Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth is an impassioned documentary about the scientific theory of global warming. In
the film An Inconvenient Truth Al Gore was able to blend ethics and science into
a meaningful presentation about the dangers of global warming. Throughout the
presentation Al Gore is able to blend his humor and sound public speaking
ability with hard scientific evidence some of the world’s top scientists in a
way that captivates and educates his audience. Al Gore makes a variety of
scientific claims throughout the movie but in addition to that he calls on
people to question their personal ethics and morals in relation to the world’s
environment. The documentary originally day viewed in 2006 and brought to light
many global environmental issues such as the recession of Greenland and
Antarctica’s ice mass and the thickening of our earth’s ozone layer. Sound
illustration of our world's environmental problems coupled with an ethical plea
to the people for change is what helped An Inconvenient Truth bring global
warming to center stage in the publics eye.
Al Gore presents the ethical side to his argument in An Inconvenient Truth via stories and facts.
During the movie Gore shows fond feelings towards the outdoors. He reminisces on a time where
he and his daughter hiked up a mountain and how there was a ton of snow and years later it was
almost bare. This story is used by Gore to show how he has directly been affected by global
warming. By doing this he also introduces how global warming is affecting other living things.
An example of this is polar bears. Due to the global warming there has been a significant decrease in the
amount of ice in the arctic. This causes issues for the polar bears due to the
fact that they now have to swim up to 60 miles to find ice in order to survive.
This has caused an increase in polar bear deaths due to drowning. The big issue
here that Al Gore points out with global warming is business logic doesn’t agree
with land ethics. In order for global warming to slow down there would need to
be a bit of a change in the way major factories handled there waste and
pollution. This could possibly slow production down as well as slow down the
revenue stream of these factories. Unfortunately, people are greedier than they
are ecologically ethical so, the idea of this isn’t something that businesses
would agree to nor want, as it would slow down their monetary gains. It is
predicted though, that by 2050 the environment could negatively affect the world
economy by as much as 20%, while we would only need to put 1% of global annual
economic output a year in order to prevent it. Unfortunately the understanding
of our relationship to nature hasn’t been instilled in us as much as our want to
expand and build upon it.
According to Al Gore two of the biggest dangers that come along with global
warming are the melting of the polar ice caps and also the melting of
Greenland's ice mas. Al Gores main concern about the melting of the polar ice
caps is that the sea level will rise. Our worlds water is comprised of 97%
oceans 2% ice mass and the rest resides in the atmosphere and in the world's
fresh water sources. Even though its only 2% of the water supply if the worlds
ice mass were to melt it would stand to raise the world's sea levels over 20
feet potentially displacing over 100 million of the worlds coastal inhabitants.
In addition the earth's polar ice caps reflect over 90% of the heat we get from
the sun's rays back into space whereas unfrozen ocean water absorbs over 90% of
the suns heat. What this means is that the more the ice caps melt the more the
temperature of the ocean rises which in turn leads to even more ice caps
melting. It is a nasty cycle which constantly adds to itself over time. Another
problem that Al Gore predicts is the melting Greenland’s ice mass. Gore locks in
on Greenland specifically because the amount of freshwater that could
potentially melt into the ocean has the potential to either stop or seriously
mess up the flow of the global ocean currents. This is cause for worry because
as we know our oceans currents have a very strong impact on our weather
patterns, and the last time a freshwater shock to the ocean occurred the North
Atlantic Gulf Stream stopped completely, plunging europe into another thousand
years of ice age. In addition to Al Gore's evidence, a study by R.M. Corner in
1989 showed via ice core samples that Greenland's Ice mass had melted
significantly more than at any other time in the last a thousand years(Koerner).
Koerner,
R. M. "Ice Core Evidence for Extensive Melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the
Last Interglacial." Science
244.4907 (1989): 964-68. Print.
Al Gore seems to be somewhat alone in his argument in An Inconvenient Truth.
However, Al Gore’s ethical arguments towards nature have many similarities to
that of Aldo Leopold. They both agree on the fact that the natural land on this
earth is worth conserving and that people becoming well educated in the subject
of conservation would greatly benefit the natural world. Gore’s informative
speech is a perfect example of how being educated on the matter can help because
at the end of the movie he was able to give plenty of ways for one to help in
conserving the environment. The most important thing that they agree on is the
fact that there should be ethics towards nature. Leopold in his essay “The Land
Ethic” states that there isn’t ethics for humans’ relationship to the land.
Gore shows in his speech that our want to expand and build does hurt animals
that don’t even live near us. He uses the examples of how the ice melting in the
arctic is causing many polar bear deaths due to drowning. Leopold, in his essay,
simply states how when we build on a land we are changing the home of numerous
creatures and for the most part pushing them away from their old home. Both of
these men state how being well educated on nature would greatly help us in
conserving it and unfortunately Leopold’s essay was written over 70 years ago
and there hasn’t been much of a change in education towards conservation since
then. Hopefully Gore’s movie will have a significant impact on the way people
treat the natural world.
