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Some of you have seen and even commented on Al Gore's film - An Inconvenient Truth. I found it to be an excellent movie, and this comes from someone that has voted Republican in every General Election since 1976 (cavet: I'm very disappointed in our current energy policy. In 2008, I might not vote for any of the Presidential candidates....)

The movie was very informative, interesting, easy to follow, and factual. I would not rule out a bit of self-promotion and a possible bid in 2008. Perhaps I'm nitpicking, but I strained to see if that SUV Al Gore was driving to his farm was an FEH - don't know.

The audience was handed out a questionaire, which I filled out.

The movie's website has a lot of info on the topic - http://www.climatecrisis.net.

This movie should not be lumped with a documentary like Farenheit 9/11.

chuck, i read a review of that film in our local paper the other day. i am glad to see SOMEONE of prominance speaking up. it's about time. some people may still not take al gore (he, who should have been president), but you have to admit he has the courage of his convictions and is out there trying to raise the level of awareness.....

Like many politicians, Al Gore presents the case for Global Warming like a lawyer and does an excellent job of it. He does a PowerPoint graph of the strong corelation of the increase of CO2 and temperature increases over the past 1,000 years, then last 650,000 years. Mentions that for the first time, there was a hurricane in the South Atlantic. Someone in the Blair Government is quoted as maps will need to be redone for Greenland, maybe other places....

Mentions the rate of extinction increasing, more polar bears drowning because 40% of the Artic icecap has melted since 1957.

I haven't seen the movie. Did it give all sides and perspectives?
What I mean is does it show that man is 100% responsible for this doomsday or does it also show other data such as the Earth's natural cycles and other changes which cause global warming?

For example I was watching NPR a few months ago on how the moon was formed. In it they mentioned the astronauts placed a large reflector on the surface to measure Earth >>> moon distance. They discovered the moon is pulling out of Earth's orbit by a few inches a year. As a side note they mentioned any orbital deviation would cause big, dramatic climatic changes here on Earth.
I had to say to myself that perhaps this may be a contributor to global warming. (Even though the documentary did not)

Did the film make a real point of those natural changes/cycles as well?

Please don't get me wrong in this post- I'm certainly not saying global warming isn't happening, or that it isn't man-made. I'm just not sure either way.

He mentioned natural cycles, but made a case that the recent climate change is much too great to be dismissed as that.

The movie definitely asserts that global warming is man-made. Goes on to suggest that natural disasters in the 21st century might compare to the the World Wars of the 20th.

It's not a neutral point of view, but a well-presented one.

Have not seen the film; just received reports. If we are talking about projected +20 ft sea level within 100 years, that seems a bit much. But I would like to say that +5 feet could substantially impact the functioning of many major cargo ports worldwide, and they would be quite expensive to revise.

Setting aside the issue of sea-level human populations for the moment, because the world economy runs on sea cargo, and money talks.

Should really see this film because these are issue of some importance, I believe.

DAS

The $64,000 question of course is:

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Does the movie even propose a solution to global warming, or does it just end by saying "Vote Democrat and that will fix the world"?

If your read my initial post, you know I did not vote for Gore in 2000 and generally disagree with his viewpoints. I do agree with his presentation that global warming is a serious problem. Again, I did open the possibility this movie could be a springboard for a Gore 2008 bid.

I think the facts should be considered regardless of the messenger. The movie noted that ten of the hottest years recorded are in the last fourteen years. Also mentioned that the polar regions warm up much quicker than the equator. What that means is accelerated melting in Greenland and West Antartica. Also, this could disrupt currents such as the Gulf Stream and potentially give Europe a more Siberian climate.

The movie did gloss thru some solutions, but suspiciously seemed to be a call for political action. This is not Al Gore's intent, but he would be doing a public service if Republican voters insisted on the 2008 nominee to be a lot greener.

Those of us that are proponents of hybrids have been frustrated by the rush to judgement against it. People that are afraid of it's technology - that it's dangerous and unreliable, even though this is unfounded. Others assume the gas savings will never pay for the cost of hybrid technology, even though there is plenty to suggest owning one at least five years driving 20,000 miles annually probably will. There is a emotional resentment of people driving 15mpg vehicles that feel threatened.... Finally, there is the mindset that since enviromentalists, Hollywood, and the left have embrased hybrids, you are one of them. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

It's ironic that some people here are frustrated by the public's hesitancy to adopt hybrids, yet they react in a similar fashion to An Inconvenient Truth:

I don't agree with Al Gore - he is a left-winger
....therefore anything he says I'll probably reject
Global Warming is a urban myth perputated by environmentalists to promote socialism. This is the undeniable assertion of talk radio hosts and others.
Virtually every study confirms the Earth is warming by scientists world-wide. It must be a natural cyclical pattern, even if this jump is 5Xs larger than any other in human memory and still spiking....
Margaret Thatcher concerned about Global Warming? Must be going senile. John McCain worried about Global Warming? He's not a real Republican - and neither is anyone else that believes this....back to point #1.Acknowledging a problem exists is the first step - much of the American public is still in denial. Most of the mivie addresses we have a problem. The next step is the resolve to take action, but again the first step is to agree this is a serious problem. It disturbs me that many won't even consider small lifestyle changes and go so far as to say this is politics (#3). There are many more sources than one movie that are reporting stuff like record melt-downs in glaciers, Greenland, Antartica and other such stuff.

For the record, the movie was recommended by someone that is probably well to the left of me - I did not let that stop me.

