The Gore Effect

For other uses, see Gore.

The Gore Effect is a term used with various meanings relating to Vice President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Al Gore. In one use, the term is a humorous concept suggesting a causal relationship between unseasonable cold weather phenomena and meetings associated with global warming,^[1] with particular emphasis on events attended by Gore.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The phrase has also been used to describe Gore's impact in raising global warming as a public issue,^[6][7][8][9] and in other ways related to Al Gore.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Appearance and background

The Toronto based national newspaper Globe and Mail defined the term in 2007 quoting a user's submission to the online Urban Dictionary website as "the phenomenon that leads to unseasonably cold temperatures, driving rain, hail, or snow whenever Al Gore visits an area to discuss global warming."^[5] According to an article at the Politico website: "The so-called Gore Effect happens when a global warming-related event, or appearance by the former vice president and climate change crusader, Al Gore, is marked by exceedingly cold weather or unseasonably winter weather." The "Politico" article notes that global warming skeptics use the term "half-seriously".^[1] "In the weather community, we kind of joke about it", Bob Marciano, a CNN weather forecaster, said in January 2010. "It's just a bad timing. Every time there's some big weather climate conference, there seems to be a cold outbreak. But, globally, we are still warming."^[14] "Gore Effect" phenomena are "chalked up as coincidence", according to Joe Joyce, a weather forecaster and environmental reporter.^[15] The term Gore effect was utilized in a 2006 commentary by Andrew Bolt where he opined that the effect was first noticed in 2004 when Gore was speaking in Boston.^[16]

The phrase has been used in relation to the weather conditions at global warming venues, the first usage referring to a Speech of Al Gore on a global warming rally held in New York City.^[17][18] Other reported events have included when Gore visited Australia in November 2006 and an opinion column in the Ottawa Citizen stated "Mr. Gore arrived in the late antipodean spring, together with a remarkable cold front and a late-season boon for the ski resorts."^[18] A Gore lecture at Harvard University in October 2008 is also frequently mentioned.^[17][19] Other weather issues have allegedly affected global warming speeches and events, such as when Gore testified about global warming before the Senate committee in January 2009 the local schools had a snow day. Other politicians have also allegedly been affected by the Gore effect. Nancy Pelosi had to cancel an appearance at a global warming rally in March 2009 due to a snowstorm.^[15][19]

The Gore Effect phrase has also been included and commented on in press reports of several climate rallies.^[16][17][20]

Reception

A Gloss of Harald Martenstein in the German weekly Die Zeit describes the effect as "Gore's personal climate disaster". According to Martenstein's ironic description of various alleged occurrences of the effect, it seems either to be based on a scientifically proven local cooling occurring in Gore's neighborhood, or based on nature or God having a sense of humour.^[21] The general use of the expression is, according to Martenstein, only half ironic, since the purported coincidences happen too often to be discounted. A Competitive Enterprise Institute spokesperson,^[22] and The Washington Times editorial staff,^[17] have expressed a similar view. Climate skeptic scientist and meteorologist Joseph D’Aleo said: "We used to kid in forecasting that whenever we were very certain about a major forecast, it would wind up being so dead wrong that we’d be embarrassed. It certainly makes you think."^[1]

Lisa Miller, Republican spokeswoman for the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, has said the coincidences are without basis in science and mentioning them "doesn’t contribute much to the actual making of policy". Yet some climate skeptics use the coincidences as a humorous way to make the point that either global warming isn't happening,^[23] or Global warming isn't occurring as fast as they say some climate experts are claiming.

Tobias Ziegler, blogging for Crikey magazine, opined that the Gore Effect can be described by the availability heuristic and confirmation bias.^[24]

Those who treat the Gore Effect as a remotely serious phenomenon are engaging in the same type of flawed reasoning as when people think it usually rains just after they wash the car. They notice evidence that confirms it – say, when it is cold and a global warming event is scheduled – and store it away in their memory. When the same type of event happens on a mild, warm or hot day, it isn’t something that they pay attention to.

