An Inconvenient Truth

About The Film

               An “inconvenient truth” is said to be an idea, information or concept that rather be kept than shared. Yet as long as one keeps it concealed, he continues to suffer because of the anxiety of getting it disclosed in time. That is why it’s inconvenient. The movie is mainly about global warming. It was mentioned in the documentary that a group of evaluators of the findings on global warming has a memo that aimed to reposition global warming as a theory rather than a fact. Thus, as an advocate of combating this environmental concern, Al Gore encourages scientists to speak up as well as the government to accept the fact that global warming is true and alarming. Hence, global warming is the one pertained to as the “inconvenient truth.”

Summary of the Film in 10 Words

       The film tackled the causes and effects of global warming.

Five Evidences Used by Al Gore to Support His View of Anthropogenic Global Warming

a. His first evidence is the study of his college professor named Roger Revelle. The study is about the measurement of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Al Gore shared that the result of the study is startling. He showed a graph that conveyed the number of CO2 in the atmosphere going up from the year 1958 onwards and projected that it the worst is yet to come.

b. The second proof that supported his view on this issue are his comparisons on the previous and recent pictures of melting glaciers such as the ones found on Kilimanjaro, Switzerland, Peru, Argentina Glacier National Park, Columbia Glacier, and the Italian Alps. He also shared a picture of the status of the Himalayas. He also added that within a half-century people who depend on the melt water coming from it for their water consumption would experience a very serious shortage because of its rapid melting.

c. He also presented the results of the digging of core drills in Antartica that reveals the temperature on a particular period because when the snow falls, it traps little bubbles of atmosphere. Hence, they can go in and measure how much CO2 was in the atmosphere the year that that snow fell. They can measure the different isotopes of oxygen and figure out a very precise thermometer and tell what the temperature was, the year that that bubbles was trapped in the snow as it fell. He reported that it’s researchers found out that it’s the first time in 650,000 years that the CO2 level has gone above 300 parts per million, together with a graph projecting its going up.

d. Furthermore, he emphasized the relationship of the CO2 level and temperature. The higher the CO2 level, the higher the temperature is. The results of the drilling in Antartica attest the higher temperature that the world is experiencing.

e. Gore discussed more on the higher temperature. He presented the 10 hottest years ever measured. In atmospheric record, the hottest temperatures all occurred in the last 14 years. He added that the hottest of all was 2005(the most recent datum when it’s released). Heat waves also are prevalent he shared. One such phenomenon killed 35,000 people in Europe. India experienced 122 degrees Fahrenheit on the year the latter happened. In the American West, on summer 2005, a lot of cities broke all-time records for high temperatures and number of consecutive days with a 100-degree temperature or more.

f. He also had data on the recent ocean temperatures. He emphasized that the warmer the oceans, the greater the strength of the storms that are formed. He proved this by enumerating a number of strong hurricanes that occurred. Not just hurricanes but tornadoes and typhoons as well are happening in an intensified level. He named hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Katrina among others from other countries such as the typhoons that happened in Japan and Brazil.

g. Al Gore also used the evidences of heavy precipitations leading to flooding. He specified the flooding in India and China. He said that because of the rising temperature, evaporation is triggered strongly. Because the evaporation off the oceans puts all the moisture up, when storm conditions trigger the downpour, more of it falls down.

h. He too did present the fact of global warming relocating the precipitation that makes some parts of the world such as Darfur and Niger in Africa to experience drought. There’s even this lake, the Lake Chad which almost dried to nothing because of the growing temperature. According to the film, this is so because with higher temperatures, soil evaporation dramatically; thus, it sucks the moisture out of the soil.


A Reaction

       Al Gore is a father I would like to have. Don’t get me wrong though. I love my Dad. It’s just that despite all the facts as to the causes, effects and issues regarding global warming, which is the film’s main topic, what really struck me the most is his sharing about his life. Short clips of him telling how he feared losing his son and how is his life as a kid really got me. I know I’m drawing the line in a wrong place here; yet for me the film isn’t just about the “inconvenient truth” which he pertains to as the intensifying anthropogenic global warming. It’s also about a disclosure of the heart. It’s also an imparting of a life’s learned lessons. Likewise a flickering of a fire to move not just to save planet Earth for the next generations but also of following the calling that we hear not by our ears but by our hearts. For him, this calling is moving people to act on global warming and view it as a moral issue that everyone, whatever their race may be, must combat through his slide shows and talks.

        Perhaps, his film affirmed his calling. The film for me succeeded to open the eyes of those who are still ignorant or just plain apathetic. His multimedia presentations effectively pointed out his points. The data that he presented is very reliable and convincing. Also, his opinions are logical and sound. One thing though, he didn’t suggest any specific way to fight the issue aside from telling that the government must take more attention to this as much as they pay much attention on terrorism and economic development. There, there is the fishy part for me. It somehow sounded as a movement with his personal interest hidden on his pocket. It’s like he is suggesting that he is the right person to handle this issue hence he must have a position in the government.

     But then again, “It is not from the benevolence of the baker that we get our bread but from his self-interest.” What matters now is the truth that must be accepted and acted upon quick. Global warming is real and it’s alarming.

This is actually my assignment in my Environmental Science course about the film " An Inconvenient Truth."

The Great Global Warming Swindle

About the Title 

          The term “swindle” means to obtain or get money, property and any other forms of advantageous gain through deliberate deception, trickery, cheating, or telling and propagating lies and false ideas. The film’s title, “The Great Global Warming Swindle” conveys the creators’ belief that global warming is not caused by anthropogenic activities but is just continuously asserted to be so by many scientists because of the funds that they can acquire from researches concerning this. They also deem this issue as politically influenced. Hence, the people behind this film pushes the idea that anthropogenic global warming is a lie and is "the biggest scam of modern times." In other words, it is a swindle.

