The film 'An Inconvenient Truth' to be sent to all secondary schools.

[worldgonewild]

Announced here on David Miliband's blog . Good idea or not, you can let him know direct!

no, of course not. But two wrongs don't make a right. And the reason coal fired power stations and rain forest cutting is still happening is, as i said earlier, because govts don't want to stop. they could, and there are alternatives, but they won't. And that makes me bloody seething.

I agree with Uwila: it's not that I am saying do nothing. In fact I am doing what I can. But I also think governemnts could do more. I have a genuine concern that governements could choose to ignore or discredit such reports if themodels that they are using (and they are only copmuter models) prove to be wrong.

I also agree that it is porbably that global warming is happening - although wther it is due to Man or to some other not-yet-understood mechanism of earth's climate, we don't really yet know. But Man certainly can't be helping.

(and by the way, recent changes in temepratures are not "unprecedented": the UK has both been signifciantly hotter and signficantly colder within the last 10,000 years. Even within the last 1,000 years, there have been wide temperature variations)

I'd like to see our own governemtn doing more to actively help the popultation. With the new airport tax, supposedly a "green" tax, where is the reciprocal increase in subsidy for public transport to encourage a greener alternative such as rail?

I liked the recent david Attenborough documentary (it might have been a repeat) which described jhow one consultant said the required redcution in CO2 ouptut was possible if we broke it down into seven chunks.

Can't remember all the "slivers" but it was something like

1. Use energy savings bulbs (even if we all jsut replaced one or two bulbs, it would make a massive difference). Swtich off/unplug things that are on stand-by.

1. Recycle/compost etc

1. Increase Nuclear power ( I know there are other problems with it - but at least it can, for the moment, be contained)

1. More efficeint cars - even just by 10%

1. Use more renewable energy - wave or wind power

1. Use more public transport

1. Turn down the heating by a few degrees

There was also something like use a gas hob instead of an electric hob - not sure where that would fit in.

I do all of the above. I could probalby use more public trnasport, and my job requires that I fly down to London frequently (my boss requires me to have fac-to-face meetings - phone calls/video conferecnes don't count). I also fly for pelasure - both short and long haul and really should think about doing so (reputable) carbon offsetting).

There's a lot more I could do.

This is a case of "think globally, act locally" - but at the same time, the governemtns also need to do thier bit with stopping the logging of the rain forests, helping China have its own Industrial Revolution without resorting to dirty coal, etc.

Well said prettybird!

Oh what a good idea.

sorry NQC my frustration was not directed at you.

sorry NQC my frustration was not directed at you.

Huh? No worries.

I just get annoyed that that whole "Gore claimed to have invented the internet" thing is still going around.

I too think it's startling we're still arguing about this. In my heart of hearts, I wish I could bring myself to be skeptical about this, I'd be a lot happier.

I don't think our climate shifts are remotely unprecedented actually. In fact we have been much hotter and much colder in the past. In the Middle Ages Europe was much warmer than it is now. I'm just commenting on some of the comments on this thread, which seem to imply otherwise. Despite this, the entire population didn't drown

We have been hotter and colder. But we haven't changed temperature this quickly before, from what I know.

(I feel compelled to point out that I can't stand Al Gore really, largely for the reason of Tipper, and haven't seen this movie.)

Not sure that's true, but happy to look at any evidence. But I do know the hole in the ozone layer is getting smaller.

Canute thought he could halt the sea, the rest of us think we can change the climate

climate WILL change without our help

Yes we all know climate changes naturally. What appears to be happening currently is that human activity is exacerbating the situation. That is; unchecked population growth; land use change (eg. slash & burn of rainforests); 100 years of massive fossil fuel emissions and so on.

Arguing the toss over whether or not humans are causing this or that percentage of the current climate changes is not going to get anyone anywhere. Changes are happening, we're a part of it and if we want to we can be a part of the solution; lessening our impact upon our surroundings, which most people here appear to be doing anyway!