Curtis Brainard of the Columbia Journalism Review has called coverage of the Gore Effect "asinine," noting the distinction between short-term weather and long-term climate.^[4] Michael Daly criticized this as a mere delight in noting coincidences between events relating to Gore's favorite subject and severe winter weather."^[19] But Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly called focus on the claim "insulting",^[25] and environmentalist A. Siegel has called the jokes a "shallow observation" from "those who don't get that weather isn't climate".^[26]

Use in relation to public awareness of global warming

The phrase has also been used to describe Gore's impact in raising global warming as a public issue, particularly following his 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth.^[6][7][8][9]

In the New York Times in September 2006, Heidi Mitchell wrote of new investment in environmentally-conscious industry as reflecting an "Al Gore Effect."^[27] The term appeared in the Times of India in June 2007, described as "the relentless campaign to alert the world to the issue by the man Bush did not win against."^[28] In 2009 the Canadian Press wrote of the Gore Effect that industry experts credited Gore with helping "to accelerate interest in green and socially responsible investing."^[29]

A paper entitled "The Al Gore Effect: An Inconvenient Truth and Voluntary Carbon Offsets" by University of California Santa Barbara professor Grant Jacobsen looked at the effect of the film on voluntary carbon offsets.^[30] The paper noted polling which indicated that "the number of Americans believing that the earth was warming due to human activity increased from 41 percent to 50 percent" during the period when the film was showing, and that "It seems plausible that at least some of this change was created by the film", adding "Hence, we find support for an ‘Al Gore effect’"

A report from the Swedish Environmental Management Council on socially responsible purchasing among Swedish organizations and corporations notes discussion of the Al Gore Effect, as "raised awareness about environmental issues across the world," and a concern that this may lead to lessened focus on social issues, which the council recommends to treat by integrating the focus on both issues.^[31]

