Review
A Convenient Classroom Package for an
Inconvenient Truth
Keith Ford*
When the coast of California
Sinks into the ocean
And the ice poles are water
And England’s green and pleasant land
Is all desert sandNo one will answer you when you call………………………….
Make me a drink Caroline
Tall and icy(From “California,” lyrics by Richard Butler)*

There is something about a song—a musical mood, a telling
lyric—that can carry a message in a succinct and effective way whenperhaps an hour’s worth of dry rhetoric and proselytizing remains
unconvincing. But come on, the coast of California sinking into theocean, and England all desert sand? Isn’t this taking global warming
too far? Well, yes, perhaps, but to a certain extent, isn’t selling theman-made global warming argument partly about playing on emotions
and relying on sentiment, fear and exaggeration? And using a popular
medium like music or film is undoubtedly one way to get across sucha serious message to a mass market. Indeed, one could say that this is
how Al Gore goes about trying to put across his message in the filmdocumentary An Inconvenient Truth, that through increased emissionsof carbon dioxide we—as opposed to a natural process of climate
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OnCUE Journalchange—are directly responsible for global warming and for all its
dreadful and seemingly apocalyptic consequences.
In having to deal with such a responsibility and potentially disastrous
reality, just like the character in the song above it is easy to reach fora drink in despair (“Tall and icy”—bitter glacial irony there perhaps?)
rather than face up to the horrendous future that may await the planet
for our children and future generations. But then hopefully, if we accept
that we are the cause, we can actually do something about it, andwithout attempting to excuse my own shameful inactivity or alcohol
consumption in response to any apparent crisis, perhaps something I
can do is encourage the next generation to really pick up the thematicoar when I belong to a generation that may well have missed the boat:
for as ELT agents we are undoubtedly in a privileged position to do
this, but hopefully without coming across to our students as being too
prescriptive. Using An Inconvenient Truth as classroom content is, Isuggest, one interesting and very visual way of doing this, while at thesame time keeping in mind the need to question some of the arguments
and evidence that it presents.
With a twice-weekly, first-year, high intermediate-level four
skills English class I used A Young Person’s Guide version of the An
Inconvenient Truth book in conjunction with the DVD of Al Gore’s
presentation and documentary, as well as providing my own vocabulary
lists and notes for helping students’ understanding of context andcultural references. A Young Person’s Guide follows the documentary
film almost exactly in terms of both content and language. Also, itworks as a relatively high-level graded reader in that it is a simplified
version of the original accompanying book. The readings are shorterand more concise while keeping the main ideas from the documentary
presentation and the keywords and concepts relating to geography,
climate, and other issues related to global warming. Also in the bookcan be found most of the excellent visual images that Gore uses as thebasis for his speech.
87FordInitially I used a PAL version of the DVD from the UK, which
unfortunately involved carting to class extra equipment, but theJapanese version of the DVD came out in Japan on 6th July 2007. It
has clear, accurate English captions and has many chapter divisions- 32 in all - with most chapters only a few minutes long and therefore
making it convenient when locating a particular section or using thechapter menu display. The timings and chapter references mentioned
below are from this Japanese version.
I used the DVD and some of the short readings from the book
as something of an experiment to challenge my class with an inputoriented project (reading, vocabulary preparation and video/listening)
after having already done projects/presentations on global issues anddeveloping countries that involved plenty of speaking opportunities.
We began the whole process with a short pair discussion/brainstorm
on causes, effects and solutions of global warming and to what extent
we are responsible.
I divided the DVD into four parts of about 20 minutes each, using itover four class periods. Conveniently, each part seemed to have a clear
focus: what global warming is and how it is caused (00.36 seconds to24.40), general effects of global warming (28.06 to 39.24 and 41.46 to51.25), effects with a specific focus on Antarctica and Greenland (54.13
to 1.09.29), and misconceptions and solutions (1.09.29 to 1.29.30).
Each viewing was preceded by vocabulary preparation and a few
short readings from the book (done for homework) highlighting some of
the main issues covered in each section of the documentary. I divided
each of the 20-minute parts again into two sections (of approximately
10 minutes each) and after viewing each of these sections students
answered some review questions. We then watched the whole 20minute section again and later checked answers. Finally, in the last
15 minutes of each class students wrote a 100-word summary of the20-minute section using the vocabulary sheets I had provided to help
them recall some of the main ideas and concepts and to recycle topic88

OnCUE Journal

related vocabulary. Given more time, as opposed to just four classes
at the end of the semester, the whole theme could well have been
extended into a mini research project as students might investigate
how an area and/or people of the world have been badly affectedby ice melting or rising sea levels, such as the Inuit in Alaska, or theinhabitants of the Pacific islands of Kiribati.
In addition to presenting the key points about global warming (e.
g., process, causes, effects), supported by charts, computer graphics
and cartoon images, Gore makes good use of a few literary referencesand quotations to support his argument. To demonstrate denial? MarkTwain: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble, it’swhat you know for sure that just ain’t so” (07.48). In cataloguing themisdeeds of a White House official in editing unfavorable researchfindings? Upton Sinclair: “It’s difficult to get a man to understandsomething when his salary depends on him not understanding it”(1.16.48). These quotes could well be used as freeze-frames in classwith further explanation from the instructor, discussion or multiple
choice questions about what point made in the documentary they
were used to exemplify.
As well as adding variety to his presentation style throughanecdotes, exceptional visuals and such quotation touches, there is agood deal of wit in dealing with this most serious of issues. There arealso some appropriate digs at a couple of former Republican presidents
demonstrating their contempt for the whole debate: Ronald Reagan(50.24) dismissing air pollution by making a trite comparison with
the Big Smokey haze in The Rockies as being the result of nitrogenoxides from decaying vegetation; Bush the elder in vitriolic mood anddefending business at all cost, damning Gore as “This guy is so far off
in the environmental extreme we’ll be up to our neck in owls and outof work for every American” (50. 40).
There are, however, a few points on which Al Gore’s approach inthis documentary might come under particular scrutiny. One is the89

