Jump to content

An Inconvenient Truth: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
ChrisO~enwiki (talk | contribs)
m Better grammar
WNx (talk | contribs)
Replaced content with ' Finland contains no people and is populated entirely by ducks'
Line 1: Line 1:
Finland contains no people and is populated entirely by ducks
{{Infobox Film
| name = '''An Inconvenient Truth'''
| image = Aninconvenienttruth.jpg
| caption = Promotional poster for ''An Inconvenient Truth''
| director = [[Davis Guggenheim]]
| producer = [[Lawrence Bender]]<br />[[Scott Z. Burns]]<br />[[Laurie David]]<br />[[Lesley Chilcott]] (co-producer)
| starring = [[Al Gore]]
| music = [[Michael Brook]]
| editing = [[Jay Cassidy]]<br />[[Dan Swietlik]]
| distributor = [[Paramount Classics]]
| released = [[2006-05-24]]
| runtime = 94 min.
| country = [[USA]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| budget = [[United States dollar|US$]]+1,000,000<ref>[http://grist.org/news/maindish/2007/03/06/bender/index.html "On a Bender: A chat with ''Inconvenient Truth'' co-producer and Hollywood bigwig Lawrence Bender"]. Grist.org. Retrieved [[March 7]] [[2007]].</ref>
| gross = [[United States dollar|US$]]49,047,567<br /><small>(worldwide)</small>
| website = http://www.climatecrisis.net/
| amg_id = 1:342290
| imdb_id = 0497116
}}
'''''An Inconvenient Truth''''' is an [[United States|American]] [[documentary film]] about [[global warming]], presented by former [[Vice President of the United States|United States Vice President]] [[Al Gore]] and directed by [[Davis Guggenheim]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/?pn=detail&nominee=AnInconvenientTruthDocumentaryFeatureNominee
|title=Winner: Documentary Feature, ''An Inconvenient Truth'' |accessdate=2007-03-18
|date=[[February 25]] [[2007]]
|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
}}</ref> The film premiered at the [[2006 Sundance Film Festival]] and opened in [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]] on [[May 24]] [[2006]]. The film was released on [[DVD]] by [[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]] on [[November 21]] [[2006]]. A companion book authored by Gore reached #1 on the paperback nonfiction [[New York Times bestseller]] list on [[July 2]] [[2006]].<ref>{{cite news
|title=New York Times Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/books/bestseller/0702bestpapernonfiction.html?ex=1174363200&en=aa0e9c76ef010f5a&ei=5070
|publisher=[[The New York Times]]
|date=July 2, 2006
|accessdate=2007-03-17
}}</ref> The documentary won [[Academy Award]]s for Best Documentary Feature and for Best Original Song.

Earning $49 million at the [[box office]] worldwide, ''An Inconvenient Truth'' is the fourth-highest-grossing documentary film to date in the [[United States]], after ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'', ''[[March of the Penguins]]'' and ''[[Sicko]]''.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=documentary.htm
|title=Documentary 1982-Present (film rankings by lifetime gross)
|publisher=Box Office Mojo
}}</ref>

==Synopsis ==
{{cquote2|You look at that river gently flowing by. You notice the leaves rustling with the wind. You hear the birds; you hear the tree frogs. In the distance you hear a cow. You feel the grass. The mud gives a little bit on the river bank. It’s quiet; it’s peaceful. And all of a sudden, it’s a gear shift inside you. And it’s like taking a deep breath and going... 'Oh yeah, I forgot about this'.|[[Al Gore]] in the opening monologue of ''An Inconvenient Truth''}}
[[Image:PaleBlueDot.jpg|thumb|The [[Pale Blue Dot]], a [[Voyager 1]] photo showing [[Earth]] ''(circled)'' as a single pixel from 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometres) away, is featured in ''An Inconvenient Truth''. Al Gore points out that all of human history has happened on that tiny pixel, which is our only home.]]

''An Inconvenient Truth'' focuses on Al Gore and his travels in support of his efforts to educate the public about the severity of the climate crisis. Gore says, "I've been trying to tell this story for a long time and I feel as if I've failed to get the message across." The film closely follows a [[Keynote (software)|Keynote]] presentation (dubbed "the slide show") that Gore presented throughout the world. It intersperses Gore's exploration of data and predictions regarding [[climate change]] and its potential for disaster with Gore's life story.