See also

• Pauli effect
• Ting Hai effect
• Synchronicity

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Lovely, Erika (2008-11-25). "Tracking 'The Gore Effect'". politico.com. Politico. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. http://www.webcitation.org/5qSe17adw. Retrieved 2010-06-13. "For several years now, skeptics have amusedly eyed a phenomenon known as “The Gore Effect” to half-seriously argue their case against global warming. […]The so-called Gore Effect happens when a global warming-related event, or appearance by the former vice president and climate change crusader, Al Gore, is marked by exceedingly cold weather or unseasonably winter weather. […] While there’s no scientific proof that The Gore Effect is anything more than a humorous coincidence, some climate skeptics say it may offer a snapshot of proof that the planet isn’t warming as quickly as some climate change advocates say." 
2. ^ Waller, Martin (26 December 2009). "The year of living precariously". The Times. United Kingdom: News Corporation. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article6967897.ece. Retrieved 2010-06-10. 
3. ^ Peckham, 2007, p.126
4. ^ ^{a b} Brainard, Curtis (November 26, 2008). "Global Cooling, Confused Coverage". Columbia Journalism Review. http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/global_cooling_confused_covera.php?page=all. Retrieved 2010-06-08. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Cowen, Peter (Feb. 17, 2007, updated Mar. 31, 2009). "The New Climate Almanac". The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada: CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc.). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/archives/article741856.ece. Retrieved July 1, 2010. "It happened in Canada this year, sort of, when tickets to a Feb. 21 speech by Mr. Gore at the University of Toronto went on sale — on the coldest Feb. 7 on record for downtown Toronto." 
6. ^ ^{a b} Climate change concerns spawning interest in socially responsible investing Oct 29, 2009 Oil Week Magazine)
7. ^ ^{a b} On the Gore Effect: The Nobel and the Politics, NYT October 16, 2007 Eric Chivian, M.D. director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School.
8. ^ ^{a b} Barrels offered to save water By Christian Schiavone GateHouse News Service Apr 23, 2008
9. ^ ^{a b} Ledental milieuorganisaties daalt 21 dec 2008 Nederlandse Omroep Stichting " Ook zou het Al-Gore effect zijn uitgewerkt. Door de film 'An Inconvenient Truth' nam vorig jaar de aandacht voor milieuproblemen sterk toe." rough translation "Also the Al Gore effect may have been developed. Last year, the film "An Inconvenient Truth" strongly increased the attention to environment problems."
10. ^ The New Kerry The Nation: Kerry Makes Up His Mind About The 2008 Election Jessica Vrazilek, 15 May 2006, CBS News, "Call it the Al Gore Effect. At the end of a presidential campaign, losing candidates either retreat, keep up the good fight or attempt the arduous task of redefining themselves. Kerry's both fighting and redefining these days. "
11. ^ The Biden Factor, Salena Zitom, 2 July 2006, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "But the Al Gore effect was still resonating,"
12. ^ CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS August 30, 1996, Daily News of Los Angeles
13. ^ The Gore effect, Brian Todd, 6 February 2004, CNN
14. ^ Transcript, "American Morning" program, January 5, 2010, CNN, retrieved June 13, 2010.
15. ^ ^{a b} Joyce, Joe, "Fun Stories That Make You Go…”Hmmm.”, March 4, 2009, New England News Channel website, for Joyce's identification of post with WBZ-TV, see Web page titled "Bios/Weather/Joe Joyce", both Web pages retrieved June 13, 2010
16. ^ ^{a b} Bolt, Andrew (2006-11-17). "Al Gore rains on his party". Herald Sun (Melbourne). http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/al-gore-rains-on-his-party/story-e6frfifx-1111112535643. 
17. ^ ^{a b c d} "EDITORIAL: The Gore Effect". The Washington Times. March 4, 2009. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/04/the-gore-effect/. 
18. ^ ^{a b} Warren, David (2008-11-02). "Save us, please, from those who would save the earth". Ottawa Citizen: p. A.14. http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/columnists/story.html?id=900daa9c-969f-4687-9c7c-51dfff49950f&p=2. 
19. ^ ^{a b c} Daly, Michael (December 20, 2009). "The Gore Effect brings snow to New York City". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/12/20/2009-12-20_if_gore_traveled_the_world_everything_would_be_cool.html. 
20. ^ Smith, Ron (January 8, 2010). "Temperatures drop, alarmism heats up". Baltimore Sun (The Baltimore Sun): p. 1. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-01-08/news/bal-op.smith08jan08_1_climatic-research-unit-global-warming-climategate. Retrieved 8 June 2010. 
21. ^ Kältetote in Peru Unser Kolumnist enthüllt Al Gores persönliche Klimakatastrophe, by Harald Martenstein, Die Zeit, March 13, 2009
22. ^ Dufour, Jeff; Patrick W. Gavin (January 27, 2009). "Yeas & Nays: If it's Al Gore, it's cold". The Washington Examiner. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/YeasandNays/If_its_Al_Gore_its_cold_0127.html. Retrieved 2010-01-08. 
23. ^ It’s official, NOAA shows the “Gore Effect” hitting America tonight Watts Up With That?, September 14, 2011.
24. ^ Ziegler, Tobias. Gore Effect explained, Crikey magazine, March 3, 2009.
25. ^ Benen, Steve (2008-11-25). "Political Animal: 'The Gore Effect'". The Washington Monthly. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_11/015816.php. Retrieved 2010-06-08. 
26. ^ Siegel, A. (2009-03-02). "Fire and Ice...". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/a-siegel/fire-and-ice_b_171064.html. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
27. ^ Easy Being Green September 24, 2006 By HEIDI S. MITCHELL. NYT
28. ^ Global Warning Chidanand Rajghatta, 5 June 2007, The Times of India "Hurricane Katrina and other climatic aberrations as the Al Gore effect — the relentless campaign to alert the world to the issue by the man Bush did not win against."
29. ^ Gore effect spawns green investing Ross Marowits New Brunswick Business Journal Nov. 2 2009
30. ^ [1]
31. ^ [2]

Literature

• Peckham, Aaron (2007). Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7407-6875-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=u27ferHysRMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Mo'+Urban+Dictionary:+Ridonkulous+Street+Slang+Defined&source=bl&ots=4ziR5X-vv3&sig=Rey64Yp5upMHQeyh0w6BtuV31lI&hl=en&ei=-y4tTOyCCIa8lQe5kvXRCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Gore%20Effect&f=false.