According to Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe, "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." Ironically, he is the chairman of the Senate Environment committee!
I doubt if Senator Inhofe really cares about the environment. But anyone who cares the tinniest bit, should see this movie.
Al Gore talks about the threat of Global Warming in the most engaging and down to earth manner possible. Backed by rigorous scientific data and research, he makes the case for immediate action. He does so with humility and humor.
Director Davis Guggenheim takes Gore's talk/presentation and weaves it intricately with the former Vice President's personal life, his personal motivation and his hard work. The movie gives the whole issue of Global warming a human touch and a moral imperative.
I found the part where Gore talks about his family farm in Tennessee particularly touching. He talks about how they were tobacco farmers even when they knew the harmful effects of cigarettes. His sister dies of smoking and lung cancer. They never cultivated tobacco again.
People are not always willing to change. It takes time, it takes convincing and perhaps it takes a catastrophy. We might have about 10 years to act before catastrophic climate breakdown begins. It is estimated that if a significant part of the Antartic ice sheet breaks and melts away, sea levels could rise upto 20 feet. People like me, whose homes are near the sea, could be left without a home and a hometown
Quote of the day
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his NOT understanding it"~Upton Sinclair (Al Gore on the unholy nexus between Bush administration and the Oil industry)
PS: Roger Ebert of the Sun Times has a great review here.
5 comments:
Man, Inhofe makes me mad!!! I personally don't care for Al Gore, but the scientific data leaves no doubt that global warming is happening. I'm positive it will take a catastrophe to make people change, and even then I'm not so sure. I think human beings will either adapt to this new environment, or die...survival of the fittest. So sad.
I'm glad you liked this film, OMR. I wanted to see this movie before commenting, but have not yet gotten around to it, but I do still intend to.
I just hope the environment is able to hold off on catastrophe just long enough for us to turn around American politics. If only we could scram the Bush family and all their corruption out of government, and replace them with a less corrupt, more progressive one... then maybe progress could finally be made. But what about today? It's going to have to come from us people, yelling and screaming until someone listens.
I'm glad Gore did this movie, and I don't care if some view its timing as political. So what? Everything those critics do is political. I'm much more annoyed that the world has turned a blind eye to global warming because it is not economical to think about it... yet... until it's too late, that is. Then they can always say, "we had no warning, we didn't see it coming," like they did about Katrina. Well, hopefully we won't have to be in that scenario, if action starts now.
I didn't mean to rant so much, but I haven't been around the blogosphere for a while and have a bit of opinion built up inside ;) Anyway, thanks for keeping on top of these things, OMR!
I'm surprised to see you live so close to the water. When Fay sees places like that she just says... yeah but what's gonna happen when global warming comes and the sea level rises?
Kris,
I completely agree with you. btw...I have been reading this book called "Crimes Against Nature" by Robert Kennedy Jr. It is terrifying to read all the bad things the administration is doing to the environment!
Keasty,
My hometown is not all that close to the sea. It is probably miles away. But a 20 feet sea level rise most likely will destroy it one way or the other
Sushil, Thanks for the links. I will definitely check it out
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