Read about this 2006 Academy Award winning documentary on Global Warming starring Al Gore, the former Vice-President of the United States under President Clinton here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth
I heard about this documentary months ago and only got the chance to watch it with my son last weekend. In fact, it was my son who asked me to buy this CD after he had watched an extract of it in school and was curious to find out more about Global Warming.
In essence, this documentary makes an appeal to the individual to take better care of the earth by not abusing and wasting its precious resources and causing pollution that is damaging to the physical environment of our beautiful planet. It is indeed a scary film because we get to see the big picture about global warming through the presentation of visual images, data and scientific evidence.
The key message in the documentary is that if we continue to ignore the consequences of our actions whether at the level of the individual or giant corporations, Earth will be heading towards certain destruction through drastic climatic changes in the years to come. The blurb on the CD says: "An Inconvenient Truth brings home Gore's persuasive argument that we must act now to save the earth. Each and every one of us can make changes in the way in which we live our lives and become part of the solution". Was the documentary convincing? Yes.
Was it persuasive in the message it is sending about how every individual counts towards saving the earth from destruction? At the end of the documentary while the credits were showing, I took the opportunity to tell my son that having watched the causes and effects of global warming, he should heed the message in the film and be more mindful at home with regards to the use of water and electricity. His reply was "I did not watch this film for you to tell me all this." I asked him why he had wanted to watch the film and he said, "Because it was interesting."
Later in the evening we asked his buddy, who joined us for a late-night supper, what he thought about Global Warming and if he had heard about the "Inconvenient Truth". He had and was of the view that as an individual there was nothing much he could do. If he were to make efforts to conserve energy it would not make any difference if others do not.
This is what Al Gore is asking people to do - ordinary folks like you and me - that each of us are mindful and conscious in the way we use our resources. By not wasting water and electricity, by not being a use-and- throw society, by simply not buying things that we do not need, by not buying from manufacturers who destroy the environment for profits, by habitual recycling and prolonging usage of what we have instead of trashing things at the slightest wear and tear, we are doing the decent things that a human being can do to save the Earth.
Unfortunately, this message of environmental protection cannot be heard above all the noise and glam generated by corporations that make big bucks selling you products of all types and brands, more than half of which you do not need and most of which have been made or processed at the expense of the health of the planet. The message in "An Inconvenient Truth" is aimed at everyone. Even if you do not believe that one person can make a difference, at least, don't be the one to contribute the Earth's demise.
Al Gore showed a photo of the Earth taken from outer space. It was beautiful and I am privileged to be living in the most beautiful planet in the solar system. I have been doing all that I can in my own little ways not to waste water, electricity and to make conscious efforts to recycle things. I shall continue with these habits and practices even in the hope that more and more individuals will come to realise that athough individuals alone cannot make much of a difference to an issue like Global Warming, collectively they can.
As individuals we can spread the message by reminding and educating friends about good habits such as conservation of resources and recycling. We lead by example so that our respect for the Earth can be seen and emulated by others. Amongst teenagers, these may be absolutely uncool things to do. Think how uncool it is to be living in an overheated and ravaged, years from now.
Al Gore has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2007 for his efforts in highlighting the effects of Global Warming. The Nobel Peace Prize is given to individuals who have made a difference. Al Gore as an individual has the presence, credentials and means to make a big impact on the world through his sharing of information about Global Warming.
We are only small fries in comparison but our playing field is not the world. It is in our homes, our office, our neighbourhood, our country. We need to believe that we, too, can make a difference no matter how small our contribution might be in helping to curb global warming. We will never win awards for our efforts but we will certainly sleep better knowing that we will not be killed by an unexpected earthquake in our part of the world or be swept away up by a hurricane that has never passed our way before.
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