Directors: Bonni Cohen & Jon Shenk
Presented by: Al Gore
It's been ten years since An Inconvenient Truth hit the screens and caused quite a storm, a good one. And now we revisit and see both the negative and positive developments during this time. The format and structure is vastly different from the first. I actually preferred the structure of the first film and this tells a more personal story. It's less scientific than the first and instead shows us the increasingly catastrophic events that have been happening. Almost like a "I told you so" video. Which isn't wrong to do, especially as these events are happening, right now, across the globe with disastrous and fatal consequences putting millions of people at risk.
I was fortunate enough to watch the live interview presentation held at picturehouse, London with Al Gore on the stage answering direct questions from viewers. It displayed his absolute passion for his mission, though there was a slight disturbance right at the beginning with a heckler invading the stage and attempting to grab the mic from Gore before being removed. I mention this because, whilst this man's intentions are unclear, it does remind us that there are people out there who disagree. There are arguments and denials, but seriously, if you want to deny or even strongly disagree with what has been said about global warming and the climate change crisis, and you haven't watched either of these films. Then I suggest you do before even attempting to structure an argument. I'm not saying any argument isn't valid, its just a lot of the dismissing people I speak to regarding this topic appear to be misinformed, or are nonchalant towards the factual evidence.
The documentary does go on to show how the political climate has changed, mostly for the better. But it also tackles the recent regression, mentioning a hacked democracy which could almost be hinting at how and why Trump got into power. Much like what happened with the cigarette industry when a link between smoking and lung cancer was exposed, there are certain parties out there that are actively trying to reposition global warming as more theory than fact. And Gore was asked how he felt when Trump announced he was quitting the Paris Agreement, pushing the whole issue aside to focus on war base issues such as ISIS. Gore response was actually very inspirational, saying that even though the President has chosen to resign from the agreement, something he can't actually do until one day after his term in office could actually end (fingers crossed), many of the major cities and states across America are acting independently from Trump and are honouring the treaty. The evidence is shockingly hopeful and seeing countries such as Scotland and Chile producing vast amounts of renewable energy. Roughly 90% of France's electricity is generated by zero-carbon methods.
I was also fortunate enough to catch Al Gore speak to James O'Brien on LBC earlier in the week and something Gore said really stuck me. And that was the Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of stone; we came out of the Stone Age because something better came along. So what are some of the facts being disputed? 14 of the hottest years ever recorded has been in last 15 years. Last year being the hottest and the previous year being the second and so forth. There's an undeniable pattern and relationship with carbon dioxide levels and global warming here. Currently 97% of the world's scientists agree with him and that number has rarely dropped below 90% since 2004. O'Brien used a brilliant analogy saying that if you went to 100 doctors and 97 of them told you what they thought was wrong, and told you what the cure was, you wouldn't then go looking other 3 and take their advice.
Many of us were aware of the Paris agreement happening, the COP21 that happened back in December 2015. But how many of us actually took notice of what was actually happening there. Watching it now, with 196 countries present, 150 of those being represented by their heads of state, coming together to agree to lower dangerous emissions and combat climate change. These people including President Obama, Gore himself, Chinese President Jinping, Russian President Putin and PM David Cameron, even India's PM Modi who was oppose to signing but having understandable grounds to do so. You'll have to watch the film to know more but gladly, with Gore's intervention and generous donation. from SolarCity, India was granted the technology they need to not rely on carbon fuels. PM Modi since then, along side French president Hollande, have proposed a solar-rich alliance, the International Agency for Solar Policy and Application.
So, it looks back at the undeniable, increased devastation happening around the world. The shocking revelations and consequences but at the same time, the incredible spirit and movement that actually gives me hope, with all it's negativity and despair, the film finishes on very much an engaging and inspiring positive, that we CAN together, through democracy, save the planet and our future. It's a call to arms, to rally people behind probably the most important crisis to face us and the planet.
Personally I don't think it's as good as the first, but really, there's little point comparing as the main issue is does it achieve it's mission, and the answer is a clear yes. It's just as engaging, hard-hitting and thought provoking that fills me with hope and inspiration to want to make a change. I really want to get on one of these training sessions. Without doubt, like the previous film, it's a must-see. Educational and inspiring. Please, watch both of these films. I urge you to and let it make a difference. #BeInconvenient
Read More: An Inconvenient Truth
Running Time: 8
The Cast: 9
Performance: 8
Direction: 9
Story: 9
Script: 8
Creativity: 9
Soundtrack: 9
Job Description: 10
The Extra Bonus Point: 10 for being a brilliant follow-up to the most important documentary ever made.
89% 9/10