As for the bigger issues on a global level, well, we're kinda relying on the leaders from all areas of society to deal with this. Not much we can do realistically (apart from the odd email!). But working for a better home/street/neighbourhood/town/city environment is something we all can do.

I think 'arguing the toss' is important if Al Gore's film is going to be used as educational material in schools. Is it accurate or is it propaganda? I haven't seen it, but I think if all our children are going to be taught something is a fact, using material designed not to be objective, then that is important. Well, it is to me. And surely TEACHERS should decide if they want to show this film, not blooming David Milliband.

the thing i really really really don't get about your position aloha (and uwila and prettybird etc) is that even if you don't believe in global warming, surely the use of renewables and sustainables is a no-brainer. There are plenty of awful consequences of our fossil fuel guzzling consumerist societies without the fact that the icecap is melting: fishstocks are fucked, we rely on a fuel that is non-renewable, running out (we've reached tipping point haven't we, last year i think) and extremely polluting, eczema and asthma rates in children are increasing due in large part to the chemicals in the air, the toys, the bedding, the clothes the food they eat ffs. We need to get out shit together regardless of whether the planet is getting warmer.

Al Gore's film may be a pile of old pants, but it opens the discussion doesn't it (vis this thread) and any teacher worth their salt will encourage pupils to critique shakespeare...let alone this.

Find me another film that addresses these issues and i'm perfectly happy to send that to schools, but please lets do send something?

Uwila, I think the company you work for plays a large part in your stance on this no?

I am very uneasy about the use of a propaganda movie - even a thoroughly well-intentioned one - being forced upon schools. What next? A movie about how the government Asylum policy is a wonderful thing imposed on all schools? If a teacher wishes to use this film, and feels it is appropriate, that is one thing, but to have it possibly imposed on schools is, IMO, wrong. It's not like David Attenborough's Blue Planet, for example. It is a political work. It may be brilliant, I haven't seen it, and I certainly don't think it should be banned from schools, but neither do I think it should be imposed.

well put sophable.

I don't think anything in this debate is a 'no-brainer' though (nearly typed no-brianer!). I think science in schools should never be that. For example, I am sure there are cases where recycling something is actually more polluting than not recycling it. And we should all question what recycling really means in terms of those blue plastic boxes outside our front doors. Where does this stuff actually go and what happens to it? Maybe it is more important to buy our furniture 'recycled' from junk shops than cheap, temporary stuff from Ikea and to stop buying throwaway clothes from Primark? But then what happens to the economies that supply these items?

Agree Aloha - also agree with sophable that whether the human race is having an impact or not, it makes sense to be green.

Scientists though are still NOT agree about global warming so I wish it would stop being proclaimed as a fact it's not.

Maybe they would go back to making well-made furniture that lasts and can be kept for years and re-cycled rather than shit made from balsa wood and plastic that falls apart before you get it home.

I fucking hate ikea

Hmm. Well, when I studied this breifly, I have to say, my conclusions lead me to fall into Aloha, Uwila etc camp.

The problem I have is that we havent been measuring climate for a particularly long period of time (compared to the age of the planet). We can do pretty good guestimates of the past though, but, by no means accurately.

There have been many changes to the climate across the world over millions of years. Most of those were deemed to have been caused by a single, catastrophic event, or the very slow movement of the tectonic plates over time. Thus, what we have done over the last 100 years.....well, we need more data and more comparisons really. Who's to say it wasnt inevitable anyway?

I thoroughly agree that we should do more to protect our environment though, more for the purpose of protecting wildlife and their habitats, and maintaining sustainability for our fuels and materials.

doesn't stop you going though? does it? eh? eh?????

Excuuuuse me
I made that point before Sophable did
(where are you soph?)

it does
i last went years ago

As I understand it the film is going to be sent to all secondary schools to make it available for use - not compulsory for use. So its just another resource for teachers to use appropriately. After all, teaching about global warming isn't new - its been on the science curriculum for ages....

and only bought candles
so ner