An Inconvenient Truth
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An Inconvenient Truth
The climate crisis that our planet faces has become an ever-increasing and extremely controversial issue. In the book “An Inconvenient Truth,” Al Gore goes beyond the political and economic implications of this crisis and states that global warming is a moral issue that humans need to address. For years, scientists have been examining the reasons for the changing climate and have come to the conclusion that global warming is real and it is serious threat to the world. Eventually, this threat will lead to major catastrophes that will cause epic destruction of our planet. Gore’s main purpose in this book is to expose the lies and misconceptions regarding global warming and to inspire the public to take action. Global warming is already occurring and it is a result of human activities, not a natural occurrence.
Gore’s commitment to fighting global warming dates back to his days as a college student when he first recognized the environmental crisis. However, the turning point in Gore’s life came when his son experienced a serious accident as a young child and Gore was forced to prioritize his life. This was a defining moment in Al Gore’s life; he realized what was most important to him; his family and the environment. Gore uses personal anecdotes throughout the book to connect to the audience. From his son’s accident to the death of his sister, he uses these stories to ignite emotion in the reader to show the importance of what is at stake if we do not make an effort to improve the effects of green house gases on the planet. Gore also tries to spark interest and feeling by comparing global warming to Adolph Hitler. People ignored Hitler and his heinous actions, hoping that he would eventually go way. However, nothing happened until the world took action and put an end to Hitler’s regime. Similarly, people around the world are ignoring the effects of global warming and until we act, this crisis will not go away. Perhaps one of the most important claims that Gore makes is that global warming is not a political issue, instead it is a moral issue and we as inhabitants on this earth have a responsibility to do something about it. He points out our responsibility in creating and eventually ending this dilemma which allows the reader to personally relate to the issue. The climate crisis gives us a generational mission, a moral purpose to rise up together and take action. Humans are the root cause of much of the global warming and unless we take action soon, the consequences on the environment will become irreversible. After all, Earth is the only home we have, why would we not save it from destruction?
This is a question Gore examines throughout his book; why are we doing nothing to save the planet we live on? After all, the survival of our civilization is at stake, which one would think is reason enough to fight global warming. Gore believes that the main reason people are still not taking notice is because they do not understand the devastating effects of the climate crisis. We are being led by a congress and president that refuses to acknowledge the problems we are facing. There are numerous warnings about the potential disasters that global warming has caused and will continue to cause yet these warnings are being disregarded by our government. Most importantly, as the title states, global warming is a truth and it is more convenient for people to ignore this truth. Opponents argue that fighting this man-made problem will be too time-consuming and expensive; however, refusing to act now will bring about permanent and grave environmental problems that will alter our lives and the lives of future generations severely. Unless the world comes to together and overlooks their conflicts, we will suffer from a number of catastrophes that we have the ability prevent.
Gore explains and helps the reader to understand the actual problem with global warming and the harm it is causing on the world. Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet by keeping solar heat in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, by burning too many fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil we are considerably increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. The very thin layer of atmosphere is being thickened by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The atmosphere is trapping infrared radiation instead of allowing it to escape into the universe, and as a result the temperature of the earth is getting too warm and causing even more severe problems. Roger Revelle was the first person to recognize the impact of green house gases on our planet and he proposed measuring the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. His measurements showed a chart of drastically rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which are harmful to earth’s ecosystems. Scientists have concluded that there is a correlation between temperature and rising levels of carbon dioxide. When there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the temperature rises because more heat from the sun is trapped inside.
We have already begun to see the effects of these rising temperatures. From melting glaciers to severe storms, these environmental issues will only continue to worsen as emissions of green house gases increase. Glaciers in Alaska, Peru, the Alps, and many more are melting at rapid speeds. The Himalayan Glaciers have been among the most affected by global