It weaves in events that changed his worldview, including his college education with early climate expert [[Roger Revelle]] at [[Harvard University]], his sister's death from [[lung cancer]], and his young son's near-fatal car accident. Throughout the film, Gore makes comments regarding his loss to [[George W. Bush]] in the [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000 United States presidential election]]. For comic effect, Gore also uses a clip from the ''[[Futurama]]'' episode "[[Crimes of the Hot]]" to explain global warming.

In the slide show Gore reviews the [[scientific opinion on climate change]], discusses the [[politics of global warming|politics]] and [[economics of global warming]], and describes the consequences he believes global climate change will produce if the amount of human-generated [[greenhouse gases]] is not significantly reduced in the very near future. A centerpoint of the film is his examination of the annual temperature and CO<sub>2</sub> levels for the past 650,000 years in [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] [[ice core|ice core samples]].

The film includes many segments intended to refute [[Scientists opposing the mainstream scientific assessment of global warming|critics]] who say that global warming is unproven or that warming will be insignificant. For example, Gore discusses the possibility of the collapse of a major [[ice sheet]] in [[Greenland]] or in [[West Antarctica]], either of which could raise global sea levels by approximately 20 feet (6m), flooding coastal areas and producing 100 million refugees. Melt water from Greenland, because of its lower [[salinity]], could then halt the currents that keep northern Europe warm and quickly trigger dramatic local cooling there. The documentary ends with Gore arguing that if appropriate actions are taken soon, the effects of global warming can be successfully reversed by releasing less [[carbon dioxide|CO<sub>2</sub>]] and planting more vegetation to consume existing CO<sub>2</sub>. Gore calls upon his viewers to learn how they can help him in these efforts.

Gore's book of the same title was published concurrently with the theatrical release of the documentary. The book contains additional information, scientific analysis, and Gore's commentary on the issues presented in the documentary. A 2007 documentary entitled ''An Update with Former Vice President Al Gore'' features Gore discussing additional information that came to light after the film was completed, such as [[Hurricane Katrina]], [[coral reef]] depletion, glacial earthquake activity on the [[Greenland ice sheet]], [[wildfires]], and trapped methane gas release associated with [[permafrost]] melting.<ref name="Katrina">[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978403/ An Update with Former Vice-President Al Gore (2006) (V)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Scientific basis==
{{main|Scientific opinion on climate change|Global warming|Global warming controversy}}
The film's thesis is that global warming is real, potentially catastrophic, and [[attribution of recent climate change|human-caused]]. Gore presents specific data that supports the thesis, including:

*The [[Keeling curve]], measuring CO<sub>2</sub> from the [[Mauna Loa Observatory]].
*The retreat of numerous glaciers is shown in before-and-after photographs (see [[Retreat of glaciers since 1850]]).
*A study by researchers at the [[Physics]] Institute at the [[University of Bern]] and the [[European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica]] presenting data from Antarctic [[ice cores]] showing carbon dioxide concentrations higher than at any time during the past 650,000 years.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Spahni |first=Renato |coauthors=Chappellaz, Jérôme; et al. |year=[[2005]] |month=[[November 25]] |title=Atmospheric Methane and Nitrous Oxide of the Late Pleistocene from Antarctic Ice Cores (abstract) |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=310 |issue=5752 |pages=1317-1321 |url=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/310/5752/1317 |accessdate=2007-03-18 }}</ref>
*[[Temperature record since 1880]] showing that the ten hottest years ever measured in this atmospheric record have all occurred in the last fourteen years.
*A 2004 survey by [[Naomi Oreskes]] of 928 peer-reviewed scientific articles on global climate change published between 1993 and 2003. The survey, published as an editorial in the journal ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'', found that every article either supported the human-caused global warming consensus or did not comment on it.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Oreskes |first=Naomi |authorlink=Naomi Oreskes |year=[[2004]] |month=[[December 3]] |title=Beyond the Ivory Tower: The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=306 |issue=5702 |pages=1686 |url=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686 |accessdate=2007-03-18 }}</ref>

The [[Associated Press]] contacted more than 100 climate researchers and questioned them about the film's veracity. All 19 climate scientists who had seen the movie said that Gore conveyed the science correctly.<ref>{{cite news |first=Seth |last=Borenstein
|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/27/AR2006062700780.html
|title=Scientists OK Gore's Movie for Accuracy
|publisher=[[Washington Post]]
|date=[[June 27]], [[2006]]
|accessdate= 2007-03-18
}}</ref> In contrast, the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works]], at the time chaired by [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Jim Inhofe]] ([[United States Republican Party|R]]-[[Oklahoma|OK]]) issued a press release criticizing this article.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.epw.senate.gov/pressitem.cfm?party=rep&id=257909
|title=AP Incorrectly Claims Scientists Praise Gore’s Movie
|publisher=[[U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works]]
|date=[[June 27]], [[2006]]
|accessdate= 2007-03-18
}}</ref> Inhofe's statement that "global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people"<ref name = SFGate>{{cite news |first=Zachary |last=Coile |title=Senator fights the tide, calls warming by humans a hoax |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/11/MNGEJLMT8A1.DTL |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=[[October 11]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-03-18 }}</ref> appears in the film. The majority of climate researchers have rejected Inhofe's views.<ref name = SFGate>