Take what action? Seriously, Democrats controlled congress from 1930-1992 or threreabouts and the white house too for many of those years. Global warming, by all accounts, got out of control during the time period when Democrats had the most power to stop it. The Republican revolution in 94 or whatever year it was did nothing to alter the course we're on, so yeah, neither party has a leg to stand on, thus unless the movie says voting for the Green Party is the answer, then political action is false because neither party has a track record of success.

Seriously, what action would fix this? What action can be taken to correct the situation? "Vote Democrat" is not a solution, it's just a voting option. What is it that is proposed? Raise the gas tax by $2? Ban all automobiles with under 30mpg via CAFE regs? Both of those would be very effective. Put a 50% tax on electricity from non-renewable resources? Again, guranteed effective. THOSE are solutions!! Did they even propose that at all?

I'd be happy if more of the general public recognized Global Warming as a serious problem and made it one of the leading issues. Lot of people are in denial so this would be progress.

Solution? Politically it has not been addressed in a serious manner since the 1970's. Various solutions have been suggested here and at other forums with lots of disagreement. I guess if a hurricane wipes enough Gulf rigs that we have $5 a gallon gas for six months, we will get serious, but it that the best way?

The movie "An Inconvient Truth" is getting lost for all the excessive political discussion. We can argue with party is most at fault for Vietnam, depressions, Global Warming, etc until the cows come home. I did not see that movie thinking I'll support Al Gore in 2008 (but some might want to read that in my actions anyway...)

I guess that even an energy plan by a McCain or Schwartzenegger could be labeled "socialist", but it would beat the current policy....

The movie was very informative, interesting, easy to follow, and factual. I would not rule out a bit of self-promotion and a possible bid in 2008. Perhaps I'm nitpicking, but I strained to see if that SUV Al Gore was driving to his farm was an FEH - don't know.


I saw the movie yesterday, and thought to look for clues on this vehicle, having read Delta's post. I recognized it as a Toyota from the steering wheel emblem in a shot when he exits the vehicle. I had seen the (faux?) wood-grained steering wheel in another shot, and given that I had been parked next to a Highlander recently that had one of these, I will guess that it was a Toyota Highlander he was driving. There was also an hour-long interview with him on Larry King the other night, and I believe he mentioned that he did own a hybrid. Given that, I'll guess that the vehicle he was driving in the film was a Highlander Hybrid.

What disappointed me was seeing him in the back of so many limos - the rear quarter window that I saw in a few scenes with him riding in the car looked like a Town Car - probably a stretch or 'Executive' model at the least. There might be security concerns, seeing as he was a former VPOTUS, but barring that, why not request a smaller car for taxi service back and forth from his speaking engagements ?

That nitpick aside, I found the movie informative, but wished I had seen more of two things - a) an emphasis toward the US audience, telling them how much time we had left if we continue down the same path (ie; when this becomes irreversable and negatively impacts us and all living species), and b) what they could do locally. The end credits had many suggestions (replace lightbulbs, buy a hybrid car, take public transportation, plant trees 'lots of them'), but not too many people take time to watch the end credits. From the info I've seen, it looks like we have < 10yrs left before the effects are irreversable and we reach a tipping point.

The other disappointing thing was seeing how many people were in the local theatre - four, including myself and my friend. Granted, it was a matinee showing, but I would have liked to have seen more. The area I live in, not many people seem too concerned with conservation, given the size of their houses and vehicles, and the manner in which they use them. However, half of the county's acreage has been mandated to be set aside / kept in its natural state, and spared from development. Go figure... :confused:

One solution to our global warming problem is spead the word there is a problem. My brother and his wife live in AK and see the glacier's melting all around them year after year. Still, they talk bad about the tree huggers being crazy. What does it take for them to change their mind? Nothing I guess.

My FEH has open my eyes on global warming much more now, so I'm very concerned. Thanks Delta Flyer for spreading the word. It's time I take my 14 yr old son to the movies to see what all the fuss is about Al Gore's film. My son will make up his own mind on the issues, that is my way of raising my kids. Who knows, he might be able to talk on the subject with the information he learns.

GaryG

Hi Gary:
It's time I take my 14 yr old son to the movies to see what all the fuss is about Al Gore's film. My son will make up his own mind on the issues, that is my way of raising my kids. Who knows, he might be able to talk on the subject with the information he learns.

GaryG
___That is probably one of the most astute things one can do as a parent. I feel badly that my parent’s generation as well as my own will be passing along to our children and their children an environment wrought with unknown perils the likes modern society cannot possibly imagine :(

Picture taken in 1941 of Alaska’s Muir Inlet Glacier.
http://cascadiascorecard.typepad.com/blog/images/mn_usgsmuir1941.jpg

Picture taken in 2004 of Alaska’s Muir Inlet Glacier from the same location.
http://cascadiascorecard.typepad.com/blog/images/mn_usgsmuir2004.jpg

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hey Wayne

Just got back from seeing the film with my wife and kid. On his own, he said it was a good film. Much to serious of a problem for a 14 yr old to deal with these days.

It looks like Sebring will have Ocean access in a few years, so maybe we can all meet on Sebring Beach and watch the race from there. That is, if you don't mind sailboat racing.

BTW, I've been to AK myself lately, and the Ice is melting much quicker now.

GaryG

I think everyone has heard of Global Warming. They need to see pictures like Wayne posted to realize what is already happening.