He's not the only one who feels this way.
The debate has been, pardon the pun, heated for years and doesn't seem to be waning any time soon.
For every scientist that claims humans are destroying the climate, another will claim bullshit.
Somewhere in the middle is probably the truth. Clearing of rainforests and old wood growth forests has detriments that can not be ignored. The superfluous burning of fossil fuels does as well. But, since the 1970's, when our impact on the atmosphere first seriously came to light and policies began to change, the climate, greenhouse gasses, 'global warming', et al, did not.
At that time the 'industrial revolution' was less than 200 years back, with the height of 'careless' burning of fuels, manufacturing of new, potent chemicals and their thoughtless disposal being less than 100 years back.
In the past 30 years, rivers once considered dead have been brought back, natural animal sanctuaries have sprouted across the country, old growth forest destruction has ebbed and industry as a whole has cleaned up its act, literally.
Some failures: car pooling, efficient use of landfills, reduction of methane and/or developing an efficient use of it; development of alternative fuels, both for transportation and home use and mining.
While I appreciate anyone's efforts to be more conscious of the resources available to us, I also feel Gore and his ilk are political Chicken Littles.
Quote:
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Atmospheric CO2 levels have climbed by more than 35 percent since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Fossil fuel combustion, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and land-use change, including deforestation, is blamed for the rise. Roughly 75-80 percent of anthropogenic carbon dioxide results from fossil fuel burning, while about 20-25 percent is produced by deforestation. The United States, the world's largest economy and consumer of energy, produces about 24% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
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source
If scientists can't come to a conclusion, how can anyone else?
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast20oct_1.htm