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The "Gore Effect" is a term which has been used to refer to a mythical phenomenon associated with prominent anthropogenic global warming events which is purported to create a variety of climatological effects such as unseasonably cold temperatures, driving rain, hail, and/or snow. The effect is named after former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winning anthropogenic global warming crusader Al Gore. The "Gore Effect" has been claimed in regard to severe weather at several anthropogenic global warming events.

Critics claim the "Gore Effect" is mere coincidence, and because of Gore's prominence in warning of the dangers of global warming, "His detractors delight in noting coincidences between events relating to his favorite subject and severe winter weather." One environmentalist called jokes about the Gore Effect a "shallow observation" from "those who don't get that weather isn't climate".

In the opinion of The Washington Times editorial staff, "If nothing else, the Gore Effect proves that God has a sense of humor." A representative of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank, expressed a similar view.

Events described as instances of the "Gore Effect"

The following is a partial list of the events reported in various media sources as anecdotal evidence for the phenomenon:

• January, 2004 - A global warming rally was held in New York City which suffered one of the city's coldest days in history.
• November, 2006 - Al Gore visited Australia two weeks before summer began and the Gore Effect struck. According to a November 16, 2006 article in the Age: "Ski resort operators gazed at the snow in amazement. Parents took children out of school and headed for the mountains. Cricketers scurried amid bullets of hail as Melbournians traded lunchtime tales of incredible cold.
• March, 2008 - A congressional media briefing on the Bingaman/Specter Climate Bill was purportedly canceled due to a cold snap.
• October, 2008 - London saw the first snow since 1922 while the House of Commons debated the Climate Change Bill.
• October, 2008 - Al Gore's appearance at Harvard University coincided with low temperatures that challenged 125-year records.
• March, 2009 - Driving snow froze the hopes of organizers of an event billed as "the biggest global warming protest in history" in Washington. With the government on a two-hour snow delay shivering protestors gathered on the west front of the Capitol. A small contingent of demonstrators marched to the nearby Capitol Power Plant, where organizers led the crowd in a chorus of "We Shall Overcome." as the solar panels meant to power the speaker system were covered in snow.
• December, 2009 - Over four inches of snow fell in Copenhagen on December 17 during the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference as temperatures dipped to below 25°F, not including wind chill.

References

1. ^ Peckham, Aaron (2007). Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7407-6875-0.
2. ^ "The New American".
3. ^ "EDITORIAL: The Gore Effect". The Washington Times. March 4, 2009.
4. Bolt, Andrew (November 17, 2006). "Al Gore rains on his party". Herald Sun. Melbourne.
5. ^ Daly, Michael (December 20, 2009). "The Gore Effect brings snow to New York City". Daily News. New York.
6. Siegel, A. (March 2, 2009). "Fire and Ice..." The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
7. Dufour, Jeff (January 27, 2009). "Yeas & Nays: If it's Al Gore, it's cold". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2010-01-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)