Al Gore rallies allies as global warming faces strong skepticism

For a while it seemed like the public cared about global warming and wanted to reduce what humans are doing to unbalance the worldwide ecosystem. Now that’s not a certain thing and Al Gore is fighting to reverse the trend. Most of that shift in public opinion is due to some unethical behavior by people close to global warming data which created a breach of trust.

Add some powerful interests to the mix like businesses who don’t want to see new legislation interfere with their current operating practices, or politicians who stand to gain from related lobbyists and we have a magnifying glass on the underbelly of Al Gore’s global warming campaign. But where did it begin?

There are other examples, but two recent events are attracting attention right now. The first is a series of leaked e-mails from a British university which showed top scientists discussing how to skirt “public information laws” according to the Chicago Tribune. After that a United Nations panel made bold claims that glaciers in the Himalaya would disappear by 2035 without any scientific evidence. Those two slips gave skeptics plenty to talk about and highlight through various social channels.

Al Gore is no stranger to tough competition though, and likely with his influence two climate change evangelist groups are merging in order to strengthen their voice and lengthen their reach. Alliance for Climate Protection and the Climate Project will merge, and according to representatives speaking to USA Today, they will become “one of the largest non-profit educational and advocacy organizations in the world.”

Those groups are in for a significant challenge. They’ll need to discover a way of appealing to people’s innate desire to preserve the Earth without sounding alarmist or like the boy who cried wolf. The best approach for that? As much solid data as possible.