Jacob (Jack) Scheff reflects on ‘An Inconvenient Truth’
Jacob (Jack) Scheff, Ph.D., associate professor in UNC Charlotte’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, joined Queen City News for the segment “What came true? 20 years after ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’”
Twenty years after former Vice President Al Gore released the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” many of its climate predictions have materialized. Gore warned that climate change would drive more persistent droughts, heavier rainfall in short bursts and long‑term sea‑level rise — patterns Scheff says are now well‑documented.
“The global temperature has continued to go up,” said Scheff. “I tell my students climate change is like the rising tide that lifts all temperatures. It still gets cold sometimes, warm sometimes, but the colds are not as cold as they used to be.”
North Carolina is currently in extreme drought despite recent heavy storms, and scientists still expect several feet of sea‑level rise within this century. The Carolinas are also experiencing record heat, and recent disasters such as Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic rainfall, mudslides and more than 100 deaths.
“It’s not just hurricanes, but rainstorms in general. One thing we know really, really well is that it rains harder now than it used to rain in our grandparents’ time,” said Scheff.