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Schools must warn of Gore climate film bias
Last updated at 16:37pm on 03.10.07
Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth has been called unfit for schools because it is politically biased and contains serious scientific inaccuracies and 'sentimental mush'.
The move follows a High Court action by a father who accused the Government of 'brainwashing' children with propaganda by showing it in the classroom.
Stewart Dimmock said the former U.S. Vice-President's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, is unfit for schools because it is politically biased and contains serious scientific inaccuracies and 'sentimental mush'.
He wants the video banned after it was distributed with four other short films to 3,500 schools in February.
Mr Justice Burton is due to deliver a ruling on the case next week, but yesterday he said he would be saying that Gore's Oscar-winning film does promote 'partisan political views'.
This means that teachers will have to warn pupils that there are other opinions on global warming and they should not necessarily accept the views of the film.
He said: 'The result is I will be declaring that, with the guidance as now amended, it will not be unlawful for the film to be shown.'
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Al Gore talks about Hurricane Katrina in a scene from the controversial movie
The outcome marks a partial victory for Mr Dimmock, who had accused the 'New Labour Thought Police' of indoctrinating youngsters by handing out thousands of Climate Change Packs to schools.
Mr Dimmock, a lorry driver from Dover with children aged 11 and 14, said at the outset of the hearing: 'I wish my children to have the best education possible, free from bias and political spin, and Mr Gore's film falls far short of the standard required.'
His solicitor John Day, said yesterday that the Government had been forced to make 'a U-turn', but said it did not go far enough.
He said 'no amount of turgid guidance' could change the fact that the film is unfit for consumption in the classroom.
The case arises from a decision in February by the then Education Secretary Alan Johnson that DVDs of the film would be sent to all secondary schools in England, along with a multimedia CD produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs containing two short films about climate change and an animation about the carbon cycle.
David Miliband, who was Environment-Secretary when the school packs were announced, said at the time: 'The debate over the science of climate change is well and truly over.'
But during the three-day hearing, the court heard that the critically-acclaimed film contains a number of inaccuracies, exaggerations and statements about global warming for which there is currently insufficient scientific evidence.
The Climate Change Resource Pack has now been sent to more than 3,500 schools and is aimed at key stage 3 pupils - those aged 11 to
Children's Minister Kevin Brennan said last night: 'The judge's decision is clear that schools can continue to use An Inconvenient Truth as part of their teaching on climate change in accordance with the amended guidance, which will be available online today.
'We have updated the accompanying guidance, as requested by the judge to make it clearer for teachers as to the stated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change position on a number of scientific points raised in the film.'
Reader views (19)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I spent over ten years trying to convince the local schools to base environmental education on fact, not emotion. I had the support of the school Board, the support of the Superintendant of Schools, and the Executive Director of Education. I won every battle, but lost the war. Why? I was a generation too late. Class room teachers were a product of an educational system which had been taken over by extremists long ago.
- Wayne Holbrook, Bokeelia, Florida
Yes, finally some movement in the right direction. No doubt our world is changing. It always has. Our world has experienced dramatic changes that humans weren't even around to have an impact. Just ask the dinosaurs and the wooly mammoths.
- Martha, Mpls, USA
Good move. I think we are in more danger from politicians' hot air, aka pseudoscience, than GW.
- Rick, Foster, RI USA
I see Brian just because I do not agree with you I am a wrong person. This topic is just starting to be explored and for NuLab to say the arguments are over just shows you what they are about. This must be openly looked at. We are in great danger in sacrificing all our achievments and going back to the good old days where the horse was king etc. Why is it that the Tree Huggers just hate the automobile and the aeroplane in spite of the fact they have improved their emissions 3 fold unlike the horse with the normal methane contribution to the Global Warming.
This summer was going to be the hottest on record because of Global Warming but of course it was the wettest and coolest for a long time but of course it was because of Global Warming.
- Ayliff A Mcnab, Orihuela Costa , Spain
I couldn't agree with you more Brain, it's a pity that some people are allowed to believe that Global warming is cased by human activity and that Darwin knew what he was talking about.
- Frank, England
Climate change is one thing, to use Gore's film as fact is nonsense. It's a pseudo-scientific propaganda piece and should be treated as such. It is NOT a documentary.
