Reaction Paper.. Hehe

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Al Gores presentation on global warming has opened minds across the globe.

He has set a level of awareness and elevated thinking through any reasonable persons logic concerning the well being of the planet. The theory has developed into facts, and consumers are making a conscious effort at the cash register by purchasing more Earthfriendly merchandise. Rather than conflict with the environment, consumer decisions and responsibilities play a major role in the prosperity and future of our planet. With the evolution of hybrid vehicles some consumers have made a commitment to affect the environment in a very positive way. Ahybrid car is a vehicle that combines two or more sources of power that can directly or indirectly provide propulsion power. Cities like Seattle have public busses that run on diesel but are also electric and powered by wires throughout the city. Once away from thesewires, the diesel engine starts to function as a second contributor to the movement of the bus, but the electric engine is mainly functioning throughout the lifespan of these public busses. This system produces a minimum amount of negative carbon released into the atmosphere. Although cities have adopted this requisite, people are starting to adjust to it as well. Not only does owning a hybrid vehicle benefit the future, but also getting extraordinary mileage to the gallon is economical. Consumers have also begun to recycle more frequently which benefits the planet because its resources are not being consumed at a much higher rate. By recycling simple everyday items, such as glass or plastic, resources can be replenished. The cost of recycling is very economical because everyone profits from it. Landfills are filled with some materials that are not biodegradable and recycling these items reduces not only the amount of waste in the landfills, but also keeps energy consumption and pollution down. For example,recycling the newspaper or any type of paper will prevent... -------------------------------------------------------Before It Is Too Late The current climate our planet has these days is unusually hot compared to the previous decades. This is so because of global warming. It has been Al Gores campaign during the U.S. federal elections since America has been the biggest contributors to global warming. However, Americans have not yet realized then how global warming could bring abrupt changes worldwide. All they were after was reform in their government. Global warming, as described in the film An Inconvenient Truth, is the trapping of green house grasses causing the earth to be hot and is bound to get worse over the years. It is because of the thinning of the ozone layer, which guards every living individual in the planet from the suns ultraviolet radiation. It is also mentioned that the more carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, the more heat is trapped in the earth. According to the researches in the film, 40% of the world is dependent with their drinking water from the rivers and springs of Himalayas. Antarctica, Patagonia and other parts of the world covered with ice are gradually melting. Dry lands, on the other hand, get parched, thus making it unsuitable for vegetation. The comparison of carbon dioxide composition in the atmosphere for the past 600,000 years has been shown in the film and for the graph for year 2005 was way shoddier to the previous years. This year had the highest carbon dioxide composition in the atmosphere. With global warming, there will also be a relocation of precipitation, which means that some places experience a lot of typhoons and rain showers while others drought. The hurricane Katrina is the strongest one that has stricken North America, and is a proof of the global warming taking place in our planet. It is because bodies of water warm up fast, and with warm bodies of water, hurricane can take place anytime. The fast change in seasons is also one of the many outcomes of global warming. Countries in the Artic and Antarctic Circle experience early spring and late fall. Also, polar ice caps in Antarctica have been found out to decrease by 40% over the years. Thirty kinds of diseases have emerged with the unforeseen changes in climate most popular among these are the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or commonly known as SARS and the Avian Flu. Even the corals beneath the oceans and seas are affected by global warming. They experience bleaching, thus loosing its life, making it unsuitable for sanctuary for the school of fishes. Personally, I believe that human life should be valued more than political issues. People in America tend to be much involved on how their countrys leaders administer their nation. Unaware, Al Gores proposals could save a million lives and not their state alone since global warming is a worldwide dilemma. The film is highly informative and an eye-opener. We always have tendencies neglect environmental issues. We do not know what will be the consequences of our irresponsibility. The hurricane Katrina may just be ahors d'oeuvre (read: starter) to all the big adversities. Maybe its a sign that our earth is in danger. Our perception of a clean environment is a garbage-free-pollution-free environment. It does not polish off at that matter. There are also other matters we should consider such as this issue and others that are bound to bring a much catastrophic consequence. When God created the earth, he told man to take care of His creations that is why He created man as the highest form of being from the other creations. Man is given the gift freewill and the ability to think to bring about positive changes in the world He created. But are we giving justice to the gifts he has given? The answer lies to both you and me. Global warming may be disregarded by most because it may not be a big crisis as for now. But who knows? The Mother Earth might just get furious to us and get our lives in a blink if an eye because of our being negligent to its needs. Act now. Before its too late.

