An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is a compelling tale for change

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is the follow-up to former Vice President Al Gore’s 2006 Oscar-winning, global warming eye opener An Inconvenient Truth.

As with the first documentary, we see Al Gore presenting the scariest PowerPoint of all time, with yet more shocking and compelling graphs and images showing the accelerated change in global temperatures to the spherical swirling rock we call home. The sometimes apocalyptic-looking footage of storms or melting ice caps is confronting and terrifying, a stark reminder that the effects of climate change are impacting human lives right now.  In a time when many of the biggest corporate polluters yield huge lobbying power in governments today, this crusade for change is a welcome and necessary conversation.

One key moment in this second installment is highlighting the criticism and mockery received following An Inconvenient Truth’s prediction that Ground Zero in New York would flood. Hurricane Sandy did, in fact, result in such a flood in 2012, so are the climate change deniers listening now?

Well, you don’t have to know too much about American politics to know that their new president has thrown more than a spanner in the works, in fact, I think he’s chucked in the whole toolkit. “In order to solve our environmental problem we need to solve our democracy problem.”says Gore, and how those words echo ominously in the era of Trump. In June this year, POTUS withdrew the US from The Paris Agreement, an agreement through the United Nations Framework Convention that saw world leaders unite against climate change with a commitment to take action against global pollution for the first time in history. The process of this agreement is a key focus of An Inconvenient Sequel and it is an empowering and positive process to watch – seeing actual political discourse working for positive change, especially during the days following the horrific Paris terrorist attacks of 2016.

Despite all the doom and gloom, overall this is a positive film. Gore is a missionary for climate change; His passion and dedication is unwavering as he travels to cities around the world to deliver his sermon of knowledge and facts to allow others to spread the word and educate their peers on this environmental crisis. He’s funny and warm, referring to himself as ‘a recovering politician’ who has so far avoided a relapse, but oh how we could do with more politicians like him right now. There are also encouraging stats showing the growth in renewable energy. Moreover, the support for such initiatives is not limited to the liberal left as shown when he visits Georgetown, in the heart of Texas oil country, who have committed to being powered 100% by renewable energy. The film culminates with a message that actually there is hope, there is change happening and that we can all #BeInconvenient to do our bit in our communities.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is a compelling and absorbing look at the urgency of climate change, its impact and Gore’s relentless work to combat it through diplomacy, global policy and education.

Reviewed by Ingrid Grenar

4 stars

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