In the film, Al Gore expresses many consequences of global warming but one of the
most alarming problems is the issue’s effect on plant and animal species. Al
Gore explains that many things are dependent on the ice that forms on the poles
of our planet. For instance, polar bears roam the North Pole and depend
completely on the ice cap. Global warming is causing both polar ice caps to
melt at an increasing rate which displaces these polar bears and drives them
toward extinction. Another example of wildlife endanger is the relationship
between caterpillars and the bird species that prey on them. In the film Al
Gore explains that global warming has an effect on animals’ reproductive cycles.
In this case, caterpillars’ peak hatching time during the year is happening
several weeks sooner than in the past. The peak for birds hatching is not later
than when the caterpillars peak. This creates a food shortage and starvation for
birds that rely on them for food. The article
Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations
gives evidence to this conclusion “In one study, 62% of 677 species observed
over 16-132 years showed advancement of spring activities” (Constible, Juanita,
Sandro and Lee). The article goes on to explain that the advancement of spring
hatching season is due to an earlier spring and a later fall in the Northern
Hemisphere. Climate change is also causing problems in Switzerland where the
number of frost days during the year has gotten progressively lower. Gore
explains that this causes an ever-increasing amount of invasive species to
occupy the new ecological niches created by warmer temperatures later in the
year. One of the most disturbing ecological issues is that the mosquito line
has gone up in some places. In the film Gore uses Nairobi as an example of a
city that was built just above the line where mosquitos can flourish. Due to
climate change the pests can now thrive in higher altitudes which cause more
mosquito bites and incidentally more disease in humans. These issues may not
seem as terrible as things like global flooding but in reality ecological issues
are very problematic. According to the film, these ecological problems as well
as a host of other problems are very serious and should be taken into
consideration by humanity.
Constible,
Juanita, Luke Sandro, and Richard E. Lee Jr. "Chapter 3: Biological Effects Of
Climate Change." Climate
Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations.
47-64. n.p.: National Science Teachers Association, 2008. Education
Research Complete.
Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
An Inconvenient Truth combines scientific fact and a plea to the greater morality
of humanity to create a presentation on climate change and the hazardous
problems that arise because of it. The film talks about the issues of glacial
melting, ecological problems and the moral test that human beings face. Al Gore
expertly alternates between humor and intense warning in the film. He uses
great skill in his public speaking and drives his point home by being relatable
to the audience. This should help tremendously when trying to convince those
who are on the fence about climate change. One of the strongest points he makes
is that this is our responsibility as humanity to workout solutions to this
problem. Although climate change may not be getting the attention it
desperately needs, this film certainly brought the issue to the public’s
minds.
the film An Inconvenient Truth Al Gore was able to blend ethics and science into
a meaningful presentation about the dangers of global warming. Throughout the
presentation Al Gore is able to blend his humor and sound public speaking
ability with hard scientific evidence some of the world’s top scientists in a
way that captivates and educates his audience. Al Gore makes a variety of
scientific claims throughout the movie but in addition to that he calls on
people to question their personal ethics and morals in relation to the world’s
environment. The documentary originally day viewed in 2006 and brought to light
many global environmental issues such as the recession of Greenland and
Antarctica’s ice mass and the thickening of our earth’s ozone layer. Sound
illustration of our world's environmental problems coupled with an ethical plea
to the people for change is what helped An Inconvenient Truth bring global
warming to center stage in the publics eye.
Al Gore presents the ethical side to his argument in An Inconvenient Truth via stories and facts.
During the movie Gore shows fond feelings towards the outdoors. He reminisces on a time where
he and his daughter hiked up a mountain and how there was a ton of snow and years later it was
almost bare. This story is used by Gore to show how he has directly been affected by global
warming. By doing this he also introduces how global warming is affecting other living things.
An example of this is polar bears. Due to the global warming there has been a significant decrease in the
amount of ice in the arctic. This causes issues for the polar bears due to the
fact that they now have to swim up to 60 miles to find ice in order to survive.
This has caused an increase in polar bear deaths due to drowning. The big issue
here that Al Gore points out with global warming is business logic doesn’t agree
with land ethics. In order for global warming to slow down there would need to
be a bit of a change in the way major factories handled there waste and
pollution. This could possibly slow production down as well as slow down the
revenue stream of these factories. Unfortunately, people are greedier than they
are ecologically ethical so, the idea of this isn’t something that businesses
would agree to nor want, as it would slow down their monetary gains. It is
predicted though, that by 2050 the environment could negatively affect the world
economy by as much as 20%, while we would only need to put 1% of global annual
economic output a year in order to prevent it. Unfortunately the understanding
of our relationship to nature hasn’t been instilled in us as much as our want to
expand and build upon it.
According to Al Gore two of the biggest dangers that come along with global
warming are the melting of the polar ice caps and also the melting of
Greenland's ice mas. Al Gores main concern about the melting of the polar ice
caps is that the sea level will rise. Our worlds water is comprised of 97%
oceans 2% ice mass and the rest resides in the atmosphere and in the world's
fresh water sources. Even though its only 2% of the water supply if the worlds
ice mass were to melt it would stand to raise the world's sea levels over 20
feet potentially displacing over 100 million of the worlds coastal inhabitants.