Summary of the Film in 10 Words

            Anthropogenic global warming is a lie and an exaggeration.

Five Arguments Used to Support the Film’s Stance on Anthropogenic Global Warming

1. The sun’s activity is very influential on global warming and cooling than any other anthropogenic or natural activity on Earth. The film even presented a graph showing a nice correlation of the occurrence of solar flares and the increase in earth’s temperature.
2. In contradiction to the asserted great effect of the increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the film argued that 95% of greenhouse gases is water vapor. Water particles in the atmosphere in the form of clouds serve as the reflector of incoming solar heat and thus is the one that has a greater impact on our temperature, greater than the greenhouse gases.
3. Carbon dioxide has a minimal influence on climate change. The film stated that CO2 is only as small as 0.054% of the Earth's atmosphere. It added that activities of us human race contributes much less than 1% of that. This percentage is so much small compared to the contribitions of volcanoes. Animals and plants also produce 150 gigatons of CO2 each year, significantly bigger than human’s. Decaying leaves produce even more CO2, and the oceans are "the biggest source of CO2 by far." Human activity is reckoned to produce only 6.5 gigatons of CO2 each year. Thus , as a conclusion, man-made CO2 emissions alone cannot be causing global warming.
4. The relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and temperature change is opposite as most are forced to believe. The documentary stressed that increase or decrease of carbon dioxide levels follows the increase or decrease of temperature rather than and not otherwise. It argued that as the global climate cools, the Earth's oceans absorb carbon dioxide. On the other hand, as the climate warms the oceans release carbon dioxide.
5. The documentary also lobbied the fact that there has been occurences of warming before. Thus, the warming that we are experiencing today is nothing unusual. They added that temperatures were way more extreme during the Medieval Warm Period, when great western Europe is in it’s peak of prosperity.

My Reaction

       
        The documentary really paved and created another way of viewing Global Warming for me. I am a little surprised when I eventually realize what it’s about. Somehow it lightened the issue of global warming as an environmental concern. Instead ,it emphasized that it’s really driven by self-interest and political influences. This film has kind of shook my understanding on what the issue is. I am uncertain now as to what manner I would deal with the issue. If it’s not that serious, then I won’t care and I suggest that the government would do as well. There are many researches that are more worthy of the funds that they are giving to the scientists dealing with this issue. There are many concerns much deserving of the efforts they are exerting such as how to combat poverty, malnutrition, starvation, pandemics, graft, corruption , crimes, terrorism etc.

      Also, as I imply from the film, we humans have not much power in combatting this problem as it is mainly caused by nature itself. Who can control the Sun? The film said that it’s the origin of most climate variability. Hence, none of the movements pushed can solve this problem wholly. It just a waste of effort and money.

I am not an expert to give criticisms to the evidences presented in the film. Yet, convincing as they are for me, I deem it’s not bad to deal with the issue, whether it may be serious or not. For one, being apathetic to it may consequently lead to the one that they are opposing. No one knows for sure that we are causing or not causing this dire global warming. The fact that we are discussing about it, and debating on it’s truthfulness is a manifestation that there are things to settle.

***Another assignment on my Enivironmental Science course. Now it's about the film "The Great Global Warming Swindle." The submission of this work is our last meeting since the Semester is about to end. I felt kind of sad. I want to thank my teacher, Sir Levi Francisco. More power to you!

What Makes a Man Truly Human?

To start, a man has unique physical attributes. He has a physique directly attributable to what a human being is. The way he talks, walks and do physical activities is distinctive of him. Yet these are the superficial ones. What makes a man truly human?

It has been said by Aristotle that “Man is a rational animal.” Hence, a man has the capability to think soundly. Humans do make decisions with the aid of reason. We have the ability to weigh things as to their pros and cons, and their rightness or wrongness. We are not like animals that just base their actions on their instincts. We are not like robots which only do what they are programed of. We have our rationality to rely on.

Consequent to our being rational is our being curious. We seek for answers. We seek to know what is not known. We look for certainty. Perhaps that’s why philosophers did philosophize in the first place. Moreover, humans do move to satisfy this curiousness. Somehow it’s persistent. Concrete outcomes of this persistence of curiosity are all that we have today. Technology, medicines, foods etc. are ones. Some persons even became alive as a product of curiosity. Thus, we don’t stay in whatever current state we are in, such as being ignorant. We move forward. Humans strive to get what’s good and comforting, such as knowing.

Sartre, an existentialist, said that “Man is condemned to be free.” That human beings have absolute freedom. Whatever arguments against his belief are, one thing is sure, we have freedom to exercise. We human beings can choose among choices. We can and can’t to things. We can or cannot will ourselves to do things. Also, we are self- making beings. We are products of what we do. Hence, we are products of our own freedom.

Together with freedom is responsibility. Human beings are responsible not just on his own well-being but on others as well. We are not alone. We need to co-exist with others. Human beings are social beings.

Human beings are both rational and social in nature. We are free. We are responsible. These qualities guide us as to what extent we are becoming a true human. Thus, it is the way a man lives his life is what makes him truly human. A man is the highest form of animal. A true human is a righteous man.

Another last paper on my Philo on Human Person I. What's with my teachers this sem? They really make me feel sad with their last words in our very last meetings. Anyway here is my integration paper.