Response to film “An Inconvenient Truth”
I thought that the film An Inconvenient Truth was a very effective piece of risk communication on the issue of global warming. In his presentation, Al Gore effectively uses a mix of language and visuals to instill the importance of his message in the viewers. The placement of this presentation in a documentary gives an additional point of view from which the viewer is able to consider the substance of the presentation and the man giving the presentation. Being within a documentary, the message is given a more personal aspect, for the viewer gains a better understanding of the reasons and credentials that Al Gore has for giving these presentations. Some of the things we get from the documentary, which we would not have just from the presentation, include certain life experiences that drew him to this cause, the research, study, and investigation that he has done on this topic which qualifies him as a good source of information, and the personal experience, such as the death of his sister and the accident of his son, which directed him to these important realizations concerning the urgency of the global warming problem. With this insight, the message is more personalized and, therefore, more appealing.
With the issue of global warming, there is much at stake. One of the things that Gore emphasizes as being at stake is our ability to live on the earth and continue to have it as our home. His appeal is that planet earth is our only place to live therefore all people should make it their responsibility to protect it. I feel that this appeal is very effective because of the very strong tie that everyone has to their home. There is a certain emotional component to this reference that cannot go undetected by the viewer. It is an appeal that is universally understood, having the same effect on people no matter their home country. In addition, Gore acknowledges the stake of our future generations and the effects that our actions now have on their wellbeing.
I liked the way Gore uses undeniable evidence to show that our influence on global warming is causing significant problems to the environment. For instance, he discusses the testing that has been done and observations made by extracting a drilling of ice that shows yearly differences among ice layers. It was interesting how he notes that scientists can tell when a certain year was in the ice layer by the amount of CO2 found in the section. Also, the pictures he compares against each other of how glaciers looked years ago as compared to today were very compelling evidence to evoke sentiments of the urgency for change.
In relating the information to his audience, Gore deals with the challenge of getting through to people without the interference of politics. Many people in the audience might have had initial reservations about what Gore would say because of his political background. I was leery about the information that would be presented by Gore before I watched the documentary because I figured that there had to be some underlying political or personal ambition that motivated his presentations. However, I soon found that this was not really the case. Gore tries to gain support across party lines for this issue. He does not include much in the way of politics in speaking on this issue. The references he does make are positive ones, such as when he states that this issue has nothing to do with what political party you are in, but that it is an issue that affects all of society, regardless. He appeals to the audience that this concern is an ethical one and should be properly considered by everyone for the benefit of all.
Throughout the documentary, Gore establishes a strong appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos. He establishes his ethos right away with his remark that he “was the next president of the United States.” His authority on this topic is perceived by the audience since they are aware of his prominent place in politics, which allows him access to an abundance of inside information. Yet, more convincing is that fact that he shares with the audience that he had organized hearings on the subject of global warming when he was in the Senate, that he wrote a book on this topic, and that he has made multiple trips to places of the world where scientists are in the process of collecting data and making observations. He also establishes an appeal to ethos in the way that he presents himself. He establishes a sense of his goodwill among the viewers, as he does not advocate a political stance, but rather shows his sincerity and concern for the issue without limitation. References to his childhood and family life on the farm also give the audience a more approachable and trustworthy figure as they judge the source of the information that he presents. He presents the audience with a more down-to-earth figure who can be related with. Gore’s appeal to pathos comes through in the way that he emphasizes the seriousness of this issue. He makes that audience entirely aware of the fact that this issue directly affects everyone and so everyone has the obligation to play their part in order to fix it. He acknowledges the issue of global warming as ethical or moral issue. He really emphasizes the fact that the way people choose to act regarding this issue does not just affect them, but everyone else around them, so a heavy responsibility rests on their shoulders to act in the best interest of all people. That is, without question, to work to solve or mitigate the problems that cause global warming. The majority of people hold ethical and moral concerns as high priorities. By placing the issue in this context, he is able to touch upon an emotional component held by the viewer and therefore enabling him to more effectively incite the viewer to act. In addition, his use of visuals and humor provides a solid appeal to pathos. These elements help him relate his information more effectively to his audience. The visuals help the audience to see the concrete effects that global warming has on the earth. By explaining how global warming contributes greatly to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts, as well as how it has serious implications on the lives of wild animals, such as polar bear and birds, Gore illicit concern from the viewer. Gore also firmly appeals to logos with respect to examples and visual evidence he gives. For example, in citing the extent of agreement that exists among the scientific community with regards to the seriousness of the issue of global warming and society’s contribution to it, Gore leaves it hard to argue against his position.
I was amazed by all that I had learned from the documentary. I realize that a lot of the success in getting the seriousness of the issue through to me was due to the effectiveness of Gore’s presentation.
