and/or outright lies that fuel Al Gore's climate change crusade.

The book briefly shows that there have been other times of climate change in the historic record that cannot be attributed to mankind.

Dr. Spencer has hope for the future of alternative fuels, but for reasons he explains does not feel that their time has come. He shows that the people who are trying to force their adoption are not as foresighted as they would like the public to believe.
Profile Image for Ibrahim.
8 reviews
October 30, 2022
On the face of it, this could have been a decent critique of public figures speaking of climate policies which they have no knowledge to base their stance on, I thought Spencer's critique of AL Gore was decent, but it's quite telling when the only person Spencer addresses is a non-scientist like Al Gore.
Spencer used a model in this book (Temperature anomaly from 1980 to 2005) that he and his college Christe observed themselves and published the results that the temperature rate of increase is only 0.087K/decade, which conflicts with the generally accepted observation of 0.193K/decade. Spencer would later apologize for this "error".

Prior to this egregious mistake on his part, Spencer started admitting, that yes humans are responsibly for global warming (at least somewhat as he would say), but he still kept on the charade that it wasn't a serious issue.

This book is riddled with logical fallacies, and misinformation, from a creationist evangelical Christian. Spencer is a member of Cornwall alliance a religious organization that preaches creationism, and denies climate change. Is it any wonder that Spencer is similarly close minded? Make no mistake, the only reason that Spencer holds his beliefs regarding Creationism and Climate change, is because of his religious views. In much of his writings, concerns regarding the scientific rigor of his conclusions are hand-waved away by comments like "I feel like the earth has a natural cooling system", which is a far-cry form any form of scientific rigor.

If you would like more context regarding the Spencer's misuse of the scientific method, this video provides a great summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29QDG...

1 review
June 1, 2020
Ancexamination of Al Gores arguments.

Spencer does a fair but not excellent job of challenging Gore's argument that present day climate challenges are mostly human induced. Spencer believes the cost of renewables to be too high and disregards the scope for massive improvents in technology and in recycling of rare materials from batteries. He does not produce enough numerical facts to support his arguments. He argues that CO2 is plant food without making statements about the delicate balance of ecosystems and food chains and that modern life forms are addapted to certain CO2 levels. Other than that, worth reading.
1 review
September 17, 2017
Eye opener.

I liked the simplicity and down to earth explanation about the topic. It should be a must read for all those that don’t understand how the planet really works. For those that don’t understand the impact of government subsidies. For those that follow blindly pretty words and slogans without knowing the facts. Didn’t give it 5 stars because the author didn’t write it in a form that blind Al Gore followers could be refuted as they read the book. Otherwise I enjoyed it very much.
Profile Image for Rich Hosek.
Author 21 books54 followers
September 9, 2017
It doesn't take much to see through Al Gore...

Brief, clear, concise and accessible refutation of the global warming hysteria. The author can by no means be labeled a denier, he presents the science, the facts and makes as many assertions as the combination of the two allow without resorting to the false assumptions and deceptive hyperbole Gore and his ilk often label a "settled science."
19 reviews
September 10, 2019
A point by point rebuttal

A great read. It presented some really good points. Things to look into and stop drinking the kool-aid.

Has man contributed to the increase in CO2? Yes. Is that causing a global catastrophe? Maybe not. The climate has natural cycles of warming and cooling. There have been times in the past when temperatures have been warmer than now. And man wasn't belching CO2 into the atmosphere. Sea levels have risen and fallen. There is much to consider.

Give this a read. Open your mind...
Profile Image for Joel.
4 reviews
October 5, 2017
I gave five for contrast of mainstream thought and presentation of clarity. The book is meant for novice readers. And though the formatting has much to be desired, the content speaks for itself. I wish it were more in depth in some respects, yet understanding its audience I appreciate it for what it is.
5 reviews1 follower
June 27, 2020
A must read for all who want to be properly informed about climate claims.

Dr. Spencer does an excellent job debunking Al Gore's fallacious claims about CO2 and the world's climate. He is very fair and sticks to supporting his statements with undeniable science. Al Gore should be ashamed!



2 reviews
September 8, 2017
Quick informative read.

Nice quick read to provide information on the current debate about global warming. Provide more evidence about world history events that show that temperature where dramatically different then it is today.
41 reviews1 follower
September 16, 2017
Truth

Book is well written and very easy to understand. Keeps to the facts and backs up everything he writes. After reading this and researching some of the sources, it is easy to become one of the "deniers".
Profile Image for Philippe.
579 reviews15 followers
August 18, 2018
He calls it like it is!

Nice to know some.people (who actually UNDERSTAND physics, biology and math) are writing about this and other climate pieces whether in documentaries, books or Op-ed articles. An excellent succinct look at Gore et al.
Profile Image for Jeffrey A. Forsman.
2 reviews
January 2, 2019
Clear and convincing

This is a clear-headed analysis of the whole concept of man-made global warming. Easy, quick read that the "believers" should read to honestly understand the issue from a dispassionate perspective.
Profile Image for Brenda.
10 reviews
March 24, 2019
great book

a refreshing look at what is really going on. book is not too technical, and informs you and educated you. A really good way of understanding another point of view. Such a gentleman, and doesn’t take cheep shots.
24 reviews
September 4, 2017
A very well balanced and referenced approach. It doesn't deny. it just clarifies what is and what isn't and how not to be manipulated by Mr. Gore's theatrics.
Profile Image for Gary.
2 reviews
September 8, 2017
A rational read

Not so common, common scientific sense. a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
Profile Image for Bob Colvin.
75 reviews
October 31, 2017
Roy Spencer is the man with regard to the climate science hoaxes perpetrated by Al Gore, etc. Must read if you have an open mind about the subject.
Profile Image for Andy May.
Author 6 books5 followers
November 26, 2017
Completely destroys Al Gore's climate nonsense. Should be required reading for anyone who has seen Al Gore's movies.
5 reviews1 follower
December 24, 2017
Good read


Can we please just get the truth! I'm sick of politics in science. I use the believe what I read in science reports and watched on tv - not anymore.
Profile Image for Gerald knoch.
1 review
February 20, 2018
Get the facts on C O2.

Good reasons to withdraw from Paris accord. Get the facts not the fiction on global increasing co2.
This is how we become more competitive.
37 reviews
February 28, 2019
Al Gore lied then and is still lying now. Weather and “Climate Change” are not the same. Study glaciers for a while and try to tell me I’m wrong.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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