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