AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH by Carolyn C. Holland

Earth nears warmest in million years…This means El Nino may become more violent, scientists write in a paper…headline for a Reuters news service article Sept. 26, 2006

United Nations climate talks involving 189 nations start this week in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to negotiate a successor to the U. N.’s Protocal beyond 2012…"a British government-backed report published Monday (10-30) painted an apocalyptic picture about failure to act on global warming…"said Ashok Sinha (director of Stop Climate Chaos) “We are getting people to look at the total carbon emission of their lives and to start making adjustments, because every single bit helps. We are talking about personal actions but it is also building up pressure on governments to take action to stop the destruction of the planet."...Reuters news service article

From a State University of New York at Buffalo newsletter: Gore's environmental record is unparalleled. His pioneering efforts to protect the earth's ozone layer and to clean up toxic-waste dumps were outlined in his best-selling book "Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit," which, recently made into a motion picture entitled "An Inconvenient Truth," has received rave reviews.

We may have been in Maine but the issue confronting us wasn’t just local or even statewide. The issue involves all New England, the nation and the continent. It is a global issue that many authorities pooh-pooh and opinions conflict.

Monte’s alertness discovered the movie, An Inconvenient Truth, was showing at 6:30 pm one evening at Bath United Church of Christ, Maine. Its subject was global warming. Maine Interfaith Power and Light, a faith-based initiative on global warming, sponsored the film. Its premise is global warming is real, we are responsible for it and we can do something about it without ruining the American economy. But, as one review stated, “we’re running out of time."

The following comes from a review by Kevin Crust, LA Times staff writer

The environment has not resonated much with voters or politicians in the past, though the increasing popularity of hybrid cars and eco-friendly products and services might indicate a shift in attitudes. That something so important (global warming) could be largely ignored for so long is almost inconceivable, and (the film analyzes the reasons). A 2004 Science magazine survey of more than 900 peer-reviewed academic papers…(on global warming) found that all supported the reality while none contested it. However, a like sampling of mainstream media found that 53% of the stories portrayed global warming as something that was in doubt in the scientific community.

Gore…(explains) the basic science behind climate change and the accelerated rise in temperatures since the 1970s…The potential for dreaded heaviosity is leavened at times by his dry wit and humorous moments…

Real and projected catastrophes reveal what is at stake. Glacier erosion, the threat to wildlife and the spread of deadly viruses make for some terrifying scenarios. Hurricane Katrina and other weather-related disasters that occurred in late 2005 are included, giving the film a sense of timeliness and a powerful visual element, which Gore compares to "a nature hike through the Book of Revelation."

The other strong point that Gore makes is to dispute the "either/or" argument presented by big business when it comes to making the necessary changes. He uses Upton Sinclair's quote, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it," to not-so-subtly stress the motivation behind this line of thinking.

THE FILM 40 minutes

I did a lousy job at taking notes, so when the summary arose and stated there were three points, I only caught the third one: our way of thinking must change.

We bury our heads in the sand to avoid a moral imperative to act.

There are three misconceptions. The first states scientists disagree about global warming. The second is that we must choose between the environment and the economy. Finally, if we accept the problem is real, we feel it’s too big to do something about.

The movie presented convincing evidence of global warming. The facts lead to An Inconvenient Truth.

DISCUSSION

The movie was followed by a discussion between nine adults, two leaders, a child about nine, Monte and myself. The adults were about from their late 30s into the 60s.

Clair Berkowitz, Mission Coordinator at the church, and Erica Morgan, a Maine Interfaith Power and Light (MIPL) board member, lead the discussion.

MIPL, part of a national effort, is an organization “Inspired by diverse faith perspectives…that works to protect the natural world from climate change by engaging the faith communities and people of Maine in energy conservation and the use of clean, renewable energy." (Quote is from the MIPL flier.) One of its purposes is to connect people motivated to protect the planet, Morgan said.

MIPL, formed in 2002, is one of the first IPLs in the nation (to locate your state’s participation view www.interfaithPowerandLight.org).

IPL offered congregations nationwide the opportunity to offer free DVD showings of the An Inconvenient Truth, prepared and presented by Al Gore, during October. My niece said it was showing at her church the weekend after we climbed Schoodic Mountain, Oct. 15. MIPL leaders said they were using their DVD as many times as possible.

I wasn’t always certain whether Dave or Steve made some of the comments below, so if I attributed the statements wrong, I apologize. (We were on vacation and I wasn’t oriented to article note taking.) Both work to spread the word: the world needs to take action to prevent global warming. One of them regrets a politician with political motivation made the movie.