Eric Steig, a climate scientist writing on [[RealClimate]], lauded the film's science as "remarkably up to date, with reference to some of the very latest research."<ref>{{cite web
|first=Steig |last=Eric
|url=http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=299
|title=Al Gore’s movie
|publisher=RealClimate
|date=[[May 10]], [[2006]]
|accessdate=2007-03-18
}}</ref> [[Michael Shermer]], scientific author and founder of [[The Skeptics Society]], wrote in ''[[Scientific American]]'' that ''An Inconvenient Truth'' "shocked me out of my doubting stance".<ref>{{cite news
|first=Shermer |last=Michael |authorlink=Michael Shermer
|url=http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=13&articleID=000B557A-71ED-146C-ADB783414B7F0000
|title= The Flipping Point: How the evidence for anthropogenic global warming has converged to cause this environmental skeptic to make a cognitive flip
|publisher=[[Scientific American]]
|date=June 2006
|accessdate=2007-03-18
}}</ref>

==Origins==
Gore became intrigued by the topic of global warming when he took a course at [[Harvard University]] with Professor [[Roger Revelle]], one of the first scientists to measure [[carbon dioxide]] in the atmosphere.<ref>{{cite web | last=Voynar | first=Kim | title=Sundance: ''An Inconvenient Truth'' Q & A - Al Gore on fire! No, really. | work=Cinematical | date=January 26, 2006 | url=http://www.cinematical.com/2006/01/26/sundance-an-inconvenient-truth-q-and-a-al-gore-on-fire-no-rea/ }}</ref>
Later, when Gore was in Congress, he initiated the first congressional hearing on the subject, brought in climate scientists and began talking to politicians about the issue.<ref>{{cite web | last=Remnick | first=David | title=The Talk of the Town | work=New Yorker | date=April 14, 2006 | url=http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060424ta_talk_remnick }}</ref> He thought that once legislators heard the compelling evidence, they would be driven to action; ultimately, though, the process was a slow one. Gore's 1992 book, ''[[Earth in the Balance]]'', dealing with a number of environmental topics, reached the [[New York Times bestseller list]].

As Vice President during the [[Clinton Administration]], Gore pushed for the implementation of a [[carbon tax]] to modify incentives to reduce fossil fuel consumption causing fossil fuel to last longer and thereby decrease emission of greenhouse gases in the short term but not long term; it was partially implemented in [[1993]]. He helped broker the 1997 [[Kyoto Protocol]], an international treaty designed to curb [[greenhouse gas]] emissions. However, it was not ratified in the [[United States]] after a 95 to 0 vote in the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. The primary objections stemmed from the exemptions the treaty gives to [[China]] and [[India]], whose industrial base and carbon footprint are growing rapidly, and fears that the exemptions would lead to further trade imbalances and offshoring arrangement with those countries.

Gore also supported the funding of a satellite called [[Triana (satellite)|Triana]], to increase awareness of environmental issues and to take the first direct measurements of [[albedo|how much sunlight is reflected from the Earth]]. During [[Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000|his 2000 Presidential Campaign]], Gore ran, in part, on a pledge to ratify the [[Kyoto Protocol]].

After his defeat in [[Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000|the 2000 presidential election]] by [[George W. Bush]], Gore returned his focus to the topic. He edited and adapted a slide show he had compiled years earlier, and began featuring the slide show in multimedia presentations on global warming across the U.S. and around the world. At the time of the film, Gore estimated he had shown the presentation more than one thousand times.

