An Inconvenient truth- Watch for message not the databy | 15-11-2014 23:18 |
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How many of you think that our earth is warming? I believe the answer is Yes from all. Global warming is arguably universally accepted fact now. However the situation was not same in early 2000s, not at least till "An Inconvenient Truth" by ex Vice President of USA was screened in public in 2006. The documentary won many awards while it also earned wide popularity for instilling awareness on global warming but also gained criticism for exaggeration and misinterpretation of few facts. Here is what I think of the video and discussion made on sea level rise. At present there is no doubt globe is warming and Gore had rightly addressed the issue on time to grab global attention to act responsibly for protection of the planet. However the data few data are incorrect data such as rise in sea level. Though Gore mentioned 30 feet rise is sea level, IPCC (2007) reports projects rise in sea level between 0.22-0.44 meter sabove the sea level in 1990. But it is mentioned that if ?the complete meltdown of Greenland push sea level rise to 23 feet, enough to submerge London? (National Geography, n.d.). Meanwhile, Gore has mentioned much about contribution of melting ice in Artic, Antartica and Greenland for the consequent sea level rise but not the glacier melt in the Himalayas. Though the contribution of glacier melt in sea level may not be as voluminous as the ice melting in Artic, Antartica and Greenland, it is necessary to reveal the associated facts. Apart from all, Gore though convinced that sea level rise is due to ice and glacier melting he fails to mention about other factors contributing to sea level rise. According to IPCC (2013) report the thermal expansion of water and reduction of water storage in land also contribute in sea level rise, which has not been mentioned in his presentation. According to IPCC (2007), "thermal expansion is projected to contribute more than half of average rise." Beside some missing information, I feel the target audiences of the video are the citizens and politician of developed world more than the developing countries and moreover the countries linked to sea. From the perspective of citizen of country having less contribution to global warming, video talking more on the context of sea level change and poles, we Nepalese are less likely to establish a better relation with it. It has mentioned glacier retreat in Nepal as impact of global warming and its subsequent impact upon 40 million people dependent on freshwater from the mountains. Apart from that there is no mentioning of impact of global warming in mountainous countries like Nepal. However, watching the video as global citizen surely will give everyone goose bumps and instill fear and consciousness in mind. It is a must watch video for all however one should not believe in every data presented. Rather it could be taken as a reference of what people are doing to the planet and how we are likely to suffer if we fail to address the issue of global warming. Moreover the video has well presented tackling to global warming as ?moral responsibility of people?, inspiring to think about future generation as well- a notion of sustainability. |