An Inconvenient Truth Reaction Paper The documentary An Inconvenient Truth is all about Global warming. Al Gore explained it clearly and very reasonably. As to my reaction, this documentary makes a big disturbance in my mind due to what I have seen and what I have heard. I have realized that Global Warming is to powerful that it can make the giant glaciers melt in just half a week or in just a day but that is not the only consequence of the Global warming. As Al Gore said, it was very astonishingly that neither every living things nor the non-living thing in the Earth experience the enormous changes in our natural world. Let me explain the Global warming very shortly so that as you read this reaction paper you can ascertain another theory: Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the earth's surface. Since the late 1800's, the average temperature has increased about 0.3 to 0.8 degree Celsius. Scientists disagree about the causes and potential impact of this warming trend. Global warming affects many aspects of the environment, including sea levels, coastlines, agriculture, forestry, and wildlife. Continued global warming could have a beneficial impact in some areas and a harmful impact in others. For example, people could begin to farm in regions where it is currently too cold. At the same time, global warming could cause sea levels to rise and thereby increase the threat of flooding in low-lying coastal areas, many of which are densely populated. Global warming affects many aspects of the environment, including sea levels, coastlines, agriculture, forestry, and wildlife. Continued global warming could have a beneficial impact in some areas and a harmful impact in others. For example, people could begin to farm in regions where it is currently too cold. At the same time, global warming could cause sea levels to rise and thereby increase the threat of flooding in low-lying coastal areas, many of which are densely populated. As I continue my reaction on this issue, I have perceived that we Filipinos also make a version for An Inconvenient Truth the title was Signos. Signos also talk about Global warming but it only focus on our country. If the Global warming continues, Al Gore estimated that more or less, ten years many countries would be permanently snow under by water because the melted ice in the North Pole makes the ocean rise by 20 to 40 feet it was very hard to think that it can happen around 2020s. Global warming is not like a math problem that can be solve in just a minute but it requires a long time to solve because as long as the CO2(carbon dioxide) and CFC(chloro floro carbon) that causes the damage in the Ozone layer subsist in our environment this thing cannot be solve. To prevent Global warming all countries should amalgamate in one team so that it is not hard to make plans and decisions. We as individual can also make ways in simply minimize the use of cars so that the gas in the air is lighter, thru stop burning rubber, plastics, papers, and any processed materials in simply as that. Therefore, before I end my reaction paper I research that Al Gore was also an author, he wrote the Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit in 1992. As we look at this, we will know that from the start Al gore was a nature lover so for my theory if Al Gore won the presidential election he can make a massive contribute to prevent Global warming. Last question I want to ask if you want to go back to Ice age? If yes just let the Global warming continues but if you want a good life for your successors please try oh, sorry do not try but make way to prevent Global warming and in any angle we look at this topic it says that we should take care of our Mother Earth.

In the film documentary An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore primarily discusses the topic of global warming and the possible adverse effects that the world may have to face due to unawareness of this significant issue. In the movie, Gore seems to portray the general public as careless towards the matter. This is what I believe led his determination to let the issue be brought into further detail such as portraying the very serious and severe effects on many, if not all, parts of the world. Although the general consensus by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is not one hundred percent positive on the direct cause of global warming, it has been stated that The Earth's climate changes in response to external forcing, including variations in its orbit around the Sun, orbital forcing, changes in solar luminosity, volcanic eruptions, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations (Bard). Among these the only issue that we as humans can actually help to resolve is the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced, and try to help curve the accelerating depletion of our ozone layer. Gore focuses on topics of greenhouse gas emissions, such as the relationship between CO2 levels and global temperature, the actions that can be taken to decrease global CO2 levels. To further reiterate the issue, Gore goes into detail about the melting of land-based ice and the impact it will have on global water levels, and the severe global impact of the arctic polar ice cap melting. The term Greenhouse Gases generally defines the gases in our atmosphere which keep the earth at an inhabitable temperate climate. Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Ozone and Chlorofluorocarbons are all among the greenhouse gases existing in the atmosphere. A focus Al Gore emphasizes on in the film is the relationship between CO2 levels and its effect on the overall global temperature. One primary piece of evidence Gore uses in this specific argument is the Keeling Curve which is a graph showing the