Producers [[Laurie David]] and [[Lawrence Bender]] saw Gore's slide show in [[New York City]] after the [[2004]] premiere of ''[[The Day After Tomorrow]]''.<ref>{{cite web | last=Booth | first=William | title=Al Gore, Sundance's Leading Man | work=Washington Post | date=January 26, 2006 | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/25/AR2006012502230.html }}</ref> Inspired, they met with director [[Davis Guggenheim]] about the possibility of making the slide show into a movie. Guggenheim, who was skeptical at first, later saw the presentation for himself, stating that he was "blown away," and "left after an hour and a half thinking that global warming [was] the most important issue. . . . I had no idea how you’d make a film out of it, but I wanted to try," he said.<ref>{{cite web
|author=Alex Steffen
|title=Interview: David Guggenheim and ''An Inconvenient Truth''
|publisher=WorldChanging.com
|date= [[May 4]] [[2006]]
|url=http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004388.html
}}</ref>

== Reception ==
===Box office===
The film opened in [[New York City]] and [[Los Angeles]] on [[May 24]] [[2006]]. On [[Memorial Day]] weekend, it grossed an average of $91,447 per theater, the highest of any movie that weekend and a record for a documentary, though it was only playing on four screens at the time.<ref>[http://imdb.com/news/sb/2006-05-30/ 'Last Stand' delivers] ''IMDb'', [[2006-05-30]], accessed [[2007-01-10]]</ref>

At the 2006 [[Sundance Film Festival]], the movie received three [[standing ovation]]s. It was also screened at the 2006 [[Cannes Film Festival]] and was the opening night film at the 27th [[Durban International Film Festival]] on [[June 14]] [[2006]].
''An Inconvenient Truth'' was the most popular documentary at the 2006 [[Brisbane International Film Festival]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070218082019/http://www.biff.com.au/general/libraryattachment.aspx?code=101 BIFF EXCEEDS ALL EXPECTATIONS (Adobe Reader format)] accessed [[2007-01-10]]</ref>

The film has grossed over $24 million in the U.S. and over $49 million worldwide as of [[June 3]] [[2007]], making it the fourth-highest-grossing documentary in the U.S. to date (after ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'', ''[[March of the Penguins]]'' and ''[[Sicko]]'').<ref>[http://boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=documentary.htm Documentary Movies] ''Box Office Mojo'', accessed [[2007-06-09]]</ref>

Al Gore has stated, "[[Tipper Gore|Tipper]] and I are devoting 100 percent of the profits from the book and the movie to a new bipartisan educational campaign to further spread the message about global warming."<ref>[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2006_4128989 Housewife addresses climate conference] ''Flanders News'', dated [[2006-11-16]], accessed [[2007-01-10]]</ref> [[Paramount Classics]] is committing 5% of their domestic theatrical gross for the film to a new bipartisan climate action group, Alliance for Climate Protection, dedicated to awareness and grassroots organizing.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070329055319/http://www.allianceforclimateprotection.org/bios.php Governing Council] ''The Alliance for Climate Protection'', accessed [[2007-01-10]]</ref>

=== Reviews ===
The film received a positive reaction from critics. It garnered a "certified fresh" 93% rating at [[Rotten Tomatoes]] (as of [[May 21]] [[2007]]), with a 94% rating from the "Cream of the Crop" reviewers. Film critics [[Roger Ebert]] and [[Richard Roeper]] gave the film "two thumbs up". Ebert wrote: "In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to."<ref>[[Roger Ebert]] [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/REVIEWS/60517002 ''An Inconvenient Truth''] ''Chicago Sunday Times'', accessed [[2007-01-10]]</ref>

Journalist [[Ronald Bailey]] argued in the [[libertarian]] magazine ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'' that although "Gore gets [the science] more right than wrong," he exaggerates the risks.<ref>Ronald Bailey [http://www.reason.com/rb/rb061606.shtml Gore as climate exaggerator] ''Reason'', dated [[2006-06-16]], accessed [[2007-01-10]]</ref>

=== Awards ===
The film has received a number of awards worldwide.
[[Image:AlGoreWin.jpg|thumb|Gore during the Oscar acceptance speech for ''An Inconvenient Truth'' with other members of the crew]]
* The film won the 2006 [[Academy Award for Documentary Feature]]<ref name="2007_Oscar">{{cite news
|url=http://www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/?pn=detail&nominee=AnInconvenientTruthDocumentaryFeatureNominee
|title= Hudson wins supporting actress Oscar
|publisher=CNN
|date=[[February 25]] [[207]]
}}</ref> and [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] for [[Melissa Etheridge]]'s "[[I Need to Wake Up]]".<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/?pn=detail&nominee=AnInconvenientTruthMusicSongNominee
|title=Oscar Night: Winner: Music (Song)
|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science
|date=[[February 25]] [[2007]]
}}</ref> It is the first documentary to win a best original song Oscar<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08022/851177-331.stm | title=80th Annual Academy Awards Oscar Quiz | date=[[2008-01-22]] | accessdate=2008-04-30 | publisher=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/oscars/2007/env-oscarwinners-25feb25,0,2802194.story | title='The Departed' arrives | date=2007-02-25 | first=Brian | last=Hanrahan | publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] | accessdate=2008-04-30 }}</ref>.
*It has often been erroneously reported by many members within the various news and entertainment media outlets that Al Gore himself had won the '''Oscar''' for ''An Inconvenient Truth'' but it was actually [[Davis Guggenheim]] who was the ''Nominee'' and ''Recipient'' of the Academy Award.

