An Inconvenient Truth?

An Inconvenient Truth / About The Film

Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.

If that sounds like a recipe for serious gloom and doom – think again. From director Davis Guggenheim comes the Sundance Film Festival hit, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, which offers a passionate and inspirational look at one man's fervent crusade to halt global warming's deadly progress in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. That man is former Vice President Al Gore, who, in the wake of defeat in the 2000 election, re-set the course of his life to focus on a last-ditch, all-out effort to help save the planet from irrevocable change. In this eye-opening and poignant portrait of Gore and his “traveling global warming show,” Gore also proves himself to be one of the most misunderstood characters in modern American public life. Here he is seen as never before in the media - funny, engaging, open and downright on fire about getting the surprisingly stirring truth about what he calls our “planetary emergency” out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.

—————- 

For anyone who had already seen the An Inconvenient Truth movie. Feel free to discuss it here. You can also discuss it on ZPod:An Inconvenient Truth. 

In the meantime, here's a movie review by Kim Voynar @ Cinematical. 

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

~

i love this photo

~

————————————————————————————

                                    WATCH a Trailer

————————————————————————————

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

Thanks, C4Chaos, for starting this pod!

I have been very actively trying to help The Inconvenient Truth pod grow to raise awareness. Some of the discussion there made me realise that there is still so much to be done. Not just about the problem itself, but about getting people to believe there actually is a problem and YES we CAN do something!!! It's NOT hopeless!!! More later - I'm out watering the seeds!

And to all of you out there that haven't yet; I highly recommand you go see this film! Bring all your friends and family members!! 

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

I have to second that motion, this is a must see movie for everyone.  A very important point this movie makes is because of the number of humans on this planet that we're literally a force of nature.  We're going to suffer some major consequences pretty damn soon if we don't learn to take global warming seriously.

I'll let the movie give the facts, just go watch it!! 

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

Such a great movie.  To bad it's not # 1 at the box office.  It needs to be.  CNN just had a special on Global Warming.  This is a recent quote from the global warming advisor appointed to Bush's Cabinet.  (it's not verbatim) “Global warming might be a problem, were looking at some sceintific research now.  But we have a lot of time on our side to look at  it”

Frightening- isn't it.  I can't believe  our leaders are still indifferent to the worlds leading problem.  And the U.S. is creating a large majority of the C02, poisoning our home.  Just in Colorado alone, in Summit County, 90% of the lodgepole pines will die in the next few years by pine beatle invasions (due to warmer and longer seasons- not alowing the colder ones to kill off the larvae).  All the Aspens are dying off in another high-elevated county.  Our higher elevated areas are our red flags for the negative effects of G.W.  Man,  I hope  , as a nation, we don't stay in the 'reactive' mode with this problem.  We got a be proactive with this one-  REALLY! 

Steve

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

“Global warming might be a problem, were looking at some sceintific research now.  But we have a lot of time on our side to look at  it”

yeah. that sounds like a not so intelligent way to respond to the issue.

but then again, An Inconvenient Truth may not be #1 at the box office, but i think that the PRO Climate Change had already won the sympathy of the media simply by focusing on the “doomsday” scenario. so far, there's no movie out there about CON Climate Change. media thrives on doomsday. so there you have it. ask the average person on the street whether they believe Climate Change is real and they'd probably say yes because they've heard it on the news or because actors and actresses rally around it. nothing wrong with that. but that is very partial.

for a more unbiased look at the issue of Climate Change, i recommend checking out actual real scientists discussing this issue as opposed to just watching news and being hooked by one-sided propaganda such as Al Gore's movie. check out BBC CLIMATE CHANGE PANEL for starters :)

i still love Al Gore though. he's a model politician with dignity.

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-08-09-gore-green_x.htm

he's a model politician with dignity.  A model politician, alright: a hypocrit.

I'm so glad he's raising awareness about this, but it sure takes some gall to pretend to be an environmentalist and make so few sacrifices himself.

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

he is not a hypocrite, he may not be a “model environmentalist”, but he has been fighting for both a cleaner future and to keep biodiversity for quite some time.

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

I had the great opportunity to read a unproofed copy of  'The Weather Makers' by Tim Flannery.  It's out on the shelves now.  I believe it's the best book out there- that i've read- on Global Warming.  It's educatuional and factual, but easy to understand- not overly dry or college text-like. 

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

Well this little kiwi has not seen the advertising for this movie until a few weeks ago , when a wonderful friend bought me What is Enlightment? magazine back from the States. It isn't that we are so much as behind anything here, but lets say at times I can't get what I want unless i have a huge bank account!!!!!!