Fordrather self-laudatory nature of Gore’s catwalk scenes as he arrives forgiving what he calls his “slideshow” at various locations around theworld and the scenes showing him being photographed and received
by an adoring audience. This is something we could have done without,just in case we are tempted to question Mr. Gore’s motives as an expolitician for going so public and up front on this issue.
Another critical note is that there are undoubtedly some rather
personalized sections of the documentary (not least, reference tohis son’s accident and long-term hospitalization, and to his sister’s
premature death from lung cancer) as it weaves together the actual
presentation and Al Gore’s personal experiences that led him to firstunderstanding carbon dioxide measurements and then making a
growing commitment to exposing carbon dioxide as the chief causeof global warming. He does, however, in referring to his sister’s death,draw a good parallel: how the cigarette companies dismissed researchin the 1950s showing the damaging effects of smoking and how manyof us only tend to react to a social problem or world crisis when things
start to touch us personally. And while there is no question that Al Goretries to play on emotions in getting his message across, it may well
be an effective way of getting people to consider the global warming
issue when otherwise they may not have even entertained the idea.
I would at this point like to add something of a balanced view ofthis issue. In a recent BBC radio program The Moral Maze the question
was raised as to whether the acceptance of human causes of global
warming has reached such a state of orthodoxy that morally it is beyond
debate. However, a strength of any democratic society that values thefreedom of speech is that even such an overwhelmingly popular view
can be criticized. Following the initial release of An Inconvenient Truthin 2006, and its public recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, Martin
Durkin wrote and directed The Great Global Warming Swindle, which
is billed as “The definitive answer to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.”
It presents strong evidence and compelling arguments from respected90

OnCUE Journalscientists and meteorologists to show that man-made global warming
is a falsehood, and that the phenomenon is actually due to changes
in the sun’s radiation. In fact, it turns the Gore argument on its head,pointing out that higher temperatures lead to more carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere rather than the other way round. It also points out thatthe climate science agenda for supporting the carbon dioxide view wasoriginally politically motivated back in the Thatcher years in Britain topromote nuclear power plants as a solution to energy dependency andpotential crisis.
These contradictory views, both apparently supported by scientificresearch, can make for something of a dilemma. Whose scientific truths
do we believe, convenient or otherwise? Anyway, having viewed theDurkin documentary, I feel it is only fair to offer students a balanced
view of this issue, and so for a follow-up to classes on An Inconvenient
Truth I am planning to do a few classes using selected scenes fromThe Great Global Warming Swindle. However, as the documentary
is apparently only available in the UK at present in a PAL version,
I’m afraid I will be going back to carting that extra equipment to theclassroom. Furthermore, somewhat inconveniently, it does not have
English captions, so it will involve a good deal of transcription if it isgoing to be accessible for the students.
Finally, I’d like to conclude this brief review with a final comment
on Al Gore’s take on global warming. Even if the Gore camp have
got it wrong, and global warming is an inevitable consequence of
natural climate change, surely encouraging people to reduce carbon
emissions in the developed world can be no bad thing. Al Gore’s
documentary, after highlighting various solutions and ways that we
can all contribute to reducing carbon emissions, ends with a pertinent,
though perhaps rather sentimental comment that the planet we live
on “Is our only home.” This leads into the song “I Have Got to Wake
Up” while various recommendations for action for making a difference
are shown on screen, and indeed, using the song in class and looking
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Fordat the lyrics can be an appropriate way to finish the last class on this
topic. Among its lyrics are the following lingering questions that wemight ask ourselves:
Have I been sleeping?
I’ve been so still
Afraid of crumbling
Have I been careless?
Dismissing all the distant rumblings(From “I Have Got to Wake Up”)

I just wonder how easy it will be for me to find such an emotive
song to support the viewing of The Great Global Warming Swindle?

Note
If you wish to have a Word document of the vocabulary lists and context
notes, please send me an email and I would be happy to send them toyou: fordkeith@hotmail.com

References“An Inconvenient Truth.” (2007). Paramount Pictures. Dir: DavisGuggenheim.
“California.” Recorded by Richard Butler. From the album “RichardButler” (2006). Lyrics available at www.lyricsdir.com/richardbutler-california-lyrics.html
Gore, A. (2006). An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global
Warming. A Young Person’s Guide. Bloomsbury: London.
“I Have Got to Wake Up.” Recorded by Melissa Etheridge. Fromthe album “Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled” (2005).
Lyrics available at www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/lyrics2/
ineedwakeup.html“The Great Global Warming Swindle” (2007). Channel Four. Dir:Martin Durkin.
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