Truth Fairy

A few days ago I finally saw the Al Gore global-warning film An Inconvenient Truth. I may have been a little late in getting to this documentary (it was released in May this year), but not quite as late as the world in responding to the clangor of alarm bells alerting the human race to urgently address a situation that threatens its very existence. Al Gore, practically renamed Al Bore after his excruciatingly mind-numbing performance in the 2000 U.S. presidential hoedown, attains spectacular redemption via this film. No more the didactic insomnia-curer who gave his own supporters enough reason and time to hit the kitchen and butcher, baste and burn a cow whenever it was his turn to drawl at those infamous presidential debates.

In Truth, Gore, who on any sunny day could be accused of many things but rarely of lacking knowledge and never of being lazy on research, uses scientific data and simple reason to explain some very basic facts: The earth's climate is changing and we are more likely than not to blame. And if we don't move to change our habits of consumption and emission, a dire situation is going to get a hell of a lot worse in less than an average human being's lifecycle.

The weather, in case you hadn't noticed, is going nuts. In the recent past alone, storms have deluged deserts; raging rivers have dried up while more placid waters have unexpectedly overrun their banks, sinking entire villlages at a time; hurricanes that started mild suddenly turned fierce, causing untold spoliation. One could go on. Sure, there probably isn't one definitive conclusion that says my gas-guzzling vehicle or my energy-inefficient appliances or my power-sucking McMansion with automated sprinklers and central air conditioning are directly to blame. But there's rarely reason needed to step it down a bit, consume a little less. If anything, it'll simplify your life a bit.

I can only hope that more people watch—or make films like—An Inconvenient Truth. I would hope even more that it becomes required viewing in all schools. Because no one should worry more about the future than the ones who are going to have to contend with it.