I’m bewildered by the recent kill-the-messenger noise around Al Gore. The guy is being crucified for everything from the size of his home to how he travels. Which, of course, distracts – as it’s intended to do – from his message that the planet is rapidly heating up and we’re all going to be sizzling like bacon in a skillet if we don’t smarten up. But what I’m particularly incensed about is the latest attack, as featured on the front page of the National Post, about how his documentary An Inconvenient Truth is “one-sided.” Students and parents are, apparently, annoyed that teachers are showing this video and presenting it as truth. What about the other side? they argue. Where are the climate change skeptics in all this? Why aren’t children being shown that side? While I think climate change skeptics simply haven’t done their own homework, I, like any good democrat, believe they’re entitled to their view. And I believe that view should be presented in a classroom. But why is Al Gore such a target for criticism? Because Al Gore is a convenient target. He’s rich. He’s white. He’s powerful. And he’s telling us something we don’t want to hear. Something that – if true – is terrifying.
I also wonder what’s to be gained by disputing his message. Let’s say the skeptics are right and that climate change is the earth’s natural cycle. Does that mean we should continue to spew pollutants into the air we breathe at a rate far greater than ever in history? Does that render clean water unnecessary? Should we not still try to protect the thousands of species that are teetering on the brink of extinction thanks to clear-cutting?
The way I see it, this planet – however long it can sustain us – is our home. And it only makes sense as responsbile homeowners to take care of it. Just as I don’t want to live in a shack with a leaky roof, tainted water and a temperamental heating system, I don’t want my children to live out their days on a planet that’s clearly gasping.
So let’s stop this nonsense about Al Gore and his house. And Al Gore and his “one-sided” documentary. And let’s start cleaning up our mess. We can continue any lively debate as we do so – it will help pass the time.