Corey Ragan, Jocelynn Odell, and Drew Schaller Dr. Burgett & Dr. Bio 104/Eng 101 28 Feb 2012 Is An Inconvenient Truth really inconvenient?
In the film An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore presents the argument that humans are the reason for environmental change. His evidence for the change in environment is the increase in CO2 levels, which alters temperature and climate patterns. Gore believes that if we stop our greenhouse gas emissions, the increase in temperature will cease and climate will become more stable. He provides graphs and data that some say are exaggerations and or dated to justify his reasoning. Although Gore uses exaggerated and old data, his film evokes a humanitarian response to global warming, and newer studies have shown that his argument is credible. Throughout the film, the director used a series of rhetorical choices to amplify the mood of the film. The director showcased close ups of Al Gore’s seemingly disappointed face starring off into the distance. As the film finishes, and he discusses the hope of the world, his distant expression turns into a keen smile with a gaze towards the horizon. Al Gore touches on his youth throughout the film. Living on the farm and breathing fresh air was normal. He wishes his children could grow up in a time similar to his, where one did not have to worry if the earth was safe to live on. Gore used ethos throughout the film as he shared stories of his sister dying of lung cancer and his son being ill in the hospital. The farm he lived on grew tobacco, which was the reason his sister got lung cancer. As soon as they figured out this was the cause, they stopped growing it. This correlates to our global crisis. It helps us understand that if we are doing something that hurts the planet, we should stop doing it. The film engages with the “discourses of nature” by describing the human impact towards the world. We are so disconnected that we have the apathy of letting the world disintegrate right in front of us. Gore shows images of how landscapes were before and how they are now. In readings, they question if we should even deserve to be on the earth, considering the amount of harm that we cast upon it. They reiterate that humans are virus’ that are killing the world, destroying plant and wildlife. This parallels with Gore’s views but differs with the fact that he has hope that we can move on from this behavior and live in balance. Al Gore also discusses the effects global warming will have on glacier melting patterns. Glaciers have for all of recorded history been going through patterns of melting and growing. More recently however the melting periods have been longer and have had a greater effect on the creatures that rely on them. Gore makes the argument that polar bears in particular are having a difficult time with the shrinking glaciers. They have to swim further to get food. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also mentions the glaciers melting as a concern to be aware of. “Because of climate change, the sea ice is melting earlier and forming later each year. This means the bears are fasting for longer - dramatically reducing their body weight and physical condition and making it harder for them to survive the summer season.” SO this piece of evidence, along with using pathos in a highly effective way, demonstrates up to date scientific knowledge. Scientific evidence from 2010 has also proven that the glaciers are not in their normal melting patterns. “Physically, absolute rates of area or volume loss are, however, the most meaningful manifestation of climate forcing. Even if outlined conversely by Thompson et al. There is now agreement that slope glaciers are losing mass (522 ± 105 kg m−2 yr−1).” (Molg) This evidence proves that though Gore’s data may be a little old for present day it is far from incorrect. Al Gore's main arguments about hurricanes are that the increases in global temperatures are causing increased movement in the eye of these hurricanes. According to Gore, the increased movement is causing hurricanes to be more severe. He also claims that the increased temperature is the reason for an increased number of Hurricanes, ultimately resulting in Hurricane Katrina. While, these facts might be true, Gore presents a narrow-minded extreme version of the facts. Additionally, as the movie has grown older, people are starting to doubt its legitimacy, simply because the movie is now seven years old. Citizens need to be well-informed on up to date current findings, not six year old extreme versions of facts. A lot of the current research on hurricanes came after Hurricane Sandy. In “Hurricane sweeps US into climate-adaptation debate,” by Jeff Tollefson, research shows that in Sandy the surface waters were three degrees Celsius higher than average for the East Coast. The article essentially states that while scientists are hesitant to attribute any weather events to global warming, we simply can no longer deny the fact that hurricanes are clearly increasing in intensity and have been for twenty years. Toffelson’s presentation of the fact that the water in Sandy was warmer backs up Gore’s claims that warmer waters have led to more intense storms which ultimately have led to an increased need for storm research and preventative measures we can use when these storms hit. An Inconvenient Truth was made in 2006. From a cinematic/rhetorical standpoint it is a very interesting movie. There are many times in the movie that Gore touches on his childhood/past experiences to connect to climate change. Scientifically, this is also a very interesting movie, because he always talks about the extremes. This could lead a viewer to doubt the legitimacy of his claims. However, after investigation of current scientific research, one is able to find that Gore’s claims were in fact an extreme version of what is currently happening to the Earth.
Works Cited
Toffleson, Jeff. "Hurricane Sandy Spins up Climate Discussion." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 30 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Polar bear - WWF UK . (n.d.). WWF UK - Conservation, climate change, sustainability . Retrieved February 27, 2013, from http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/safeguarding_the_natural_world/wildlife/polar_bear/ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Retrieved February 27, 2013, from http://www.pnas.org/content/107/17/E68.full?sid=bab8690d-8e25-426d-b712-6a468430f5c1