Gore's Disconnect

A comment from SUNY Purchase:
An Inconvenient Truth presents scientific concepts and evidence about global warming in a really clear and entertaining way. I do commend Al Gore and his crew on their efforts. That aside, I see a profound disconnect between Gore's analysis of the global warming issue and the political program that he advocates for dealing with it. First he speaks of the severity of the situation, the 'magnitude of the crisis', but he then suggests that the problem of global warming could be solved fairly easily by producing (and using) more energy-efficient cars or by individuals turning down thermostats and shutting off lights.

I think it should be clear that Gore himself is representative of the capitalist and imperialist class in the US and can only approach global warming with the perspective he holds. There may be a question of whether Gore really cares about global warming or is using the issue for political purposes. My point, and I think your's, as evident in A Really Inconvenient Truth, is that Gore's class position and perspective blind him from being able to assess the real causes and solutions to the global warming crisis.

I commend you on your efforts in properly addressing the issue. Gore's analysis suggests three issues, rapid population growth, increased technology, and not thinking about the environment as root causes of the crisis. While important, I agree with you that they are not key; global warming and the destruction of the environment is rooted in a global system of capitalism, where production is determined not by social needs or environmental sustainability but by profitability and where a few countries dominate the global economy.

NOTE: Gore mentions that nearly 30% of the CO2 released into the atmosphere each year is the result of burning brushland for subsistence agriculture and wood fires for cooking. I don't think he mentions, though, that the burning of forests is not being done by 'peasants' in the third world without reason. I believe it's occurring because perhaps globalization is forcing people off of lands where their families have farmed for quite some time – and in order to survive, people are driven by necessity to burn down forests for farmland. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know.

An Inconvenient Truth was a success in increasing awareness of a pressing issue, but the proposed solutions are unsuitable. If your target audience is receptive to the message of your film we may eventually have some sort of major organized effort.

I'm not sure of what Marx was saying the following in regards to, or if it is really inline with your film, but maybe you can throw it in somewhere. It is from Capital. "From the standpoint of higher economic forms of society [socialism and communism], private ownership of the globe by single individuals will appear quite as absurd as private ownership of one man by another. Even a whole society, a nation, or even all simultaneously existing societies taken together, are not owners of the globe. They are only its possessors…they must hand it down to succeeding generations in an improved condition."

I found the following to sum up my thoughts aptly. "While we need to fight every possible battle to force companies and especially governments to implement measures that can make a big difference, nothing short of making revolution in every country when the opportunity arises and overthrowing the global imperialist system can fully unleash the powers of humanity to face this problem. The magnitude of global warming crosses all geographic, national, cultural and social boundaries, and the solution lies in a radical political and social rupture…". I think your film has great potential. I'm sure it will be well received. ---M.I. SUNY Purchase