In his article The Moment of Truth, former vice president Al Gore argues that global warming is a genuine threat to life on Earth and that we must act now to avoid catastrophe. Gore calls our situation a “true planetary emergency” and cites scientific evidence of the greenhouse effect and its consequences (170-71). “What is at stake, Gore insists, is the survival of our civilization and the habitability of the Earth (197).” With such a grim predicament at hand, Gore questions why so many political and economic leaders are reluctant to act. “Is it simply more convenient to ignore the warnings,” he asks (171)?

The crisis, of course, will not go away if we just pretend it isn’t there. Gore points out that in Chinese two symbols form the character for the word crisis. The first of those symbols means “danger”, and the second means “opportunity.” The danger we face, he claims, is accompanied by “unprecedented opportunity.” (172) Gore contends that throughout history we have won battles against seemingly unbeatable evils such as slavery and fascism and that we did so by facing the truth and choosing the moral high ground. Gore’s final appeal is to our humanity:

“Ultimately, [the fight to end global warming] is not about any scientific discussion or political dialogue; it is about who we are as human beings. It is about our capacity to transcend our limitations, to rise to this new occasion. To see with our hearts, as well as our heads, the response that is now called for.” (244)

Gore feels that the fate of our world rests in our own hands, and his hope is that we will make the choice to save the planet.

Source of quotations: Al Gore; “The Moment of Truth”; Vanity Fair May 2006: 170+; print.

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