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Al Gore has made the claim multiple times: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ice-caps-melt-gore-2014/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ice-caps-melt-gore-2014
by WillPostForFood 7y ago
Al Gore has made the claim multiple times:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ice-caps-melt-gore-2014/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ice-caps-melt-gore-2014/
e.g. in 2007:
Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years. Professor Wieslaw Maslowski told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had underestimated the processes now driving ice loss.
- stubish 7y agoCould, not would. Like smoking can kill you, not smoking will kill you. It is a common and fundamental English language pattern, clearly indicating doubt and should never be misinterpreted as certainty.
- WillPostForFood 7y agoFair enough, but could is enough to play on people's fears. Immigrant X could be a terrorist. Food additive Y could cause cancer. You can't then claim you didn't say "would". Note that things like tobacco cancer warnings use use can/could not will/would, and the intent of the message is still clear. "SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Cigar Smoking Can Cause Lung Cancer And Heart Disease." "WARNING: This product can cause mouth cancer."