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Judge attacks nine errors in Al Gore's 'alarmist' climate change film
Last updated at 07:52am on 11.10.07A controversial documentary on climate change which has been sent to thousands of schools has been criticised by a High Court judge for being 'alarmist' and 'exaggerated'.
Mr Justice Burton said former US vice-president Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth, was 'one-sided' and would breach education rules unless accompanied by a warning.
Despite winning lavish praise from the environmental lobby and an Oscar from the film industry, Mr Gore's documentary was found to contain 'nine scientific errors' by the judge.
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A High Court judge ruled Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth was 'alarmist' and 'exaggerated'
These inconvenient untruths included the claim that the snows on Mount Kilimanjaro were disapearing and solely due to the global warming and that sea levels will rise up to 20 feet in the near future.
Kent school governor Stewart Dimmock brought the legal action, claiming the film was unfit for schools
Impressed by the film's slick message on climate change, the Government sent copies of the documentary to all secondary schools in England earlier this year, along with two short films and an animation about the carbon cycle produced by Defra.
Ruling that the film could be shown in schools as part of the climate change resource pack, Mr Justice Burton warned it must be accompanied by new guidance notes to balance Mr Gore's partisan views.
The High Court action was brought by a father-of-two who accused Labour of 'brainwashing' children with propaganda.
Kent school governor Stewart Dimmock claimed the film was unfit for schools as it was politically partisan, containing serious scientific inaccuracies and 'sentimental mush'.
Lorry driver and member of the political group, the New Party, Mr Dimmock had sought a court order to ban the documentary after the Government decided to distribute the documentary and four short films to 3,500 schools in February.
Yesterday he said he was delighted with the outcome: "The film contains blatant inaccuracies. It's a political shockumentary, it's not a scientific documentary."
Describing the documentary as 'a powerful, dramatically presented and highly professionally produced film', Mr Justice Burton said it was built round the 'charismatic presence' of the ex vice president 'whose crusade it now is to persuade the world of the dangers of climate change caused by global warming'.
But he said it might be necessary for the Government to make clear to teaching staff that some of Mr Gore's views were not supported or promoted by the Government, and there was 'a view to the contrary'.
Agreeing that Mr Gore's film was 'broadly accurate' on the subject of climate change, he found that errors had arisen in 'the context of alarmism and exaggeration'.
The judge then set out nine errors in the film which went against current mainstream scientific consensus:
When the judge indicated last week what his findings were likely to be, the Government updated the accompanying guidance to schools.
A Government spokesperson said it was not proposing to make any further comment on the case.
Reader views (22)
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I don't think either Al Gore or Judge Burton are particularly qualified to make conclusions regarding global warming. How does Judge Burton know how many polar bears died, and how they died? Sounds like a lot of speculation going both ways.
- Matt Rogers, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Right on! If Gore, and all the others really wants to end carbon pollution and clean up the air, he need only shut their own mouth and practice what they preach. Politicians are the worst polluters of them all, especially around election time. What's worse is that they don't really understand or even care about half of what they're talking about. They only want votes and to do or say anything they can to get them. Too bad the air in Washington D.C. can't be be filtered before it leaves Congress. That would cut 95% of CO2 emissions by itself!
- Clark, Little Rock, AR, USA
Okay maybe not 20 feet, but how many feet in the rise of the ocean level will it take to affect our world as we know it. Come on people, look at the data and be honest. If the oceans rise only one foot in the next fifty years, how much land would be under water that is not now. How many people will be displaced. How much money will the oil companies pay to help out. Get a life everyone, it is happening, you can't hide your head in the sand...unless of course it is a new beach after the current beach houses are under water.
- Paul Skapik, Cincinnati, OH
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