Anyway that magazine showed me the way here and also to hassle my local theatre to tell me when the movie would be here…unfortunately we may not even get it in my wee city:P

Not to matter I will find a copy from somewhere*devious thoughts*, as if the Day after Tomorrow did not give people some sort of warning to look at, I think this movie will.

I worry about the weather on a daily basis, hoping any effort I make will somehow help. Down here in NZ we are having some extremes, well more so than say 20 years ago. And since the northern hemisphere countries have practically made the ozone hole , which lucky for us, is right over NZ (which let's face it couldnt make that hole if all 3 million of us even tried!!!!)………so with that trivia I feel NZ has input into the world getting together over global warming, because we feel the effects as much , if not more than some.

When I was about 15, I could spend hours in the sun, and not have to worry about burning…now in summer we have “burn times”, that is warning us to take precautions. One day was 5 minutes, it isn't a joke as some would hassle…but our daily fact of sun screen in every childs bag, sun hats or they are not allowed to have lunchtimes in the sun, of covering ourselves up or suffer.

At times I am at a loss at why the world, as a whole, does not see what is happneing…….this group, this online site has given me more hope in a few weeks than I have ever had being but one.

my love and wishes

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

So that's where your from Shadow-  I was going to ask?…………..  How frightening , to have “burn times” to worry about- wow!   I experienced the eye of hurricane Georges when residing in the Fl. Keys.  It was anly a cat. 2 but wild all the same.  I worry about my friends there.  With the average S.S .T's raising quickly, adding extra fuel for the 'canes intensities.  I went to Key West last Dec. , finding many of my ol' hiking, kayaing haunts destroyed by hurricane Wilma- and her eye was a good 100 miles North of the Island……….. 

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

I really don't know where you guys get the idea that we have a lot of time to look at the problem.  It's honestly something that's right here now in our face.  We need to start taking appropriate measures to rectify the problem. 

Other than my own instinct on climate change the one person I trust to give me the facts is a well known scientist by the name David Suzuki.  

I wouldn't know where to start on giving out the information he has avalible on his website, so here's the link.

David Suzuki Foundation - Climate Change 

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

The Weather Makers- great peice of work!

SOLUTIONS BASE

Dear Friends
Solutions are infinite
I suggest co creating a portl or site/pages with the links to all the solutions
the inventions hae been around for many decades

Alternate energy sources like the engines that run on water and
Solar and thousands and thousnds of others.

As Bucky Fuller said

“Copy nature’s co ordinate system” to be a success.

Using non polluting non heating technologies is the key
it is vert sad indeed that few care to ee the infinity of solutions that are exquisitely efficient
Dr Alvin Marks the father of Modern Photovoltaics and with hundrds of patents in polarizing adn solar
created Lumeloid 20 years ago it is a thin film like cellophane that can have electrodes clipped on to make an 85% efficient color panel.

This and thousands of other solutions are what we should focus on not debating the obvious.

Global warming preceeds an ice Age every 12,000 years on the planet an the last one was 12,000 years ago.

again global warming preceeds global cooling…

water engine is one solution

Friends

see these videos and find other links we can create a site with with imagery and alternate websites.

Focus only on solutions adn networking links with imagery
whatever you focus on you get more of energy follows thought

sun star

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HF__Qlhtnws&search=water%20power

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ij7HhMTwrMc&mode=related&search=water%20power

Lumeloid photovoltaics 85%efficient

Solar in a roll

http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/new/nsolcel.htm

http://www.keelynet.com/energy/sylcell.htm

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature_and_Environment/1997_December_January/The_Future_is_Bright

http://www.envirovideo.com/closeup2.html

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/abbey/an/an15/an15-6/an15-601.html

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/solar_timeline.pdf

sun star
www.sunstarphoto.com

see this pdf adn download

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/solar_timeline.pdf

solar

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/solar_timeline.pdf

sun star

www.sunstarphoto.com

aero vironment

http://www.aerovironment.com/about_overview.php

McCreday did the GM Sunraycer

The Solar Challenger

and many other invnmtions

Doing more with Less

Sun Star
www.sunstarphoto.com

google networking for solutions.

Google and Google Grants and more
Pure genius!!!! A Rennaisance

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780739321621

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/30/60minutes/main664063.shtml

http://www.google.org/

http://www.google.com/grants/tour/1.html

http://www.google.com/grants/tour/2.html

http://www.google.com/grants/details.html

http://www.google.com/grants/faq.html

http://www.google.com/grants/

http://www.acumenfund.org/

paul mccready solutions MORE

http://www.aerovironment.com/posicharge.php

http://www.aerovironment.com/energy_lab.php

sunstar
www.sunstarphoto.com

http://www.oilendgame.com/

http://www.oilendgame.com/

Amory lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute on the John Denver Windstar property in Snowmass colorado has major solutions here and with energy conservation and with Hybrid cars

Amory Lovins has been global expert with solutions for 40 years now

Hybrid cars alone have cut gas prices in half adn gas needs.

