Better than you think

Kari Chisholm

I saw An Inconvenient Truth tonight.

I'll admit it: I went because #1 I got free tickets (thanks, guys!), #2 I'm curious about the idea of Al Gore as presidential candidate, and #3 it sort of felt like my civic duty to go see the thing. (I even made that point somewhere in the comments on Charlie's review.)

But I was surprised.

Years ago, I read Gore's earlier book Earth in the Balance. As a science junkie, I read a lot about global warming. My wife and I drive a biodiesel, and we buy Green Energy from PGE. I'm a committed enviro. I expected to see a nice glossy presentation of some basic facts - plus pictures! - and have a nice evening out. But I didn't expect to be surprised.

Actually, I learned a lot. The extraordinary and wide-ranging scope of the film - and its incisive focus on critical details blew my hair back. Oh, and it was funny too.

So, if you think you're not going to learn anything new... If you think you're not in the mood for a lecture... If your whole idea of Al Gore is the wooden and boring Robo-Senator... If you think you're already a good enough enviro that you don't need to see this... and especially if you're a hard-bitten skeptic that thinks global warming is just one big hoax...

Do yourself a favor. Invest 100 minutes of your life. It will be worth it. Start here. Explore here.

By Kari Chisholm June 09, 2006