Science Convention Convenes, Gore To Appear

By Marcus Gilmer in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 12, 2009 4:40PM

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the self-proclaimed "world's largest general scientific society", is meeting this weekend right here in Chicago for what is promising to be a huge event, starting today and running through Monday. As many as 10,000 attendees from 60 different countries will be traversing the city, attending workshops and seminars. The focus of this year's convention will be Global Warming. Says AAAS president James J. McCarthy, "Today, the warming of our planet is unequivocal, and human activities are a primary cause. Within the next few human generations, the effect of these climate changes could put the survival of many species at risk."

McCarthy's Annual Meeting theme, "Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures," recognizes the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, as well as the 150th anniversary of three other events - the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, the first commercial oil well, and Sir John Tyndall's discovery of carbon dioxide's greenhouse effect.

Of course, what's a global warming conference without Mr. Global Warming himself, Al Gore? Gore will be making a special address tomorrow for registered conference attendees. It's a perfect fit for the inconvenient truther. According to the AAAS: "Currently, Mr. Gore is cofounder and Chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm focused on a new approach to Sustainable Investing. He also is cofounder and Chairman of Current TV, an independently owned cable and satellite television network for young people."

As of posting, registration is still open for the conference, as well as for Gore's speech.