In addition the earth's polar ice caps reflect over 90% of the heat we get from
the sun's rays back into space whereas unfrozen ocean water absorbs over 90% of
the suns heat. What this means is that the more the ice caps melt the more the
temperature of the ocean rises which in turn leads to even more ice caps
melting. It is a nasty cycle which constantly adds to itself over time. Another
problem that Al Gore predicts is the melting Greenland’s ice mass. Gore locks in
on Greenland specifically because the amount of freshwater that could
potentially melt into the ocean has the potential to either stop or seriously
mess up the flow of the global ocean currents. This is cause for worry because
as we know our oceans currents have a very strong impact on our weather
patterns, and the last time a freshwater shock to the ocean occurred the North
Atlantic Gulf Stream stopped completely, plunging europe into another thousand
years of ice age. In addition to Al Gore's evidence, a study by R.M. Corner in
1989 showed via ice core samples that Greenland's Ice mass had melted
significantly more than at any other time in the last a thousand years(Koerner).
Koerner,
R. M. "Ice Core Evidence for Extensive Melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the
Last Interglacial." Science
244.4907 (1989): 964-68. Print.
Al Gore seems to be somewhat alone in his argument in An Inconvenient Truth.
However, Al Gore’s ethical arguments towards nature have many similarities to
that of Aldo Leopold. They both agree on the fact that the natural land on this
earth is worth conserving and that people becoming well educated in the subject
of conservation would greatly benefit the natural world. Gore’s informative
speech is a perfect example of how being educated on the matter can help because
at the end of the movie he was able to give plenty of ways for one to help in
conserving the environment. The most important thing that they agree on is the
fact that there should be ethics towards nature. Leopold in his essay “The Land
Ethic” states that there isn’t ethics for humans’ relationship to the land.
Gore shows in his speech that our want to expand and build does hurt animals
that don’t even live near us. He uses the examples of how the ice melting in the
arctic is causing many polar bear deaths due to drowning. Leopold, in his essay,
simply states how when we build on a land we are changing the home of numerous
creatures and for the most part pushing them away from their old home. Both of
these men state how being well educated on nature would greatly help us in
conserving it and unfortunately Leopold’s essay was written over 70 years ago
and there hasn’t been much of a change in education towards conservation since
then. Hopefully Gore’s movie will have a significant impact on the way people
treat the natural world.
In the film, Al Gore expresses many consequences of global warming but one of the
most alarming problems is the issue’s effect on plant and animal species. Al
Gore explains that many things are dependent on the ice that forms on the poles
of our planet. For instance, polar bears roam the North Pole and depend
completely on the ice cap. Global warming is causing both polar ice caps to
melt at an increasing rate which displaces these polar bears and drives them
toward extinction. Another example of wildlife endanger is the relationship
between caterpillars and the bird species that prey on them. In the film Al
Gore explains that global warming has an effect on animals’ reproductive cycles.
In this case, caterpillars’ peak hatching time during the year is happening
several weeks sooner than in the past. The peak for birds hatching is not later
than when the caterpillars peak. This creates a food shortage and starvation for
birds that rely on them for food. The article
Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations
gives evidence to this conclusion “In one study, 62% of 677 species observed
over 16-132 years showed advancement of spring activities” (Constible, Juanita,
Sandro and Lee). The article goes on to explain that the advancement of spring
hatching season is due to an earlier spring and a later fall in the Northern
Hemisphere. Climate change is also causing problems in Switzerland where the
number of frost days during the year has gotten progressively lower. Gore
explains that this causes an ever-increasing amount of invasive species to
occupy the new ecological niches created by warmer temperatures later in the
year. One of the most disturbing ecological issues is that the mosquito line
has gone up in some places. In the film Gore uses Nairobi as an example of a
city that was built just above the line where mosquitos can flourish. Due to
climate change the pests can now thrive in higher altitudes which cause more
mosquito bites and incidentally more disease in humans. These issues may not
seem as terrible as things like global flooding but in reality ecological issues
are very problematic. According to the film, these ecological problems as well
as a host of other problems are very serious and should be taken into
consideration by humanity.
Constible,
Juanita, Luke Sandro, and Richard E. Lee Jr. "Chapter 3: Biological Effects Of
Climate Change." Climate
Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations.
47-64. n.p.: National Science Teachers Association, 2008. Education
Research Complete.
Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
An Inconvenient Truth combines scientific fact and a plea to the greater morality
of humanity to create a presentation on climate change and the hazardous
problems that arise because of it. The film talks about the issues of glacial
melting, ecological problems and the moral test that human beings face. Al Gore
expertly alternates between humor and intense warning in the film. He uses
great skill in his public speaking and drives his point home by being relatable
to the audience. This should help tremendously when trying to convince those
who are on the fence about climate change. One of the strongest points he makes
is that this is our responsibility as humanity to workout solutions to this
problem. Although climate change may not be getting the attention it
desperately needs, this film certainly brought the issue to the public’s
minds.