An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 (BBC 2007) largely as a result of his film, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’
To what extent do you think this was deserved? Having watched the film in class did you feel that your opinion (or perhaps the opinion of others) to the issue of climate change could be positively influenced? What did you think of this film? Was it effective?

Every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievement in physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine, literature and peace. Al Gore won half of this prize on merit for his contributions to climate change and global warming. The other half of the prize went to IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change). His contributions fall under the category of peace because the theme of his film was focusing on sustainable planetary peace. In his presentations, Al Gore’s aim has been to disseminate information to the international community about climate change through lectures, books and films.

When I watched the film at first I was a bit sceptical about the title, and doubted what this politician could convincingly say other than pursuing personal political ideologies. As I began to follow the film pensively, I gained understanding. Of interest, was his statement about what puts us into trouble is what we do know about. Furthermore, he mentioned that scientific consensus believes human activities are responsible for global warming. Related links to support this are; (http://www.350.org/) which marked the 24 Oct, 2009 protests on climate change. The forth coming conference in Barcelona is a build up to the Copenhagen summit in December, this year (http://unfccc.int/). Even more challenging was the Blog Action Day2009/climate change held on 15 October where bloggers from 156 countries wrote on this single topic in a single day to raise awareness and trigger global discussion (http://www.blogactionday.org/).

The Nobel Prize Committee commended Al Gore’s fundamental effort in building up and disseminating greater knowledge about man-made climate change (BBC Oct, 2007). Al Gore and his counterpart, the IPCC, have laid foundation for the measures that are needed to counteract such change. The film revealed some evidence on global warming very likely as a result of human activities. Some of these are; temperatures rising, glaciers melting in the Antarctic and Greenland causing 20 ft rise of sea level. Also the issue of carbon emissions.
(See picture top left corner showing emissions) are characterizing the world today. In another perspective, India’s argument with USA is that developed countries should be blamed more for the carbon emissions and global warming. (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/environment/2009-07-19-climate-india.N.htm) India and China are said to be among major polluters and yet crucial players in fighting global warming.

The Copenhagen conference to be held in December, 2009 is aimed at replacing the Kyoto Protocol (1997). Subsequent to foundations lain down by Al gore, there is now evidence of world participation in climate change programs. Look at the animation top left which illustrates different extreme weather patterns the world today is experiencing due to climate change.

Any reasonable person would not want to sit and watch our planet being consumed. I definitely support the move by all governments to working together to alleviate the dangers of climate change. Working tirelessly are some prominent individuals like Bjorn Lomborg, the Danish environmental writer, who agrees with Al gore. Lomborg ,who also has outlined the ten global challenges including climate change. More information is on this link (http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/CCC%20Home%20Page.asp) The Millennium Development Goals is focusing on environmental sustainability as an ongoing activity. (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/environ.shtml) Some Climatologists working in various organizations like IPCC and the world, UNEP agree with Al gore who is also chairperson for Alliance for Climate Change (http://www.climateprotect.org/).

However, there are skeptical scientists who criticize Al gore for making scare tactics to frighten people. Top global proponents predict only 1 to 2.3 degrees rise over the next 50 years. Again they argue that frightening projections of Florida and San Francisco, due to sea levels rise of 20 feet, are exaggerated. Other predictions are that even under aggressive projections; Greenland and Iceland ice sheets would not melt for over 500 to 1000 years (V.R. Rinterknecht, et.al. Science- March, 2006).

But the message is clear to me and to others who care about our planet. I do not think Al Gore’s campaign was a mere political gimmick but a moral issue. Our common future is at risk. Let us all have a say, and support those individuals, organizations and governments working on climate change and global warming.

Blogprompt1

What action could you (in theory) undertake that would improve the sustainability of your lifestyle? What might be preventing you from doing these?


Life is a journey full of surprises, happiness, and sadness. The subject of sustainable living has always been a difficult one for me to deal with. To maintain a desired lifestyle, I need to be cautious of how .such a way of life would impact on others who are sharing the same natural resources on this planet earth now and in future.

In order to maintain a sustainable consumption, I need to eat well and have a balanced diet that includes the recommended 5 a day. The food and drinks I take should be rich in nutrients. The world today is offering genetically modified junk food and fizzy drinks for the fast lives. Healthy food and drinks are available on the supermarket shelves; however, the prices are often out of reach. This may result in me having ill health due to malnutrition or obesity. Ill health hampers sustainable economic and social development due to work absences, hospital bills and poor family relationships.

I need to go to the gym and do other fitness exercises on my own e.g. walking to college because my body needs regular physical exercise. Unfortunately I do not have enough time due to work, college and family commitments. Given the tight day to day running costs and schedules, some of the activities become more of a pleasure than a necessity. Sometimes I just do not have the interest and initiative.

The free health for all in the UK is appreciated so I regularly consult the doctor to monitor my health. Medication is at my disposal in chemists. The treatment process is often too long so I usually end up cancelling appointments. Nevertheless, recommended medication is not always affordable. I tend to buy over the counter cheaper medicines which may have a high risk of side effects. As a result I fail to maintain a sustainable health status.

I use energy to keep my house warm using the central heating system and to run all the electrical gadgets. In one of their adverts, Sky’s claim is that if all active skyboxes were switched to ‘standby’, enough energy could be saved to light all the homes in Birmingham for a whole year. Sustainable consumption of energy requires us to use energy economically. My disposable income is not enough to meet high energy bills. The more energy I use the more harm I cause to the planet.

My desire is to own a good home and a big vehicle that give me prestige and fame. I can travel to places of interest as and when I want. Morden modes of transport and green resorts contribute positively to the environment, social and economic growth of the
society. Generally expensive cars produce more grams/kilometre of carbon emissions. Financial constraints and recession also make it impossible for me to buy a good vehicle and a dream home.

I would like to live happily with my spouse, friends and the society as a whole. Together we can enjoy the available resources on our planet. My wish is to contribute to the promotion of peace and human dignity in my community. Unfortunately it is difficult to achieve these goals because the society is identified in the context of ethnicity, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Relations within a community are thereby constrained by differences in opinion, perception, imbalance in standard of living and violation of human rights.Given what I have experienced in life, it appears to maintain a sustainable lifestyle is difficult. The onus is on governments and organisations to work on improving their ability to meet present and future needs of the people. I believe that goals of economic and social development must continue to be defined in terms of sustainability.