What “Burns” is heating

Cold fusion research and other elements are all functionala spects of nature. nature uses cold fusion for your body adn the planet.

Sun

energy and cold fusion solutions solutions

I am surprised that no one is mentioning solutions
is this “the old ladies rocking chair complaint society” or am I still on Zaadz?
Sun

http://www.std.com/~mica/cft.html

http://www.infinite-energy.com/

http://freeenergynews.com/Directory/ColdFusion/

http://freeenergynews.com/

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Matteran_Energy

http://www.photon-magazine.com/

http://www.photon-magazine.com/news_archiv/details.aspx?cat=News_PI&sub=america&pub=4&parent=262

http://www.photon-magazine.com/photon/index.htm

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/home

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

After being asked to defend against a barrage of conservative comments, I left some replies over at Graham English's Integral Discussions. His post that started it all was just a link to this movie, which I also highly recommend. The comments were a little harsh on both sides of the issue, and I hope to be a more empathetic and level-headed in discussions here.

Until I make more time to join the flow here, this is a quote from my last comment:

…and all of the other folks who think there’s any doubt about human effects on climate change, please check your sources. Once the politically motivated folks are weeded out, you’ll find that there is a clear consensus on climate change - humans are causing it

 That's part of my current viewpoint. Of course, I'm not really taking my own advice by promoting Al Gore's movie, but I can't really understand what the political motivations would be of people who want to bring this to light. I know there's probably plenty of answers here in this pod, so I'll do a little reading to get a better grip on the issue before I comment more.

Thanks for starting this ~C4 (Can't we all just get along?)

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

haha. thanks for posting this bro. it's not that i still doubt whether Climate Change is happening or not. yes, there are consensus in scientific circles about this. the real issue is, how accurate are the “doomsday” scenarios? how severe really is Climate Change?

another argument, which i think is the Singularitarian perspective (note: i haven't seen Kurzweil addressing Climate Change yet. if you find something, let me know.), is: assuming Climate Change is real and it would impact us in the next 20-50-100 years, spending billions and billions of money on it is not practical. it's better to spend those money on new technologies that would automatically solve Climate Change (e.g. switching to sustainable energy and fuels). at the rate the technology is going (which is exponential), focusing on “sustainable” technology rather than fighting off natural and man-made causes of Climate Change is the more compassionate approach. i think this view makes sense. don't you?

~C (for Can we even agree on this?) 

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

indeed…  i agree with that last position statement ~C4.

it's clear that we (as individuals and as a country) need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and other practices that are detrimental to the environmental and our own health.  So, if creating alternative energy sources and advancing sustainable technology aids in that goal - AND - in the process reduces greenhouse gases/CO2…  then where's the bad news?

Is Climate Change the only justifiable reason we have to become stewards of the world we live in?  I certainly hope not, but it looks that way…  wait until it's a crisis and then (sort of) do something about it (in a parallel to this thinking, reference what has been going on my city with the tragic consequences of cutting corners, corruption, greed…  a woman lost her life due to poor workmanship in one of our Big Dig tunnels.) 

fenix 

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

While I understand the rationale behind not wanting to waste money if something is really not a problem I doubt that will happen - especially in the U.S. The power of business to over-ride the interests of common people makes it next to impossible that we would to anything that would harm business significantly. On the contrary, new legislation that mandated, for example, better gas mileage, would promote innovation and progress vs. stagnation. In hindsight, lowering cafe standards five years ago might have forced U.S. automakers to innovate earlier, making them healthier now.

Regarding the Singulatarian perspective, I believe that Kurzweil thinks that the singularity will allow us to solve these problems easily because of our technologically enhanced brainpower and the likely creation of nanobots that could change the atmosphere to our liking.  I imagine he would suggest even that we could create methods for rebuilding glaciers if that was the best solution.

As far as spending billions to stop climate change, I'm not sure that's an option even if we wanted to, with all the countries that would have to contribute. I don't think it's an either/or situation.

I think we need to adopt the Cradle to Cradle approach, regardless if climate change is a crisis or not (and I agree with the majority of scientists who say it is). Cradle to Cradle is Bill McDonnough's approach to business that removes most regulation that requires half-ass piecemeal solutions. He advocates that every production process, product life-cycle should take nature's cue and have a net positive or neutral effect on the environment. Ther's more on this in my design pod. He paints a brilliant vision and I don't think it involves needlessly spending billions of dollars.  It also involves much more than climate change.

