"From director Davis Guggenheim, An Inconvenient Truth is a passionate and inspirational look at former Vice President Al Gore's fervent crusade to halt global warming's deadly progress by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it." (take from the films website, found here)
The film is an inside look at the power-point presentation Al Gore gives around the world, hoping to change the lives of individuals by informing them about the issue of Global Warming.
The Film was released in 2005 and has reached billions of people.
Gore begins his PowerPoint presentation, which he began giving long before the film was made, by stating a common view on Global Warming; that because the earth is so big, we cannot have any lasting impacts.
He talks about a professor he had in college that changed his life. Roger Revelle, who was the first person to propose measuring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Revelle sent weather balloons up in the middle of the Pacific in 1958. Because of the findings he showed his class, Gore became fascinated and concerned with Global Warming. In 1970 and throughout the 90's, he used his political career to bring forth the issues of our environment to the Senate, successfully passing a carbon tax and the Kyoto Protocol.
Gore shows his audience pictures of Glacier National Park and Argentina, showing the decrease in glacier size over a short time period. He explains that glacier drilling is a method that can measure the temperature inside of the glacier from hundreds of years back. He shows scientific data that shows an increase in 1000 yrs of temp is equal to 1000 yrs measured of co2. The data also showed that in 650,000 years the co2 level had never gone above 350 ppm (parts per million)... until now.
His graphs show that when there is more co2 there are higher temps.
Al Gore states that the increase in co2 into our atmosphere should "not be a political issue but a moral issue."
Gore tells the story of his son being hit by a car at age 6. He explains that after the month spent in the hospital, his entire perspective on life had changed. He voiced a new concern for the planet, stating "what we take for granted might not be here for our children." Since that moment, Gore decided to learn more about the earth.
Gore then explains that the ten hottest years in record (keep in mind the film was released in 2005) were 1090, 91, 95, 97, 98, 99, 01, 03, and 04. In 2003 Europe suffered such massive temperatures that the heat killed 35 thousand people. India reached temperature as high as 122 degree Fahrenheit.
An increase in temperature on land also meant an increase in temperatures in the ocean. He explains that global warming scientists predicted ocean temperatures that were actually very close to the actual recorded temperatures. The increase in ocean temperatures meant an increase in the number of hurricanes in 2004. There was also an all-time record of the number of tornadoes in 2004. In fact, history books had to be rewritten because previously they stated that it was not possible to have a hurricane in the South Atlantic. A statement that was proven false for the first time in 2004. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 hit Florida as a stage 1, but by the time it reached New Orleans it was catastrophic He explains this is because between the two states it had to travel over warmer waters and that increased wind velocity.
Global Warming paradoxically increases flooding and increases drought. This is because it not only increases precipitation but relocates precipitation Also, soil evaporation increases dramatically with higher temperatures.
Gore talkes about climate pattern changes from the place where he grew up.
The Arctic experiences faster impacts of global warming. For example, there is a big problem with permafrost thawing. This causes trees to grow in tilted, damage in pipelines sliding houses, trucks crashing from change in the roads, etc.
The Arctic Icecap thickness had diminished 40% in the last 40 years.
Tony Blair, a scientific adviser said that world maps will soon have to be redrawn because of the severe ice melting.
Gore then shows his audience slides of what would happen to places like San Francisco, New York, and Florida if the sea level covered the land. All it would take is for half of the Greenland ice and half of the ice in Antarctica to melt. Places like Calcutta and Beijing would wipe out millions of people.
Gore reminds us that after the tragedy of 9/11, Americans said never again would we allow such a travesty But what about what happens after the ice melts? Should we prepare against other threats besides terrorists?
He reminds us that we need to separate the truth from the fiction. That we are witnessing a collision between our civilization and earth by:
1. Population. The rapid increase in population puts pressure on our food supply/demand, water supply/demand, and the use of our natural resources.
2.science/technological revolution. technology brings power but also great responsibility. He gives the formula that "old habits + new technology = dramatically altered consequences"
3. Our Way of Thinking. that if it "seems" gradual, we just sit there instead of responding or reacting. There needs to be a day of reckoning, that we need to connect the dots more quickly
Gore gives the most common misconceptions about Global Warming.
1. That there is a disagreement among scientists that Global Warming is real.
2. That we have to choose between our economy and our environment.
3. If we accept that this problem is real it may just be too big to do anything about.
He ends his presentation by explaining that no one single big action needs to take place to make a difference, but many small changes. For example, saving electricity, using other end-use efficiency, passenger vehicle efficiency, renewables, and carbon efficiency.
Gore tells us that his mission in presenting these PowerPoint presentations is that city by city, person by person, family by family, he can educate. He is confident that soon enough minds will be changed to cross the necessary threshold.
