Decius wrote:

I'm concerned that the Katrina implication does go too far, as the question is, at least, debated.

Here's one way to read the Katrina story in the context of the main themes of An Inconvenient Truth.

Consider for a moment our inability to produce an adequate response to the kinds of natural and man-made disasters we're beginning to suffer with increasing frequency.

Recognize that Katrina is only the tip of the iceberg -- pun intended -- when it comes to the things we are likely to see in the next century, if we do not act now.

Even if you consider the best possible response to Katrina, we cannot expect to just let these things happen and deal with the consequences. We must make every effort to avoid the consequences where possible by not enabling the triggers that cause them.

I don't think it's necessary to argue that global warming is causing more, and more violent, hurricanes and typhoons, in order to use Katrina as an illustrative example of how hard it is to manage the fallout from a major disaster.

Gore makes this point when he asks the audience to contrast the 'refugees' from New Orleans with the millions that would be displaced by a significant and sudden rise in global sea levels.

But the events don't lend themselves to too much direct comparison; a well-maintained levee at Lake Pontchartrain would do nothing to hold back a 20 foot rise in sea level.

RE: RealClimate » Al Gore’s movie