CR's Counter "Inconvenient Truth"

College Republicans across the country are making the news with some great tactics for countering Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth." The CR's at Oklahoma University staged a "Global Cooling" snow cone stand, where they not only handed out over 1,000 snow cones/day, but also promoted the true facts about global warming. The Wall Street Journal also reported that some College Republican organizations are hosting "Global Warming Beach Parties."

The idea that global warming is being sensationalized and exaggerated is nothing new, and a number of studies and rebuttals by prominent scientific organizations are beginning to make their rounds. The Heartland Institute published a rebuttal in 2004 refuting extreme claims about global warming made in National Geographic (which came out around the release of the film "The Day After Tomorrow"). Most recently, they published an article titled "Global Warming: Perfect Storm of Media Sensationalism" which addresses the need for hyping the "end of the world":

Environmentalism is a cause that collects money and power only if there is a sense of impending disaster. Too many environmental groups don't seem to be averse to altering or exaggerating data to create that sense of doom. Activists cite the frequent and devastating hurricanes that hit the United States last year. A scientist will point out that hurricanes, worldwide, have decreased, not increased.

The idea that global warming isn't the threat that Gore and his enviro-friends make it out to be has been around for some time now. The National Center for Policy Analysis published a briefing in 1997 debunking four of the major global warming claims: 1) scientists agree on global warming; 2) humans are causing global warming; 3) the government must act now to stop global warming; 4) human-caused global warming will cause cataclysmic environmental problems.

And so as Al Gore tours the country, promoting his side of the global warming issue, we should do our best to learn the other side as well. But in the meantime, as College Republicans, we should all be having fun with it. So get outside and enjoy the nice weather, and make sure you put on extra sun block!