I saw Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth yesterday (you know, the movie that Fox News said will “destroy the economy.”) The film mostly captures a power point presentation (!) that Al gives to a crowded auditorium on the dangers of global warming, involving a lot of graphs with lines that spike at the end (CO2 in the atmosphere, global temperatures, world population), and intersperses several detours into Al’s life and reasons for championing this cause. While he is no fiery Baptist preacher, as early press suggested, he’s much less stiff and awkward than in 2000, and has an easy sense of humor that seems very specific to erstwhile politicians, a statesman-who-lost-the-presidency-after-winning-the-popular-vote smirk. Still, the intervals into his private life, involving a lot of soft-focus shots and home movie footage of a creek running through the farm of his childhood, are a necessary change of pace, and a welcome glimpse into the human behind the Gorebot. It’s fascinating to me that the career blow he received seems to have refocused his energy, so he’s showing a commitment to this issue that he seemed to keep veiled during his years in the White House. He has a captivating sense of mission.
The best part, however, is the case he makes for global warming. I’ve seen all of the Laurie David-produced global warming PSA’s, and this is by far the most complete, compelling and convincing argument about the problem (not that Jason Alexander singing “It’s Too Darn Hot” with a bunch of gay dancers wasn't convincing...) And while Al is no Chris Rock, he manages to make what is basically a bunch of statistics enormously entertaining.
The one number that looms largest in my memory is “zero.” That’s how many peer-reviewed scientific journals, out of a sample of 936, challenged the notion of human-affected climate change. Meanwhile, out of a comparable sample of mainstream newspapers and magazines, the number was 53%. Exxon’s distraction tactics may have won them the battle, but with Al’s help, we may just win the war.
An Inconvenient Truth - Official Website
Ask Al Gore Any Questions You Want (Yahoo)