An Inconvenient Truth-Movie Review

Al Gore’s inconvenient truth is mainly inconvenient because of its impact on our busy human lives. However inconvenient this truth may seem now as it’s presented to us, what we really should be doing is thanking Gore for his lifelong dedication to this issue and for his relentless effort to educate the global public. This truth is the unwelcome reality that the environment and earth which sustain us are rapidly being destroyed. The movie is tastefully done giving insight to Gore’s history with the movement dating back to his college years and his personal campaign to present the public around the globe the facts of global climate change. The movie uses a great deal of footage from the power point presentation Gore has created to aid his lecture, but it is nicely broken up by other elements. It is significant to note that Gore’s ultimate quest is to discern what prevents the public from acknowledging this inconvenient truth. Once he identifies these blocks, he then seeks to address them relying on empirical evidence and he does this quite effectively.
Gore’s presentation has photographs spanning twenty five years that show the extensive melting of glaciers, graphs that show warming trends, and in one slide a scale balances the earth and some gold bars. When it appears, Gore remarks how some people are excited about the prospect of having the gold bars. Then he strokes his chin in mock contemplation when it comes to considering the earth making fun of the obvious, no earth means not having any gold. What makes people deny this truth? In the simplest form, it’s because it requires a lifestyle change for each and every one of us that is often inconvenient to our current short term goals and every day lives. Our demands, as individuals and society help fuel the habits that are causing this climate shift. I wrote a final paper this semester on what US obligations to promote human rights and environmental protection should be. I was supposed to discuss what role I thought the US should take in these areas. Although I’m far from an expert on any of these topics, I feel strongly that as the only superpower in a world that is shared by over 150 countries and six billion people that we cannot just try to lead in select areas, and look for unconditional support in all others while maintaining the respect we anticipate.
If we only focus on leading where it primarily works for our advantage at the expense of others, particularly evident in this global issue, we are undermining our own authority and the concrete leadership we wish to command. As someone who is fascinated by political science and the international scene, this movie touched upon more than the consequences of global climate change, but also on how interconnected we truly are. This is most evident in the impact we as a global population have on the fragile ecosystem we inhabit. Gore answers many of the questions people ask and additionally points out that most of the discrepancy surrounding the question “do humans actually cause global warming?” is found in the media and that among scientists and academics there is almost no disagreement on the affirmative answer.
It is the summer movie worth seeing, but not because it’s a blockbuster, although that would be impressive, but it raises awareness in a way that only quality cinema can. It shows Gore doing what he does best and he is at his best. He may have lost the 2000 election, but he is dedicated to an issue that goes beyond politics, and it suits him. He argues the fight for our home should not be manipulated by politics or an agenda, but rather a moral responsibility that transcends all else. Gore does this with passion, carefully presented details and the overall hope of motivating people everywhere to look at the data before it’s too late to protect the planet for future generations. This should not be dubbed a democratic or republican movie, nor should it be the Al Gore movie. It should be an educational movie for it has a message for every person. Maybe, just maybe, public responsibility will rise and those who would be inconvenienced by spending a few extra minutes recycling or remembering to turn off the lights will decide that any inconvenient truth this global is worth its problematic reality. Perhaps I’ve come off sounding political in this, but the truth is I’m humbled by what I saw and this movie should not divide people nor become a political tool, but it should unite them for the greatest fight we will face.
~TD