An Inconvenient Truth

By Al Gore

This documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim tackled Global Warming, a

phenomenon which used to be a topic some others did not want to believe to be true. Former
U.S. Vice President Al Gore, in this film, sought to open the eyes of the public to the causes and
the effects of global warming, and how it really affects us not only for the meanwhile, but also
on the long-term.
The film discussed how global warming works exactly. It showed how and what the roles
of the greenhouse gases and the carbon dioxide are (how the greenhouse gases somehow trap
the heat in our atmosphere), and how they affect the global temperature (increasing CO2
concentrations in the atmosphere increase the global temperature). They showed trends and
patterns observed within a certain period, and their alarming forecasts into a few years into the
future. They also showed examples of the increased temperatures affected as so much, like the
increased number of hurricanes and typhoons and the like.
Drought and floods in several places were also discussed; how there were excess
precipitation in some areas and yet very little to no water source were present in the others.
Examples of these were shown, and several lakes and rivers which have dried up were cited as
examples of what could be the result of our abusing nature.
It also tackled several things concerning the glaciers in the Arctic and the Antartica, as
well as other places like Greenland. It also dwelled on the possible effects of the meltdown of all
the ice, like its effects on certain species like the Polar bears, and how it will affect humanity in
way no one would have expected today. They talked of increasing and rising sea levels, in case
this might be the case, and the really distressing number of people (amounting to hundreds of
millions) who would be affected in the case that these glaciers may melt down.
A lot of statistical data were presented in charts and graphs and other ways of presenting
them, and with these information at hand, we should all be alarmed by what these numbers
represent, by what these numbers tell us.

One of the things that struck me in this film was how, apparently, politicians and other
influential people still have some control on what information will be given out, on what it really
is, instead of having scientists be free to release their actual conclusion of the results of their
observations. Somewhere near the end of the film, the economy was also mentioned, and they
related how the economy was involved and how it would be foolish to pick one between the
earth and the economy.
Though like what I have said earlier, it was mentioned how there were several who are
still in the denial stage, there are people like Al Gore who seek solutions to Global Warming
and we should do so ourselves. Just like what he quoted from Stephen Pacala and Robert
Socolow, Humanity already possesses the fundamental scientific, technical, and industrial
know-how to solve the carbon and climate problems..., we just have to all work together in
pursuing this, and be consistent with it. We were the ones who brought the Earth into this state;
we must also be the ones to, though we cannot return it to its original beauty, try to restore even
just a part of its original glory.

Submitted by:
Marian Camille C. Obrero
2013-14901
TTh 8:00-9:00