If I didn’t know which group member commented I attributed it to “X."

Last spring Dave organized a group to stand on the Bath Bridge holding signs warning people about global warming.

“I feel we’ve been riding a wave since," he said, noting he tried to get publicity but none came from the newspapers.

Steve, spurred on by reading a Global Warming issue of Time Magazine with a polar bear on the cover, designed several bumper stickers. The profits of one go toward… He hasn’t a way to sell them but may get a web site.

“I felt in outer space, isolated, until the movie came out," he said. “I want to do the bumper sticker because I was the first constituent to mention to a congressman about global warming. I want to get the word out."

Media hasn’t hooked up the connection between floods etc. and global warming, Steve noted. But since the movie An Inconvenient Truth, there have been several supportive news items.

“They’re on board now, they can’t go back. To me, this is huge."

“Among my peers, I don’t see so much concern," Berkowitz noted. “How does one get them to understand? There’s such denial."

A comment (from the movie trailer) by Upton Sinclair: It’s hard to get someone to understand something if his salary depends on his not understanding it.

“Ask them ‘Have you noticed changes in your own back yard? In your bird feeding, snow levels, water levels?’" Morgan answered.

There is much despair among people that their actions are ineffective. Overcoming that is hard, according to X.

MIPL has information on their web site. They encourage of the use of green power, which has a lot of interest but low advertisement. 4000 residences use green power and businesses and institutions are starting to do the same.

100% of Maine Clean Power is produced by the Worumbo low-impact hydro dam in Lisbon. It is anticipated that 20 percent of renewal energy will be provided by wind power in the future.

Customers are waiting to buy from Redington Mountain wind power site and Trans Canada Power.

Dave said a Methodist church in a small German town uses green power…it’s happening in quaint little village churches, based on direct church involvement.

We talk about climate-caring, and we have an agreement to use the faith community, Morgan said. “The response is overwhelming."

Berkowitz raised a problem of her church has with changing to green power, which they consider a moral imperative.

“It costs 12 cents per kwh for green power, and 7 cents per kwh otherwise," she said.

Morgan said there are green tags that provide for partial green use, and congregations earn credit by publicizing green power in their communities.

Berkowitz also noted that the start up costs for solar energy is prohibitive, but remains a vision for her church.

According to Morgan, Maine is considering four to five wind power projects, including Redington Mountain and Mars Hill (will be on-line soon.)

“We have the wind and the sites," she said. “Each could provide energy for 33,000 homes."

The question is who would buy and the location of the markets. Businesses can set their own percent of total energy use goal.

“One fabric-production business has a 100% goal. It is starting to use recycled plastic for their fabric production."

 “We have to start making an impression with the kids," X said. “They feel ‘I can drive, I will I can have it, I will have it.’ There is no sacrifice anymore."

Morgan suggested asking kids to translate their energy use. For example, where can they conserve energy to offset their driving use?

“What about energy efficient contests, a school challenge contest: who can cut the most carbon use?" X suggested.

Another issue is involves use of separate buildings for churches, commented Berkowitz. “We’re all sitting in (underused) buildings, why can’t we share, why can’t we carpool? It’s the inconvenience of it. We say we don’t do it that way, instead of seeing we’re all of one faith. We need to close some buildings. The 7th day Adventists worship on Saturday, we worship on Sundays."

“The problem is no one wants to give up their own place," Morgan responded. “You need to build a new building. You have to make it theirs in some way."

Awareness and consciousness need to be created, Steve said. There must be a total change.

“I can argue that the gas price decrease is bad," X interjected.

When Morgan asked what each of us could do to create a carbon freeze, Berkowitz responded, “Give up all taxes but a carbon tax."

Morgan noted Pennsylvania, with deregulated electric, is the most aggressive area in reinvesting in green via windmills. U. S. manufacturers of large windmills moved from Spain to that state. 

X asked “How can we work together on the issue," noting different organizations do the same thing and could save by joining forces.

“There’s an enormous connection between global warming and hunger. Both issues should coordinate their actions. Why reinvent the wheel when it’s already been done? I hold that out to you as a possibility."

A NOVA program, The Dimming Sun, takes over where Al Gore breaks off, according to Steve.

I’ll end with a comment from Morgan: the problem is every one of us, and everything we do.

Religious leaders (the Rev. Paul De Vries, president of the New York Divinity       School, Tony Campolo and the Rev. Gerald Durley, an Atlanta civil rights leader) are promoting a new documentary about global warming to raise awareness about environmental concerns among houses of worship. "The Great Warming," was released in November, 2006.