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

“I think we need to adopt the Cradle to Cradle approach, regardless if climate change is a crisis or not (and I agree with the majority of scientists who say it is). Cradle to Cradle is Bill McDonnough's approach to business that removes most regulation that requires half-ass piecemeal solutions. He advocates that every production process, product life-cycle should take nature's cue and have a net positive or neutral effect on the environment. Ther's more on this in my design pod. He paints a brilliant vision and I don't think it involves needlessly spending billions of dollars.  It also involves much more than climate change.”

yep! that makes a lot of sense too! but the hindrance of course if getting “everyone” to adopt it “without” transforming consiousness. for now the approach seems to be “legislation” so that other “unconscious” business follow the rules.

check out this Social Innovation Conversation and that's exacly their topic. very eye-opening :)

In this discussion from Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact Conference organized by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Randy Harward explores the processes that Patagonia has gone through to incorporate organic cotton into their product lines. He guides us through the latest developments in sustainable apparel manufacturing and provides insights about industry collaborations to increase the global demand for organic cotton.

Patagonia is known as one of the great quality companies around the world, recognized for superior products and a strong commitment to grassroots environmental groups. Concentrating mostly on wilderness preservation this company realizes the impact of its own activities and converts whole environmental initiatives into a true Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Read more …

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

thought i'd insert a little levity here…

climate change is serious business, but a chuckle every once in a while helps keep the sanity.

fenix

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

hahaha. how true :)

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

Well if I look at the good side of weather down here, at least it takes only a few minutes to get a tan!!!!!

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

there's a 2 hour global warming special on the discovery network sunday, 16th-  If you miss it, look for rebroadcasts.  Were breaking another heat record here in colorado today

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

and yet another stab at Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth…

(via MD)

Inconvenient Truths for Al Gore

In Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, the only facts and studies considered are those convenient to Gore's scare-them-green agenda. And in many instances, he distorts the evidence he cites. In fact, nearly every significant statement Gore makes regarding climate science and climate policy is either one sided, misleading, exaggerated, speculative, or wrong.

–Marlo Lewis, Jr., Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute

In the following book, videos, and Powerpoint presentation, CEI Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis, Jr. reveals the inconvenient truths that Al Gore ignored in the book and movie versions of his global warming presentation, An Inconvenient Truth.

Read the book: A Skeptic's Guide to An Inconvenient Truth (downloadable by chapters in PDF)

Watch the videos

Download the Powerpoint presentation

On December 5, 2006, Lewis appeared in a brief pre-taped segment on a global warming themed episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. After the segment, Al Gore responded to Lewis' comments. What follows is Lewis' rebuttal to Gore's response.

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

Perhaps the inconvenient truth is that - the vast majority of Nobel Prize winners live in Geneva & that Al Gore has aspirations to do so as well ?

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

Joking apart - as I have said elsewhere - climate change is but one of the issues which need to be addressed - but first and foremost an absolute change in global MIND-SET must take place. This MIND-SET change IS happening NOW - as exemplified by the ever accelerating rate of technological change and as such  C4Chaos'  perspective should be again re-itterated albeit paraphrased -

another argument, which i think is the Singularitarian perspective , focusing on “sustainable” technology rather than fighting off natural and man-made causes of Climate Change is the more compassionate approach. i think this view makes sense. don't you?


YES YES YES


so what do all you zaadzsters think ?

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

I agree with you michael: focusing on “sustainable” technology rather than fightingh should be the approach.  It is something that everyone could agree on: safer for the environment, just for society and economically sound.

Climate change is happening! Let's work the “unchange” it.

blessings
Iohel

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

Check out Global-mindshift and what they are doing.

Re: An Inconvenient Truth?

I love “None”'s brave mud throwing against Al Gore's credibility.  I have read junk like this before. 

On another blog site, someone was going on about, how can he (Gore) go on about global warming and an energy crisis when he lives in such a big house and has an energy bill twice the size of the average person in (I forget where he lives, somewhere in Tennessee?).

Of course, they don't mention that both Al and Tipper Gore work at home (which most working people do not do) and that, among other things to reduce their carbon footprint, they get their electricity from a green electricity source (which costs extra).  When I checked into the half story that was given on the blog site, it also mentioned that the Gore's are planning to add solar panels somewhere on the house.

I don't know how many alternative energy providers there are in the U.S. or other parts of the world, but in Ontario I only know about one, Bull Frog Power, which provides 100% green electricity, but costs me an extra dollar a day to do it.  Only people trying to reduce their carbon footprint will pay that extra cost.