I saw a movie this weekend, one that made a strong impression on me, that I'd like to recommend to all of you . . .
The movie, of course, is An Inconvenient Truth. I could point out that the movie has three animated sequences (one apparently from a Futurama episode, the others rather crude CG bits), but this post's relevance here really has to come under the heading of general public service.
I know some of you will react negatively that I'm plugging a movie that it's critics see as something political, as if the possibility that Al Gore may run for office again somehow undermines the scientific data he presents. Well, get over it. The movie isn't about Al Gore, it's about our future. There really isn't anything in the film I haven't read elsewhere, in nonpartisan venues (like the excellent 3-part series in The New Yorker by Elizabeth Kolbert, which unfortunately is no longer on line). These aren't Al Gore's ideas, observations, and research. They're the accumulated data from hundreds of scientists around the world.
Unfortunately, I fear that this documentary will end up preaching to the choir -- that the people who still insist on believing that climate change, and our role in it, is unreal, uncertain, or unimportant, will miss the message. That would be a shame. So, to those of you who decline to see the movie, may I suggest some summertime reading? Pick up Field Notes From a Catastrophe, Kolbert's book based on her New Yorker articles. Then go out and buy a bunch of low-energy fluorescent bulbs . . .
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
As We Enter Another Period of Consequences
I saw a movie this weekend, one that made a strong impression on me, that I'd like to recommend to all of you . . .
The movie, of course, is An Inconvenient Truth. I could point out that the movie has three animated sequences (one apparently from a Futurama episode, the others rather crude CG bits), but this post's relevance here really has to come under the heading of general public service.
I know some of you will react negatively that I'm plugging a movie that it's critics see as something political, as if the possibility that Al Gore may run for office again somehow undermines the scientific data he presents. Well, get over it. The movie isn't about Al Gore, it's about our future. There really isn't anything in the film I haven't read elsewhere, in nonpartisan venues (like the excellent 3-part series in The New Yorker by Elizabeth Kolbert, which unfortunately is no longer on line). These aren't Al Gore's ideas, observations, and research. They're the accumulated data from hundreds of scientists around the world.
Unfortunately, I fear that this documentary will end up preaching to the choir -- that the people who still insist on believing that climate change, and our role in it, is unreal, uncertain, or unimportant, will miss the message. That would be a shame. So, to those of you who decline to see the movie, may I suggest some summertime reading? Pick up Field Notes From a Catastrophe, Kolbert's book based on her New Yorker articles. Then go out and buy a bunch of low-energy fluorescent bulbs . . .
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2 comments:
I'm just happy that I left the theater in my hybrid instead of an SUV. :-)
I was a bit hesitant to watch the movie if it turned out to be a political ploy in favor of Al Gore. However I have finally seen it and have the greatest respect for Al Gore for the efforts he has contributed to this cause and the information he has shared in a very clear and effective presentation. I don't think you can walk away from the movie a not feel a little emotional about the subject of global warming. (Perhaps that is why those who choose not to go, still refuse to go: they are afraid they may actually have something to agree with Al Gore on.) The problem is, it's that very kind of mentality that may undermine any attempt to correct the problem. We may already be too late. The time of consequences may already be upon us.
We have the technology. We have the knowledge. We have the ability to change. But can we come together and create the unity we need to actually resolve this mounting problem?
If the politicians are not willing to address this issue and move it forward, then it is a good thing they are a renewable resource.
It would be complete denial of the obvious, if someone stated that 6 billion human beings are not having some negative effect on the Earth. With all the waste products we dump into our environment, it would simply be blind of us to deny such an obvious fact. It doesn't matter if you agree with All Gore's version of Global Warming or not, we CAN alter the effects we have on this Earth if we simply unite and do our part. We're talking about simple and relatively small changes in the way we live. It's not like we're asking everyone to live in a tent and eat bark. Those who refuse to participate, get over your egos; we have far more at stake here.
I want my sons and their children's children to see and enjoy a beautiful living Earth throughout their lifetime. Don't you want the same for your family?
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