College of Engineering and Architecture

Holy Angel University

Angeles City

An Inconvenient Truth: Reaction Paper

Submitted To:

Prof. Ruby Pineda-Henson, Ph. D.

Submitted By:

Galang, Jervin N.

I – 301

December 18, 2010

 The film, An Inconvenient Truth, is a 2006 documentary about Albert Arnold
“Al” Gore, Jr. and his campaign to educate and somehow save citizens all over the world
from ignorance concerning global warming. The film features clips of Al Gore’s personal
life and political life. These clips can be compared to the events that are happening
globally. A good example is the part where he shared the story of his sister Nancy who
died of lung cancer due to her tobacco smoking at an early age. We can conclude that we
should be aware and conscious enough of our actions concerning our environment
because we abuse it, there will come a day that we will become the victims of our own
wrongdoings.

As I watch the film, I realize that human activities have caused these numerous
environmental problems. These environmental problems are similar to a domino effect or
a chain reaction which continue to ruin the balance in nature and affect almost every part
of the world.

One problem discussed by Al Gore is the thickening of the atmosphere which is

caused by pollution especially the greenhouse gas emissions. The inequality between the
vegetations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres contributed to the fluctuating but
increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There is a fewer
vegetation in the Southern Hemisphere as compared in that of the Northern Hemisphere.
The thickening of the atmosphere is also caused by unrestricted fossil fuel burning and
various industrial activities which releases great quantities of harmful substances
particularly carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Deforestation results to fewer trees and
plants which are valuable in absorbing huge amounts of carbon dioxide. The thickening
of the atmosphere and the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
affects the global temperature. The temperature becomes higher and warmer because the
infrared waves that are supposed to leave the earth are trapped by these greenhouse gases
leading to global warming. Consequently, this will result to heat waves causing an
increase in the mortality rate all over the world. It will also result to shortage in the
supply of useful and quality water for the use and consumption of people, agriculture and
industries.
 The increase in ocean temperature is also a big concern because it results to
stronger calamities like storms, typhoons, hurricane, and tornados. This anomaly in the
ocean temperature alters the climate and weather conditions in most areas. Such incidents
are the first-ever recorded hurricane in the South Atlantic, the hurricane Dennis in Florida
which resulted to a major damage to the oil industry. It is explained that hurricane
intensity grows as oceans heat up. There are also findings that there is not only an
abnormality in the precipitation but there is also the relocation of the precipitation
causing major floods in some areas while some areas experience extreme droughts. This
is due to soil evaporation which sucks moisture out of the soil.

The melting of ice caps is also an alarming issue today because this might cause
an increase in sea level and loss of biodiversity. It is shown that open oceans are warmed
by the sun and this speeds up the melting of ice caps. These ice caps are very valuable
because they act as giant mirrors which keep the earth cooler by bouncing off sun rays
from the surface. This is not good for organisms particularly the polar bears, which are
found to be drowning at an increasing rate due to loss of habitats. The rising of sea level
is caused by the melting of land-based ice. This can be rooted from the water in the water
pools on ice being sipped back to the ice forming lakes and then penetrating to the bottom
forming moulins which then lubricates the interface between the ice and the bedrock.
This will now speed up the melting giving rise to sea level. Experts already assumed that
it will not be long enough before the water level will invade land masses and cover
coastal areas and land inhabited by people.

Seasons around the globe are also affected causing a major impact on ecological
niches. The way of living of most animals and plants are affected throughout the year and
they find it hard to adapt because of too much alterations and changes in the ecosystems.
There are also findings and discoveries of new viruses causing the emergence of new
diseases and possible reemergence of certain diseases. With these events happening at a
tremendous rate, extinction of species will continue to increase and people will be
vulnerable to numerous diseases.
 Al Gore discussed the factors that cause collision between civilization and earth.
Population is a major factor that leads to environmental problems because as the
population grows, there is also an increase in food demand, water demand, and need for
natural resources. Another cause of environmental problems is the scientific and
technological revolution which requires and utilizes all the available resources on earth to
satisfy human necessities and luxuries.

In saving the earth, there is no other time than now. We should wake up and make
our first step in saving our only home. As an individual, I have to contribute and do my
own share to protect the environment. Doing energy-saving stuffs like limiting the
electricity consumption every month and using energy-efficient appliances is a good start.
I will also avoid waste materials and pollutants such as plastics to lessen the increase of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and also to prevent floods from occurring in our
community. I also ride my bicycle or even just walk whenever I go ten or fifteen blocks
away from our house. I can also help in planting trees and shrubs in our backyard. We are
also planning to practice reusing and recycling our old and waste materials. In a larger
scale, nations should have the political will, unity and cooperation to save the
environment. Industries should limit and maintain low emissions of greenhouse gases.
They should maximize the utility of natural resources and aimed for efficiency and
effectiveness. Sustainable development and waste minimization are the best solutions
which should be practiced by industries.

I stay positive and remain optimistic that it is not yet too late for us to change our
ways. Also, we should not take this issue very lightly because our future and the future of
the next generations are at stake. We should think and act now.