variation in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since 1958. The graph is based on continuous measurements taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii under the supervision of Charles David Keeling. Keeling's measurements showed the first significant evidence of rapidly increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Many scientists credit Keeling's graph with first bringing the world's attention to the effects that human activity were having on the Earth's atmosphere and climate (Briggs). Another topic Gore brings into the picture, which in my opinion was a good topic to bring up because of the complete unawareness of the matter, is the subject of the melting of land-based ice and the impact it will have on global water levels. The retreat of glaciers all over the world has substantially increased dramatically just in the last century alone. Aside from watching An Inconvenient Truth, I actually went and researched on a lot of the glaciers and ice barriers around the world and personally found it astonishing on how many ice shelves have thawed out in the past century Hell, in the past twenty years! In the documentary, Gore discusses more so the effects that this ice rapidly melting will actually have on different parts of the world. One main impact the film had on me personally was his discussion of the possibility of the collapse of a major ice sheet in Greenland or in West Antarctica, either of which could raise global sea levels by approximately 20 feet, which in turn would cause the flooding of numerous coastal areas. Areas such as The Netherlands, parts of Northern Europe, the West Indies, and Florida would be completely drowned thus leaving millions homeless. Gore predicted that if either of these catastrophic events were to occur, over 100 million refugees would surface. Being a Florida resident, this obviously concerns me. I did some further investigation into this and retrieved these facts from the National Snow and Ice Data Center: The potential for major sea level rise depends mostly on a significant melting of the polar ice caps of Greenland and Antarctica, as this is where the vast majority of glacial ice is located. for at least the next 50 years, snowfall on the continent of Antarctica should continue to exceed glacial losses from global warming. The amount of glacial loss on the continent of Antarctica is not increasing significantly, although the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed in recent years, causing glacier retreat in that region.(BAS) If all the ice on the polar ice caps were to melt away, the oceans of the world would rise an estimated 70 m (230 ft). However, with little major melt expected in Antarctica, sea level rise of not more than 0.5 m (1.6 ft) is expected through the 21st century, with an average annual rise of 0.004 m (0.013 ft) per year. Thermal expansion of the world's oceans will contribute, independent of glacial melt, enough to double those figures. Another issue Gore brought up in the documentary was that melting water from Greenland, because of its lower salt content, could immobilize the currents that keep northern Europe warm and quickly trigger dramatic local cooling there. This would create a new Ice Age, leaving most of northern Europe completely uninhabitable due to the harsh climate. That kind of information would of course stir anybody up, but the matter to me is how accurate these conclusions actually are. Yes of course extensive research has been done and yada yada, but if all these facts are scientifically proven than why in the world is there so much controversy about all of it? Thats the significant fact that I can not simply come to terms with. The documentary ends with Gore arguing that if we take the appropriate actions that are necessary to prevent this soon, the effects of global warming can be successfully reversed. So what can us as people do to hinder this lunacy? Of course I am only exaggerating to a certain extent. Although there may not be much that we can do about stopping the polar ice caps from melting directly, there were key actions that Gore pointed out which could be taken to decrease global CO2 levels. By lowering global CO2 levels, this could modify the production of greenhouse gases burning through our protective ozone layer. This in turn would stop the increasing intrusion of the suns rays, lessening this global warming that we are enduring. Some steps that Al Gore suggested to take as individuals in this documentary were replacing regular light bulbs with fluorescents, driving less by taking public transit or carpooling, recycling more, using less hot water, being more conservative with electronic devices, adjusting your thermostat by 2 degrees, planting a tree, avoiding products with excessive packaging, and checking the inflation of your car tires to promote better gas mileage. All of these steps, if taken by the majority of the population, Gore believes can decrease global CO2 levels, thus stopping the progress of global warming. And if the process of global warming actually can be successfully stopped or reversed, the positive effect is our children and following descendents will still have a beautiful thriving world to live in. Ill close with Gores opening monologue to the documentary: You look at that river gently flowing by. You notice the leaves rustling with the wind. You hear the birds; you hear the tree frogs. In the distance you hear a cow. You feel the grass. The mud gives a little bit on the river bank. Its quiet; its peaceful. And all of a sudden, its a gear shift inside you. And its like taking a deep breath and going... 'Oh yeah, I forgot about this'. The documentary was not meant be an exploitation of the world coming to an end in any manner, as far as my opinion goes. But what Al Gore succeeded in doing a phenomenal job at was spreading the word about global warming and explaining that there are things that we as people can actually do to make earth live longer.

