Global Climate Change: Movies That Matter: The Inconvenient Truth about global warming
Movies with civic themes can do more than entertain us. They can cause us to examine our values, and challenge us to reconsider our politics. The best of these challenging films raise questions rather than answer them. The following movies serve as a starting point for discussions about politics and governance, in our country and the world. Read a review of "An Inconvenient Truth."
The Inconvenient Truth about global warmingAn article posted May 2, 2007. By Daryl Paranada A review of "An Inconvenient Truth." In the beginning of “An Inconvenient Truth,” images of the earth flash across the screen -- green leaves and the ocean, trees and grass, cows and... pollution? An eye-opening, controversial, Academy Award-winning documentary about climate change, “An Inconvenient Truth” is told through the voice of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Gore tells the viewer about the changing environment through a slide show presentation that covers scientific evidence for global warming, its economic and political impact, and the dire consequences the world may have to face if society continues on its environmentally destructive path. “It’s our only home and that’s what at stake -- our ability to live on planet earth, to have a future as a civilization,” says Gore in the documentary. Throughout the film, Gore presents evidence meant to refute criticism that global warming does not exist, including temperature and carbon dioxide statistics in samples from the Antartic ice. He uses illustrative graphics and charts to prove global warming’s existence and opens the eyes of viewers to the calamities that could befall the earth if greenhouse gases are not stabilized and lowered. In a film replete with surprising facts about the environment, one of the most interesting and moving parts of the documentary is a series of vignettes and personal stories shared by Gore. The former Vice President’s personal commentary and stories are interspersed throughout the movie. It includes tales of his 6-year-old son’s brush with death, working on a tobacco farm, and his crushing loss in the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, giving the film a personal touch. These stories and clarifying diagrams help make what could be a boring and fact-driven topic human and comprehensible with diagrams and stories. Whether it is a healthy dose of skepticism or a better understanding of what’s happening to our environment, this is a film that nearly everyone will be able to walk away from having learned something. At the end of the film, Gore asks, “Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves: 'What were our parents thinking? Why didn’t they wake up when they had a chance?' We have to hear that question from them now.” Advice for viewers flashes on the screen with the ending credits, and one of Gore’s questions lingers in the minds of viewers. “Are you ready to change the way you live?” he asks. After watching “An Inconvenient Truth,” I think I would be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t. This is a film I would recommend to everyone. Before watching the movie, a friend of mine prefaced my viewing by saying that I might find it boring. On the contrary, I thought it was aborbing, compelling, and “An Inconvenient Truth” moved me to take a more proactive approach to help improve the environment. Are YOU ready to change the way you live? “An Inconvenient Truth” is available on DVD in stores now. Watch the movie, and check out the link below to learn more about the environment and to download a free companion educational guide. Let us know what you think! Links | Images
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