Gore again, this time it is about mosquitoes, malaria, and elevation. Some history checking by mosquito epidemiologist Paul Reiter reveals he’s wrong about Nairobi. Turns out that some species can live as high as 10,000 feet. Even as far back as 1927 in this letter to Time Magazine, people knew of mosquitoes at the snow line. A 1960 study shows mosquitoes in the California Sierra Nevada mountains and another shows mosquitoes in the mountains of Africa. Of course those aren’t malaria carrying anopheles mosquitoes, but I’ll point out that Gore was not specific about which mosquitoes were “climbing”. And if there is indeed a mosquito borne malaria problem in Nairobi, there’s this contradictory evidence: In a presentation during the 8th International Conference on Urban Health, held in Nairobi 18–23 October 2009, it was stated that of nearly one thousand Nairobi residents tested, none were positive for malaria.
There has been a resurgence of malaria in Kenya though. It may have something to do with this: Kenyan scientists are embroiled in a deepening controversy over whether Kenya should lift a ban on the pesticide DDT in a bid to reduce deaths from malaria.
UPDATE: E.M. Smith writes in comments:
If you look at this page:
http://www.mosquitoes.org/anopheles.html
you will find a listing for the native Anopheles freeborni listed as a malaria vector and with habitat that ranges at least up to 6000 feet.
From the UK Spectator by Paul Reiter
The inconvenient truth about malaria
Al Gore has made bold claims that climate change is aiding the spread of insect-borne diseases. The science does not support him, says Paul Reiter
Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, was a masterpiece. Like an elder brother to all humanity, he patiently explained the familiar litany of disasters — droughts, floods, hurricanes, sea-level rise and the rest — spiced with heartrending personal stories: his baby son’s near-fatal accident, the agony of losing a sister to lung cancer. It was a science lecture crafted by Hollywood.
In his book — the version for adults, not the one for schoolchildren — he even included a colour photograph of a corpse, a young man, floating face downward, drowned by Hurricane Katrina. I wonder whether the dead boy’s family were consulted.
I am a scientist, not a climatologist, so I don’t dabble in climatology. My speciality is the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases. As the film began, I knew Mr Gore would get to mosquitoes: they’re a favourite with climate-change activists. When he got to them, it was all I feared.
In his serious voice, Mr Gore presented a nifty animation, a band of little mosquitoes fluttering their way up the slopes of a snow-capped mountain, and he repeated the old line: Nairobi used to be ‘above the mosquito line, the limit at which mosquitoes can survive, but now…’ Those little mosquitoes kept climbing.
The truth? Nairobi means ‘the place of cool waters’ in the Masai language. The town grew up around a camp, set up in 1899 during the construction of a railway, the famous ‘Lunatic Express’. There certainly was water there — and mosquitoes. From the start, the place was plagued with malaria, so much so that a few years later doctors tried to have the whole town moved to a healthier place. By 1927, the disease had become such a plague in the ‘White Highlands’ that £40,000 (equivalent to about £350,000 today) was earmarked for malaria control. The authorities understood the root of the problem: forest clearance had created the perfect breeding places for mosquitoes. The disease was present as high as 2,500m above sea level; the mosquitoes were observed at 3,000m. And Nairobi? 1,680m.
Read the rest of the story at the Spectator
I´ve seen some malaria mosquitoes around his beach property. Be careful Al baby!
As a psychologist, fear and pain contribute to changes in behavior. Gore can use drama and repetition to induce fear. Random anecdotes do not make for good data Al.
Al “The Liar” Gore. Or Al “The Liar for $$$” Gore. Man … how does he show his face???
Malaria is a disease of poor countries, not of hot countries. North Korea has malaria, Australia does not. The USSR had malaria in the 1930s and so did England in the Little Ice Age, of all times.
Shut down economies in the name of CO2 reduction and more people will die from malaria.
Of course, the climbing habits of mosquitoes would be a curiosity at best if the Sierra Club types – the forerunners of the AGW cult – had not forced us to outlaw DDT. Thanks a lot, Rachel.
As a tennager in the early 1970’s I went on a high school backpacking trip in the California Sierra Nevada’s. We hiked above the tree line and I was plagued by mosquitos the whole trip. I remember being suprised that clouds of mosquitos followed me on to the small snow fields that remained at the higher altitudes. I was being so badly bitten that my science teacher (Mr. Guilow) gave me his hat-mounted mosquito net. My army surplus mosquito repellent was useless. We would sit in the smoke of the campfire to avoid being bitten at night, There were so many mosquitos that they added to the protien content the evening meals because it was impossible to keep them all out of the pot.
Malaria, as carried by mosquitos, requires still water. So damp and marshy conditions are perfect. Tropical monssons followed by good sunshine levels even better, but not an absolute requirement.
Marshland areas just to the east of London (UK) were know to be a source of ‘ague’ (basically malaria it was later discovered) until the land started to be drained for development in the late 1800s early 1900s. The life expectancy in those areas was lower even than in the city. Those that lived there were recognised as people with weak constitutions – probably wrongly as it turned out.
It is disgraceful that ‘the media’ fail to offer well documented knowledge to challenge broadbrush statements from the likes of Gore. et al.
The mosquito line? Is that similar to the flea and tick line, above which you won’t find any?
I had read the resurgence of malaria was (at least partially) attributed to an increasing drug resistance, namely one or more strains resistant to chloroquine. Other drug resistances will arise in time, as expected. Which will be attributed to global warming or whatever the cause du jour is, as dreaded.
