Are you ready to change the world?
I’ll be the first to admit, the minute I flip to an article on global warming, or pretty much any sort of environmental issue, I quickly turn the page. I mean, I’m quite sure that I’m not the only one who has secretly daydreamed of clouting that obnoxious environmental activist, spouting his ideals, over the head with an environmentally friendly bat.
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It’s because of this fantasy of mine that it is pretty serious when I say that, in regards to the issue of global warming, I’ve definitely been converted. So what new information could I have possibly immersed myself in that has brought on such a shift in ideals? It was Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. If you haven’t seen this documentary already it is something that will change your mind, guaranteed. Take it from a (former) chronic, apathetic ignorer of all things environmental.
Many remember Al Gore as the man who ran against (and unfortunately lost to) our favorite American, President George Bush. Rather than slink back into obscurity, he has stepped forward to take on the challenge of educating young people, professionals, and the American government of the perils we are spiraling carelessly into at an alarming rate.
It may appear at times that global warming is creeping up on us slowly and so does not call for our immediate attention, but truthfully it is a planetary emergency. If we continue emitting carbon into our atmosphere at the same rate, our oceans may revert back to the same chemical balance it was 300 million years ago, and all in this lifetime. In fact, some leading scientific experts believe that unless some dramatic changes are made, we could be approaching a point of no return within the next 10 years. Entire cities, states, and countries will disappear into the ocean, displacing millions.
Gore is doing it right; it’s as if he’s broken out of his stuffy political shell. He is appealing to students and the younger generation. He finds in the youth an open mind willing to listen to the realities of the world. This is striking in contrast to the older generations who are downplaying the urgency of the situation. He recognizes them as the people who will one day take up the reigns of government, and in them he sees the potential for change, the belief that this task is not too big, and more importantly, it is not too late. His goal is to educate the world about this climate crisis one person at a time, one city at time, one family at a time until we cross the threshold where as a combined force we can make a difference before it is too late.
Gore is not fighting an easy fight, that’s for sure; it is definitely one that faces a frustrating history and sometimes, blatant ignorance. Scientists have been silenced, persecuted, ridiculed, and put out of a job just because their facts led to an inconvenient truth. Then you have Fox News hiring “scientific experts” who claim that global warming is a scare tactic used to grab more money out of the pockets of the American people. Some politicians have even gone as far as to say global warming is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated on the American people… You’re kidding, right? No wonder so many of us are sitting back thinking global warming means a few less winter days.
As soon as we accept what is going on, we can work towards change. It may seem like an insurmountable task, but the solution is so much closer than we have been made to believe. The solutions offered to us seem impossibly expensive and too impractical to implement but there are companies who have already taken up the cause and cut gas emissions and saved money while doing it. Following in their example other companies have been working aggressively to stake out economic prospects in a clean-energy future.
Future generations are going to look back and ask why we didn’t make a big enough difference while we still had a fighting chance. It is imperative that we wake up and ask ourselves the same question before it is too late. Things aren’t going to work themselves out eventually. We can’t sit here like naïve fools waiting for someone else to do something, this has to be a global effort. What’s at stake? Our future on this Earth. I recommend that you take some time out of your busy day to watch this documentary, and if it still hasn’t changed your mind I’ll gladly let you chase me with that eco-friendly bat.
I’ll be the first to admit, the minute I flip to an article on global warming, or pretty much any sort of environmental issue, I quickly turn the page. I mean, I’m quite sure that I’m not the only one who has secretly daydreamed of clouting that obnoxious environmental activist, spouting his ideals, over the head with an environmentally friendly bat.
It’s because of this fantasy of mine that it is pretty serious when I say that, in regards to the issue of global warming, I’ve definitely been converted. So what new information could I have possibly immersed myself in that has brought on such a shift in ideals? It was Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. If you haven’t seen this documentary already it is something that will change your mind, guaranteed. Take it from a (former) chronic, apathetic ignorer of all things environmental.
Many remember Al Gore as the man who ran against (and unfortunately lost to) our favorite American, President George Bush. Rather than slink back into obscurity, he has stepped forward to take on the challenge of educating young people, professionals, and the American government of the perils we are spiraling carelessly into at an alarming rate.
It may appear at times that global warming is creeping up on us slowly and so does not call for our immediate attention, but truthfully it is a planetary emergency. If we continue emitting carbon into our atmosphere at the same rate, our oceans may revert back to the same chemical balance it was 300 million years ago, and all in this lifetime. In fact, some leading scientific experts believe that unless some dramatic changes are made, we could be approaching a point of no return within the next 10 years. Entire cities, states, and countries will disappear into the ocean, displacing millions.
Gore is doing it right; it’s as if he’s broken out of his stuffy political shell. He is appealing to students and the younger generation. He finds in the youth an open mind willing to listen to the realities of the world. This is striking in contrast to the older generations who are downplaying the urgency of the situation. He recognizes them as the people who will one day take up the reigns of government, and in them he sees the potential for change, the belief that this task is not too big, and more importantly, it is not too late. His goal is to educate the world about this climate crisis one person at a time, one city at time, one family at a time until we cross the threshold where as a combined force we can make a difference before it is too late.
Gore is not fighting an easy fight, that’s for sure; it is definitely one that faces a frustrating history and sometimes, blatant ignorance. Scientists have been silenced, persecuted, ridiculed, and put out of a job just because their facts led to an inconvenient truth. Then you have Fox News hiring “scientific experts” who claim that global warming is a scare tactic used to grab more money out of the pockets of the American people. Some politicians have even gone as far as to say global warming is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated on the American people… You’re kidding, right? No wonder so many of us are sitting back thinking global warming means a few less winter days.
As soon as we accept what is going on, we can work towards change. It may seem like an insurmountable task, but the solution is so much closer than we have been made to believe. The solutions offered to us seem impossibly expensive and too impractical to implement but there are companies who have already taken up the cause and cut gas emissions and saved money while doing it. Following in their example other companies have been working aggressively to stake out economic prospects in a clean-energy future.
Future generations are going to look back and ask why we didn’t make a big enough difference while we still had a fighting chance. It is imperative that we wake up and ask ourselves the same question before it is too late. Things aren’t going to work themselves out eventually. We can’t sit here like naïve fools waiting for someone else to do something, this has to be a global effort. What’s at stake? Our future on this Earth. I recommend that you take some time out of your busy day to watch this documentary, and if it still hasn’t changed your mind I’ll gladly let you chase me with that eco-friendly bat.
posted by dorrrkk at 11:55 PM
3 Comments:
Hi Serene,
I really love how you write. I agree with your ideas too though. I was definitely apathetic to the issue of global warming before watching An Inconvenient Truth. We really have to change how things are before it's too late.
Ha! I've definitely had the occasional daydream of that nature. I, unfortunately, haven't seen 'An Inconvenient Truth' so I think I'm doomed to be apathetic until I get a chance to watch it. Though, I've got to say, I think your blog may have made a teeny little impact & that's definitely saying something.
Have I mentioned how much I like your writing style, by the way? :)
i agree with pretty much everything you said! i new how bad global warming was even before having seen An Inconvienient Truth, and i tried to do as much as i could to help out the environment! im glad that so much people are more aware of how we are slowly destroying the Earth.. and trying to change it..
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