Al Gore and Global Warming

I saw Al Gore's new movie, An Inconvenient Truth, at the Laemmle's Monica Fourplex in Santa Monica last Wednesday night. It was opening night. I really enjoyed it. The movie is mostly clips from a presentation that Al Gore apparently travels around the world giving frequently. Some people might find this boring, but clips of the presentation are mixed with humorous cartoons, stories about Al Gore's life, and pictures of areas of the world affected by the recently changing climate. I thought the combination of all of those things made the movie more entertaining.

I have never doubted that we humans are affecting our environment in not-so-good ways, but seeing this movie really makes you think about the fact that conditions have worsened exponentially in recent years and that we probably need to start doing something about it or else we're going to be facing big problems.

One of the most dramatic examples was that if ice on top of land melts, then the water level around the world could rise as much as 20 feet. This would put millions of people in cities all around the world under water. My house is only about 4 or 5 feet above see level, so I would definitely be affected here in Los Angeles.

At the end of the movie, the credits were interspersed with textual advice about what people could do to help stop or at least slow down global warming. Conserving energy and demanding action from politicians was the common thread among most of the suggestions. It made me think about how people are always saying that to conserve energy and decrease our dependence on foreign oil, people should buy hybrid cars. I agree that it would help, but I wish more people would suggest driving less altogether. I want to hear more people promote walking, bicycling, and using public transportation.

Anyway, go see this movie and tell me what you thought of it. Think about how different our world would be right now if Al Gore was president rather than you know who. I really respect Al Gore. I feel like he really cares about public service and he doesn't have ulterior motives.