- Stan, US
The argument is not over whether climate change is real but, rather, its cause. Mr. Gore believes it to be anthropogenic, that is, caused by the activities of man, and belabors this idea throughout his film. Many believe climate change to be part of a natural and inevitable process that has been in effect since long before the existence of man. Clearly, the Earth has been much warmer in the past; it has also been much cooler. I think everyone understands that with or without the presence of human activity the climate of the Earth has been uncertain and in flux. Before we abandon our way of life and abdicate our sovereignty we should give science to be our guide; not the politics of a noisy misanthrope.
- James Rhoads, Phoenix, AZ USA
Of course Global warming is a problem. As James Lovelock points out, it is also too late to do anything useful about it.. Hysteria of the Gore type merely makes the situation worse; as it creates other problems - eg the rush into biofuels is causing worldwide food shortages and price rises; damaging the lives of the world's poorer inhabitants.
Treaties like Kyoto are merely PR exercises; not taken seriously. The Bush administration is being sensible; not doing damaging, silly things in response to a problem it knows it cannot do anything about.
- Bill Fuller, London UK
Some don't believe in climate change and dismiss it as 'just a theory', as many dismiss evolution as 'just a theory'. It's such a shame that everyone is entitled to their opinion, because there are so many wrong people out there...
- Brian, Birmingham
Steve, who are these 'vested interest groups'? The richest and most powerful organisations in the world would prefer it if we didn't believe in climate change. This is why the Bush administration, so closely allied with the oil companies, has fought it for so long. But even they now acknowledge the plausibility of global warming.
- Charlie, London
I agree with the warning about the political bias on the film but I think it's worth showing it as a way of stimulating debate over our relationship with the planet. Regardless of climate change (for which some compelling evidence certainly exists) we can't go on wasting resources and polluting on this scale.
- Julio, London
The climate is changing - it always has. There are two debates still in the issue:
1. Does man have any significant influence on this - I believe that the jury is still out on this one but it is unlikely given that the driving force for energy sources on the planet are from 93 million miles away.
2. Can man survive the change in climate - almost certainly yes with a few adjustments in life-style. Those in wealthy countries will be able to change more easily and may benefit from the changes, those in 3rd world countries will suffer twice - once because of the climate change itself and secondly because politicians have decreed that it is better to spend billions trying to comply with Kyoto and reduce man's influence rather than accept the inevitable and provide technology and aide to the poorer countries so that they too can adapt and survive.
- Graham, Reading, England
No doubt schools will start showing "The Queen" as an acurate, historical account of the events of August and September 1997.
- Md, London
Is the world flat? Pointless discussion, though some people believe it.
Is there climate change? Pointless discussion, of course there is. There is overwhelming scientific evidence.
The interesting discussion is: what impact will climate change have?
- Jo Miller, Woking, UK
Climate change is a theory, no more, no less.
Sadly it has a religous following as absoloute truth, and these people cannot be dissuaded from having a closed mind.
Education should be about opening minds, not closing them to whatever the faddish doctrine is. In the late 1970s/early 1980s we had a number of very cold winters. This, we were assured, was evidence of a coming ice age, and we would all have to move to the Saraha.
Show the film, by all means, but then show a film with the counter argument and ... discuss.
Those who claim global warming is a fact that cannot be challenged are no better than those in the bible belt who claim that promoting Darwinism is akin to selling one's soul to the devil. Beware of religous zealots in whatever form they appear.
- Trevor, London
Ralph
There is no debate on manmade climate change, it is real and without dispute.
Sorry but for every scientist who stakes his green reputation on the Global Warming myth there's another equally well acredited who will debunk the theory.
The only thing sure about Global warming is that politicians have used it as an excuse to increase taxation.
- Marc, Harrow, UK
Actually Ralph, there's a lot of dispute, and not just from oil companies. We simply don't know enough about it - global warming (and cooling) has gone in cycles for millions of years. Do we have reseearch on computers going back that far to substantiate the zealot Gore's claims?
- Emma, Staines, UK
Climate Change (no longer "Global Warming" I note, after all the rain) is a unproven and unlikely myth peddled by vested interest groups.
I see no reason why we should continue to peddle this myth to our children.
- Steve Johnson, Reading, UK
"This means that teachers will have to warn pupils that there are other opinions on global warming and they should not necessarily accept the views of the film."
That is a lie. Teachers have to disclaim any political leanings and not influence children... something teachers should not do anyway. There is no debate on manmade climate change, it is real and without dispute (except for oil company zealots).
- Ralph, Liverpool, England