An Inconvenient Truth focuses on Al Gore and on his travels in support of his efforts to educate the public about the severity of the climate crisis. Gore says, "I've been trying to tell this story for a long time and I feel as if I've failed to get the message across."[6] The film documents a Keynote presentation (which Gore refers to as "the slide show") that Gore has presented throughout the world. It intersperses Gore's exploration of data and predictions regarding climate change and its potential for disaster with his own life story. The former vice president opens the film by greeting an audience with a joke: "I am Al Gore; I used to be the next President of the United States."[7] Gore then begins his slide show on climate change; a comprehensive presentation replete with detailed graphs, flow charts and stark visuals. Gore shows off several majestic photographs of the Earth taken from multiple space missions, Earthrise and The Blue Marble.[8] Gore notes that these photos dramatically transformed the way we see the Earth, helping spark modern environmentalism.

Following this, Gore shares anecdotes that inspired his interest in the issue, including his college education with early climate expert Roger Revelle at Harvard University, his sister's death from lung cancer and his young son's near-fatal car accident. Gore recalls a story from his grade-school years, where a fellow student asked his geography teacher about continental drift; in response, the teacher called the concept the "most ridiculous thing [he'd] ever heard." Gore ties this conclusion to the assumption that "the Earth is so big, we can't possibly have any lasting, harmful impact on the Earth's environment." For comic effect, Gore uses a clip from theFuturama episode "Crimes of the Hot" to describe the greenhouse effect. Gore refers to his loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 United States presidential election as a "hard blow" yet one which subsequently "brought into clear focus, the mission [he] had been pursuing for all these years." The Pale Blue Dot, a Voyager 1 photo showing Earth (circled) as a single pixel from 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometres) away, is featured in the film. Al Gore points out that all of human history has happened on that tiny pixel, which is our only home. Throughout the movie, Gore discusses the scientific opinion on climate change, as well as the present and future effects of global warming and stresses that climate change "is really not a political issue, so much as a moral one", describing the consequences he believes global climate change will produce if the amount of human-generated greenhouse gases is not significantly reduced in the very near future. Gore also presents Antarctic ice coring data showing CO2 levels higher now than in the past 650,000 years. The film includes segments intended to refute critics who say that global warming is unproven or that warming will be insignificant. For example, Gore discusses the possibility of the collapse of a major ice sheet in Greenland or in West Antarctica, either of which could raise global sea levels by approximately 30 feet (9 m), flooding coastal areas and producing 100 million refugees. Melt water from Greenland, because of its lower salinity, could then halt the currents that keep northern Europe warm and quickly trigger dramatic local cooling there. It also contains various short animated projections of what could happen to different animals more vulnerable to climate change. The documentary ends with Gore arguing that if appropriate actions are taken soon, the effects of global warming can be successfully reversed by releasing less CO2 and planting more vegetation to consume existing CO2. Gore calls upon his viewers to learn how they can help him in these efforts. Gore concludes the film by saying: "Each one of us is a cause of global warming, but each one of us can make choices to change that with the things we buy, the electricity we use, the cars we drive; we can make choices to bring our individual carbon emissions to zero. The solutions are in our hands, we just have to have the determination to make it happen. We have everything that we need to reduce carbon emissions, everything but political will. But in America, the will to act is a renewable resource."[9] During the film's end credits, a diaporama pops up on screen suggesting to viewers things at home they can do to combat climate change, including "recycle", "speak up in your community", "try to buy a hybrid vehicle" and "encourage everyone you know to watch this movie."[10] Gore's book of the same title was published concurrently with the theatrical release of the documentary. The book contains additional information, scientific analysis, and Gore's commentary on the issues presented in the documentary. [11] A 2007 documentary entitled An Update with Former Vice President Al Gore features Gore discussing additional information that came to light after the film was completed, such as Hurricane Katrina, coral reef depletion, glacial earthquake activity on the Greenland ice sheet, wildfires, and trapped methane gas release associated with permafrost melting.[12]

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