Movie Review: An Inconvenient Truth (English) 70

Forget all the other reality shows and get ready for the scariest one as former American Vice President Albert Gore takes you through saddening earth truths. Since the movie or rather the documentary has no plot except for bringing out realities, I thought of putting down some key takeaway points here in public interest. Gore begins by showing an earth picture from an Apollo mission in 1972 and goes on revealing stark truths.

On global warming, he says people believe that earth is so big, what could we do to it but in reality, that thin atmosphere is as thin as a coat of varnish on a painting and this layer is being thickened by pollutants leading to more infrared rays get trapped inside which makes the earth hotter. So, if your kid’s ice cream melts fast, blame is on global warming. Larger changes in the atmosphere are linked to growth in our civilization.

Threats, glaciers are retreating, Mount Kilimanjaro will soon have no glaciers. Himalaya that supplies water to 40% of people on earth will soon have a problem. Same fate is in store for the Swiss Alps, and those in Peru and Argentina. He mixes the story with some of his personal accounts, one where he says he lost his 6 year old son in an accident and his focus shifted to larger earth issues that are not political but moral issues.

He correlates last seven ice ages with the rise in carbon levels. With present levels way beyond what it was ever before, it is bound to hit extremes unless something is done. Also, 10 hottest years ever measured in history have all occurred in the last 14 years. Heat waves in India to storms and hurricanes including Katrina in the west, flooding in China, droughts everywhere, lakes drying up, permafrost cracking; warming is to blame.

The ice shelves melting down not just raises water levels but endangers animals that live within and while those living on ice would just drown. Ecological damage affects reproduction of migratory birds which earlier coincided with caterpillars. With both peaking at different intervals, birds now go without food and beetles are damaging crops. Many cities were set up above line of mosquitoes, are now face risk of diseases.

Showing that there are concerns bigger than terrorism too, Gore also highlights growth in world population to emissions. Relatively America, Europe, Russia and Indo-China contribute to 20, 28, 13 & 12 percent to global emissions. Critiquing lack of adequate action by the Bush Administration, he quotes Jon Sinclair “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it”

Churchill’s old quote is now a warning to the world “The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place, we are entering a period of consequences” looms large. Gore closes it saying it is our time to rise and secure our future so that kids don’t think why our parents didn’t wake up then? Shaken you up, you are asked: Are you ready to change the way we live?

Rating: 8/10 – Sincere intentions & Scary truths; you have to see this one!