The images and graphs parading about the screen are shocking; figures like the rate at which species are going extinct or how fast the polar ice cap is melting are stark reminders of the consequences of man’s self-destructiveness. The message of An Inconvenient Truth is clear: the environment, contaminated by man’s hand, is quickly spinning out of control and we can already begin to see the consequences. This is no longer a ‘not in my lifetime’ issue. Species are going extinct at a much faster rate and the weather has been turning on us more fiercely, but we can prevent further damage. We must act now because it is happening now, the leitmotiv of An Inconvenient Truth goes.
In Truth, the narrative of how the effects of coal-burning and other types of pollution have increased along an almost vertical curve in the last 50 years is given in the same methodical, academic manner that Gore uses in real-life to audiences in classrooms and auditoriums. Clips from Gore’s lecture are interspersed with images of him wheeling his luggage across a busy airport, at a meet-and-greet in a China lecture hall, at his desk in a sunny hotel room, taking a call.
One of the striking things about Truth is that the presentation on which it is based is the same one that Gore has given a thousand times to audiences in the States and around the world. In fact, one journalist at the press conference following the screening confessed his admiration at Gore’s drive to inform the public one person at a time, one city at a time.
An Inconvenient Truth is a successful film because the message behind it is clear: man’s impact on the planet is visible now. The solution offered is equally clear. We can fix this if every one of us makes small changes in our own lifestyles. This won’t happen at the legislative level. In fact, a reference is made in the film about the current administration and its lukewarm stance on adopting a tougher environmental policy. Our refusal to ratify the Kyoto Treaty is alluded to as well.
That same day Al Gore and director Davis Guggenheim gave a press conference to field reporters’ questions, moderated by Henri Behar. The tone was polite and convivial, and most questions went as expected to Mr. Gore. The press seemed to have received the film warmly, the reporter from BBC News declaring before the audience present that he had cried twice during the film (he did mention “perhaps I shouldn’t be telling you all this.”) There were two reporters who asked the former Vice-President whether he would consider running for President, to which Mr. Gore responded, amicably, that he would not consider a career in public office again. Al Gore seems poised to take on this greater challenge, however, and the film is expected to garner a lot of support in the States.
An Inconvenient Truth opens in the US on May 24th in select theaters. For more information please log on to www.climatecrisis.net.
