An Inconvenient Truth Earns an Oscar

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Instead, he focuses on what we can do to reverse these effects, namely by requiring politicians and corporate executives to face the facts. To say nothing of the fact that the U.S. is only one of two countries (Australia's the other) that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, yet remains the world's top producer of greenhouse gases (accounting for about 20 percent of worldwide emissions), one of his more indicative examples of America's unwillingness to change is the issue of Chinese competition in the automotive industry. U.S. automakers want to appeal to the growing number of Chinese car buyers, but ironically, according to Gore, American fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission standards are so lax compared to the more stringent Chinese standards that American cars can't be sold in China, leaving Ford, Chrysler and General Motors out of a vital market unless they improve their products. And with rising oil prices in the U.S., American consumers are turning to Japanese automakers who have already established a strong foothold in fuel-efficient, hybrid cars, leaving Detroit which is only now jumping on the bandwagon, out of the loop at home as well. So far this year, Toyota's Prius has outsold both Ford's hybrid Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs (the only hybrids the company currently sells) by more than two to one.

On a more positive note, he states that, like slavery and shrinking the hole in the ozone layer, global warming is a problem that can be overcome, provided we have political leadership willing to face the problem. And he does highlight American success stories, such as the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement which has 232 mayors agreeing to lower greenhouse gas emissions according to Kyoto Protocol standards. While the movie can leave you feeling righteously indignant about the lack of political action in the environmental arena, it also leaves you feeling empowered about your power as a voter and a consumer.

An Inconvenient Truth also mixes in a bit of history on Gore's personal environmental crusade, tracing his path to Washington from his family's Tennessee farm where he first developed his love of nature. Throughout his political career, Gore says that he pushed hard to pass environmental regulations that would control global warming and climate change but never felt like he did enough. "I feel like I've been trying to tell this story for a long time but I've failed," he says at the beginning of the movie.

Pleasantly surprising about this film is a new Gore, devoid of the stiff public demeanor and eager to spread the word. What we as environmentalists ultimately hope for, though, is that he's not preaching to the converted, so rent or buy the DVD (packaged in either corn-based PLA plastic or 100-percent post-consumer materials) and show it to a group of non-believing friends. His compelling speeches and impressive statistics are sure to sway even the most skeptical of skeptics.

For more information on Gore, the movie and his book, visit www.climatecrisis.net. To purchase An Inconvenient Truth the book, see www.thegreenguide.com/books. And to cut your own personal carbon emissions, see "A Calculated Loss: How to Reduce Your Global Warming Emissions."

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