'The Day After Tomorrow' is Extreme Twist on Mainstream ScienceFiction; NCPA Experts Say Movie is Mixture of Myth, Special Effects 5/25/2004
From: Sean Tuffnell of the National Center for Policy Analysis, 800-859-1154 or stuffnell@ncpa.org DALLAS, May 25 -- After weeks of hype and promotion by Hollywood and Washington, D.C. alike, the climate- horror movie "The Day After Tomorrow" will finally be released in theaters this Memorial Day weekend. Experts from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), warn that the science fiction on the screen is not too far removed from information presented as fact by some of the largest so-called "mainstream" environmental groups. "Catastrophic climate change is only slightly more distorted in the movie than it is on the Web sites of alarmist groups, such as Greenpeace, and politicians like former Vice President Al Gore," said NCPA Adjunct Scholar Kenneth Green, director of the Centre for Studies in Risk, Regulation and Environment at Canada's Fraser Institute. "Global Warming activists are engaged in an interesting two- step," said NCPA Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett. "On the one hand they want everyone to see the movie to ratchet up support for their cause. On the other hand they don't want to be too closely associated with the movie's obvious scientific fantasy. The problem for them is some of their claims are almost as farfetched." According to NCPA experts, there is no scientific consensus as to the extent and cause of global climate change. Yet even some of the first climate alarmists now admit that under the most likely scenarios, the world will only experience a modest amount of warming by 2100 as a result of both human and natural climate variation. Importantly, it is not expected to produce anything like the catastrophic changes portrayed in the movie. NCPA experts warn that if this were purely about box office receipts, there wouldn't be a problem. However, activists who believe humanity, trade, and industry are inherently destructive are desperate to institute global energy rationing in order to slam the brakes of development. These same activists are heralding the movie as example one in their case. "This movie should be great entertainment and provide laughter rather than fear," said NCPA Adjunct Scholar S. Fred Singer, and president of The Science and Environmental Policy Project. "Unfortunately it might persuade naive politicians to sponsor reckless policies that harm the economy with high fuel taxes." ------ The NCPA is an internationally known nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute with offices in Dallas and Washington, D.C. that advocates private solutions to public policy problems. NCPA depends on the contributions of individuals, corporations and foundations that share its mission. The NCPA accepts no government grants. |