| An Inconvenient Truth, the documentary and | | | | |
| book by former Vice President Al Gore, frames | | | | Somewhere along the way we have lost sight of |
| global warming, it's causes and effects, and | | | | what it means to pay attention to the rhythms |
| helps put this worldwide issue into | | | | of nature and what our mutual home has to |
| perspective. Gore's supporting website tells | | | | share with all of us. We have become very |
| us that, "Carbon dioxide and other gasses | | | | adept, particularly here in the United |
| warm the surface of our planet naturally by | | | | States, at feeling entitled to take as much |
| trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This | | | | as we can get. We are three percent of our |
| is a good thing because it keeps our planet | | | | world's population, and yet we use |
| habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels | | | | twenty-five percent of our world's resources. |
| such as coal, gas and oil and clearing | | | | Why? We persist in believing we should be |
| forests we have dramatically increased the | | | | able to have whatever we want when we want |
| amount of carbon dioxide in the earth's | | | | it, and this belief extends to our energy use |
| atmosphere and temperatures are rising." | | | | across the board. A perfect example is our |
| Increased temperatures mean adverse effects | | | | American response to rising gasoline costs. |
| on the earth in weather patterns, glacial | | | | We alternately complain about the price of a |
| meltdowns and plant and animal life which we | | | | gallon of gasoline and then say it won't |
| are already witnessing. What we can expect is | | | | affect our driving habits. We also seem to |
| more heat waves, more drought and increased | | | | have no understanding that the rest of the |
| sea levels at our coasts that will force | | | | world pays far more than we do for gasoline |
| human beings and animals to migrate to less | | | | and all other energy resources. Many |
| threatening areas. | | | | developing nations only have electricity |
| | | | sporadically through the day. Energy is |
| Gore's premise in asking us to pay attention | | | | costly, both for our pocket books and for the |
| to global warming and its effects isn't to | | | | earth. |
| frighten us to the point of paralysis, but to | | | | |
| nudge us to see the truth, assess our own | | | | "We know that all things work together for |
| contribution to the problem and to take | | | | good for those who love God who are called |
| action to change our own behaviors so that we | | | | according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)." |
| can collectively reduce the amount of carbon | | | | Paul's words to the church at Rome are never |
| we are dumping into our atmosphere. Gore's | | | | more true and applicable then they are today. |
| philosophy is two fold. We need to take | | | | I go back to Gore's understanding of where we |
| global warming out of the political arena and | | | | are right now with global warming. We can |
| focus on it as a moral issue. We also must | | | | deny the reality, despair over our misuse of |
| realize that between denial of the problem | | | | God's gift of the earth to us, or we can do |
| and the despair of the destruction we have | | | | something. We can learn to walk and ride our |
| caused there is the simple phrase, "Do | | | | bikes more often because, as my mother often |
| something." Global warming is reversible if | | | | said, "It won't kill you." We can turn off |
| we recognize the truth, claim responsibility | | | | lights and computers when we aren't using |
| for our part in causing it and correcting it, | | | | them. We can eat fresh, local foods instead |
| and then acting to correct it. | | | | of frozen foods that take ten times more |
| | | | energy to produce. We can turn our |
| While talking about his work, Gore has | | | | thermostats down two degrees in winter and up |
| mentioned that the Biblical truth of humanity | | | | two degrees in summer. Everything we do to |
| being caregivers of God's creation resonates | | | | reverse the effects of global warming will |
| with him as a person of faith. "Then God | | | | make a difference and heal the Earth. It is |
| said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, | | | | not too late. Yet. |
| according to our likeness, and let them have | | | | |
| dominion over the fish of the sea, and over | | | | We are each contributing to the problem of |
| the birds of the air, and over the cattle, | | | | global warming and we must each contribute to |
| and over all the wild animals of the earth, | | | | the solution. We owe this to ourselves, each |
| and over every creeping thing that creeps | | | | other and to God to care for what we have |
| upon the earth (Genesis 1:26)." While we are | | | | been given. We have a moral obligation and a |
| given dominion as caretakers, stewards of | | | | responsibility to our faith to leave our |
| God's abundant creation, the earth is still | | | | earth in better shape then we found it. We |
| God's domain. We are holding our planet in | | | | know better and we must do better, or we will |
| trust for each other and the generations that | | | | feel the consequences. And then it may be too |
| will follow us. | | | | late. |