I'm wondering if any of you have heard of or seen this film which was released in the USA on 8th September and here in the UK on the 15th. An Inconvenient Truth (click to link to the website) is an important moment for geographers, and indeed for the world. Information about climate change is often confusing and even at times contradictory. However, Al Gore, former Vice President of the USA, has produced a film which provides a very clear statement on the state of the planet with regard to climate change.The film describes itself as 'by far the most terrifying film you will ever see'. It isn't frightening like a horror movie, but it is frightening because it is real and the main characters in it are you and me.
An Inconvenient Truth is a film about planet Earth. It is about how the way we are using energy is upsetting the balances on our planet. Many of the natural catastrophes and extremes of weather we have been experiencing can be connected to the changes we are making to the planet.
Once, humans made relatively little impact on the atmosphere, but now, increased carbon released into the atmosphere is warming the Earth and leading to melting ice, unstable weather, changing patterns of vegetation, changing coastlines and even the spread of disease.The impact of climate change is set to speed up unless fairly drastic action is taken very soon. Unfortunately there are some for whom these changes might not be good business. Governments find it difficult to introduce measures to reduce carbon emissions, such as increasing tax on fuels, because they fear unpopularity. To what extent, therefore, can individuals make a difference?
Well, here are some ideas...
