Penn & Teller Take on the Environment

“Let there be no doubt about the conclusions of the scientific community, the threat of global warming is very real and action is needed immediately.”
Dr. Henry Kendal, Nobel Laureate

“Science is inconclusive on global warming.”
Penn Gillette, entertainer


Recently while perusing my video store, I spotted several DVD’s of Penn & Teller’s TV series, entitled “Bullshit,” which originally aired on Showtime beginning in January 2003.

Having seen Penn & Teller’s stage show—slight of hand and straightjacket escapes ala Houdini—my interest was aroused.

Each episode sets out to debunk a false claim or pseudoscience, such as, alien abduction, spoon bending and creationism. Although their approach was a little harsh, they did a fairly objective job of exposing the lack of evidence behind certain beliefs. That is until the chapter on “Environmental Hysteria” on the final DVD.

Penn Gillette—the duo member who does all the talking—begins attacking the subject of Global Warming.

Gillette states, “no one in the scientific community agrees on global warming, the science is inconclusive and no one knows if global warming is a natural fluctuation or not.”

Really! What evidence does Gillette present to back his assertions? Does he interview, or quote, any of the scientists involved in global warming research, such as Climatologist Stephen Schneider, or Nobel Laureate Dr. Henry Kendel? Do Penn & Teller call upon the expertise of the eminent members of The Union of Concerned Scientists? http://www.ucsusa.org

No, in fact Penn & Teller present as their expert on global warming, as well as all things environmental, statistician Dr. Bjorn Lomborg of Denmark’s Aarhus University. Lomborg is the author of “The Environmental Skeptic,” a book that suggests, through the use of statistics, that environmentalists have greatly exaggerated the effects of pollution, deforestation and global warming. Lomborg contends that aside from some localized problems, the environment is actually improving.

Now that’s something … or is it? Penn & Teller forget one important fact about Dr. Lomborg’s work, “The Environmental Skeptic” is a highly controversial book within the scientific community. Judging by the criticisms leveled against Dr. Lomborg’s tome by such prominent scientists as Dr.E.O. Wilson and Dr. Norman Meyers of Oxford University the work is not held in high regard. http://www.scienceblog.com

There is a scathing review of “The Environmental Skeptic” in the January 2002 issue of Scientific American that sheds more light on the subject.

So, what source does Penn & Teller call upon to present the other side? There is a brief scene with journalist Ross Gelbspan, lecturing to a mostly empty classroom of visibly bored students. Although Gelbspan has written extensively on the subject of global warming, he is given only a few seconds to make his case. When Gelbspan makes the statement, “1998 was the hottest year on record,” Gillette cuts him of with the sarcastic refrain, ”so we’ve peaked, now what, an ice age?” Gillette then calls Gelbspan an “asshole” and moves on to another subject.

Having “debunked” global warming, Penn & Teller segue into the realm of deforestation. This apparently isn’t a problem either, and to back themselves up they call upon Patrick Moore. Penn & Teller are quick to point out that Moore was a cofounder of Greenpeace— he was the president of that organization in 1977—but fail to mention he now heads an organization called Greenspirit Strategies Ltd. This is a public relations firm whose clients include, among others, the Canadian Pulp & Paper Association and the National Association of Forest Industries. Mr. Moore states that the environmental movement consists of “elitists and morons” and “every tree that’s cut causes a new one to be planted.” http://www.disinfopedia.org

Just to be fair on the subject Penn & Teller decide to ask forest activist Julia Butterfly Hill what she thinks about the state of our forests. In a brief clip Ms. Hill states, “I would rather not see trees cut down for paper.” Gillette then interjects “What would we print medical textbooks on? And what about all of Picasso’s great artworks?”

When I interviewed Ms. Hill, she told me “Penn & Teller just took a clip of me”—they didn’t interview her—“and they presented what they wanted.”

I asked Ms. Hill to elaborate on her comment about cutting trees for paper and she gave a well thought-out statement on using recycled paper and alternative sources of pulp, something Penn & Teller might have used. She pointed out that both her books were printed on 100% recycled paper—presumably medical textbooks could be also.

As for Picasso, he painted on cotton canvas and used cotton/linen rag paper—wood pulp paper is unsuitable for fine arts. Penn & Teller can’t even get these minor points straight. What they have done is take Ms. Hill’s words out of context, and oversimplify her opinions on deforestation to discredit her cause. Indeed, the entire episode of “Bullshit” is an attempt to discredit environmentalists in general and global warming in particular. Penn & Teller make a half-hearted attempt at softening their critique by suggesting environmentalists are “well meaning, but naïve.” “It’s noble to want to save the environment, but …”

Well, the damage is done. Penn & Teller have associated global warming with alien abduction, Ouija boards, faith healing and creationism, all to foster doubt on global warming and the validity of environmentalism. Penn & Teller claim that the scientific method is employed in their rational quest for the truth beyond the “Bullshit.” However, the methods they use are no better than those of Creation Science. Penn & Teller ignore important information, and select what suits their preconceived notions. They attack opponents on a personal level and misrepresent and oversimplify their positions.

A new season of “Bullshit” has begun on Showtime. Penn and Teller declined my invitation to be interviewed for this article.