Now we’re beginning to see why ‘Ol Bro Al won’t let anyone film his lectures.
“I am a scientist, not a climatologist…”
I love this distinction!
DDT is yet another example of how these [snip] continue to use fear and bogus data to implement schemes which have long term negative affects on humanity. But it’s ok because they feel good about themselves.
How stupid do you have to be to listen to anything Al Gore spews? He is a walking embarrassment.
Slightly OT… but this is most important.
Did anyone see the Monbiot/Plimer debate from Auz yesterday?
I hate to say it, but Monbiot (who I’m not a fan of) absolutely destroyed the dissembling Plimer who’s pitiful: ”you’re a journalist’ quasi ad hominems, were brutal to watch.
Hostile environment be damned! ANYONE, let alone a skeptical scientist, absolutely must be able to wade into a debate, anytime/anywhere and quote one’s own literature chapter and verse!!!
Even worse… becuase of the total car crash that was Plimer re: Monbiot’s challenge on Keller’s (sic) paper – 1/13 questions Plimer had days to perpare for in advance – I now find myself questioning whether or not there actually has been non-statiscially significant warming since ’98.
Restitution anyone?
Oliver Cromwell died of malaria in the deep of LIA in medieval England.
Gore gets bitten again by another factual blunder
or
Truth gets gored – again.
++++++++++++++++++++
Perhaps Mr. Gore can describe global warming with these lines from Ghostbusters:
Algore surrendors:
Former US vice president and environmental activist Al Gore called Tuesday for world leaders to meet in Mexico City in July to complete a climate treaty under negotiation in Copenhagen.
“I do not believe that we can wait until next November or next December,” said Gore, a Nobel peace prize winner for his work on raising awareness of climate change. ”
November and December are cold. How about Tuscon in July? Except for the hookers, it has no chance of rain/snow hampering discussion.
If a for-profit company spokesman lies or makes inaccurate statements, he and the company are held liable. It’s called “truth in advertising.” I think it’s time we held public figures, government employees, and elected officials to the same standards. Maybe that can be a rallying cry of a new Tea Party reform push.
Malaria is supposed to have killed around 500 men during the construction of the Rideau Canal between Ottawa and Kingston Ontario in the 19th century. Canada is hardly a tropical country, and malaria is not a tropical disease. Malaria was a major problem for Allied soldiers in Italy during WWII. Italy did not finally rid itself of malaria until the early 1970s, when the Communist government finally caved in to the evidence that prosperity, education, and medicine could not do the trick alone and it began a DDT spray program. “Malaria”, by the way, is an Italian word, and has two components “Mal” meaning “bad” and “Aria” meaning “air”. The name came from the 18th and 19th centuries, a period in which disease was thought to be caused by poisonous air (miasma) leading to such social reforms as building effective sewers and draining swamps near towns. These, of course, did help the cause, but in the case of malaria, we in developed countries can be thankful for the invention of DDT.
Re: malaria is not just a disease of hot countries: The largest, and maybe the most aggressive mosquitos, I’ve seen were not in the tropics, but in Alaska.
The resurgence of malaria in Africa has little to do with climate and has a lot to do with threats by the EU to ban agricultural and horticultural imports which may carry traces of DDT which the EU and USA saw fit to ban for reasons which look to stand about as much scrutiny as Al Gore’s lyrics… Some countries – e.g. Kenya which has a high value export business in cut flowers – agreed to implement a DDT ban while others chose not to…
There’s a high correlation between not using DDT and local increases in malaria. The numbers of deaths involved dwarf some better known genocides.
Quite a good summary in this article:
http://www.heartland.org/publications/environment%20climate/article/18963/Uganda_Defies_EU_Begins_DDT_Program_to_Fight_Malaria.html
The EU Commission appear to be experts in promoting bad science and appear to have zero conscience about the negative consequences on both local and global populations.
Remarkable little bug the mosquito, it don’t think much but it sure gets around.
Al Gore gets around alot, it sure don’t think much though.
Wouldn’t you love to give Al Gore (and Obama) a simple science exam. Maybe something on the order of the tests in my General Science eighth grade classes. Or an Introductory Physical and Historical Geology exam. While we’re at it how about an exam in functional math. I’ll bet the blowhard couldn’t pass a freshman algebra, geometry, or trig exam. I think both Gore and Obama are scientific dunces. He deserves nothing but contempt for his self-serving stupidity.
@ur momisugly Dan (10:38:15)
You’re absolutely right.
If politicians were held responsible for the effects of what they say and do – as the rest of us are – wouldn’t the world be a far better place?
“so if time runs out there is always the option of stopping the clock and reconvening to get it right.”
What does that mean? Instant replays? Do-overs?
The AGW Magicians/fakirs believe they can stop time?
Can these AGW fakirs also walk on fire?
The hubris.
…-
“Copenhagen climate conference: ministers plan new summit
World leaders could put off major decisions on global warming for another six months time amid a warning from Gordon Brown that at the Copenhagen climate conference is threatened wirth “deadlock”.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/6827121/Copenhagen-climate-conference-ministers-plan-new-summit.html
J. Schmee (10:32:04) :
Plimer didn’t do himself any favours and seemed evasive – if I didn’t know of him, I wouldn’t buy a used car from him based on that.
Monbiot is not my cup of tea but he did seem more credible – is Plimer usually like this? That holding up of his book looked like a promo push too – not a good look.
There was malaria in the Klondike, turn of the century Gold Rush.