Inconvenient Truth

Again, late to the party, I just now finally saw Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth. This might come as a surprise to many, as I'm clearly passionate about the environment in both work and life. I'm 'that guy' in the office who feeds discarded paper back into the printer to make use of the second side. I can't say I drive the best car, but I'm privileged enough to have the luxury of riding the bus to work. My line of work is also in the realm of environmental education. And here it is in October and I've finally gone to see Inconvenient Truth. I must say, I disagree with friends who have told me they walked out of the movie feeling Gore "never told them the solution to the seemingly insurmountable problem." Gore was very clear in telling us how to get involved, how to change our habits, how to push our policymakers. He made a compelling case of the problem and explained why public recognition of the problem is the first step to 1) changes in habits and 2) effective public policy. He told us why public policy is critical to fuel efficiency standards (China), forest protection (the DR), drilling in the Arctic, carbon emissions reductions on a wider scale, and more. The take away message was not how to change the world after eating your popcorn and walking out of the theatre. The take away was to be more informed of the issues, act accordingly, and write letters to your representative. Hats off to Gore for putting his notoriety and passion to good use following 2000. I thought it before seeing the movie, when I first saw Gore's face on the cover of Wired, and the movie only confirmed it, but I really think Al could be a strong force in '08. I just wonder if he could ever compete in the fundraising arena or if the dems would ever give him a shot. The inconvenient truth is that politics is about so much more than passion and ideas, it's about locking in the right donors at the right time.