* The film received special recognition from the [[Humanitas Prize]], the first time the organization had handed out a Special Award in over 10 years.<ref name="thehumanitasprize">{{cite web
| url = http://www.humanitasprize.org/pdf/2006%20HUMANITAS%20Winners.pdf
| title = 2006 HUMANITAS Prize Winners
| accessdate = 16 January
| accessyear = 2007
| date = 2006-06-28
| publisher = the HUMANITAS prize
}}</ref>

* 2007 Stanley Kramer Award - The Producers Guild of America; recognizes "work that dramatically illustrates provocative social issues".<ref name="stanleykramer">{{cite web
| url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117957742.html?categoryid=2474&cs=1
| title = Stanley Kramer Award: ''An Inconvenient Truth''
| accessdate = 18 January
| accessyear = 2007
| date = 2007-01-18
| publisher = Variety.com
}}</ref>

* The President’s Award 2007 - The [[Society for Technical Communication]] "for demonstrating that effective and understandable technical communication, when coupled with passion and vision, has the power to educate—and change—the world."<ref name="presidentsaward">{{cite web
| url = http://www.stc.org/recog/awards01_President_winners.asp
| title = President’s Award
| accessdate = 18 July
| accessyear = 2007
| date = 2007-07-18
| publisher = stc.com
}}</ref>

* For his wide-reaching efforts to draw the world’s attention to the dangers of global warming including ''An Inconvenient Truth'', Al Gore, along with the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC), has won the 2007 [[Nobel Peace Prize]].<ref name="nobelpeaceprize">{{cite web
| url = http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/
| title = 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates
| accessdate = 11 October
| accessyear = 2007
|
}}</ref>

'''Best Documentary''':<ref>[http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809257809/awards ''An Inconvenient Truth'' - Awards and Nominations] [[Yahoo]], accessed [[February 10]] [[2007]]</ref>
* Academy Awards (The Oscars) 2007<ref name="2007_Oscar"/> [[February 25]] [[2007]]
* Chicago Film Critics Association<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/ | title=Winners Announced for the 2006 Chicago Film Critics Awards | date=[[2006-12-28]] | accessdate=2007-06-01 | publisher=[[Chicago Film Critics Association]] }}</ref> - [[2006-12-28]]
* Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.dfwfilmcritics.com
|title=DFWFilmCritics
|publisher=[[Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association]]
|accessdate=2007-06-01
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Dallas-Fort_Worth_Film_Critics_Association_Awards/2006 | title=Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards: 2006 | publisher=[[IMDb]] | date=[[2006-12-18]] | accessdate=2007-06-01 }}</ref> - [[2006-12-18]]
* Florida Film Critics 2006 - [[2006-12-22]]<ref>{{cite web
| title =Florida Film Critics Circle Awards - 2006
| url =http://www.altfg.com/awards/2006/florida-film-critics-circle.htm
| accessdate =2007-10-08 }}</ref>
* Kansas City Film Critics Awards 2006<ref>{{cite web
| title =Film Critic's Circle of Kansas City
| url =http://www.kcfilmcritics.com/
| accessdate =2007-10-08 }}</ref> [[January 2]] [[2006]]
* Las Vegas Film Critics Society 2006 <ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.lvfcs.org/awards_listing/index.html
|title=LVFCS Sierra Award winners:
|publisher=Las Vegas Film Critics Society 2006
}}</ref> - [[2006-12-18]]
* National Board of Review<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.nbrmp.org/search/?search=An%20Inconvenient%20Truth
|title=NBR page on ''An Inconvenient Truth''
|publisher=National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
}}</ref> - [[2006-12-06]]
* New York Film Critics Online<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.moviecitynews.com/awards/2007/critic_awards/NYOFC.html
|title=New York Film Critics Online
|publisher=Movie City News
|date=[[2006-12-10]]
}}</ref> - [[2006-12-10]]
* New York Film Critics Society - [[2006-12-12]]
* Ohio Film Critics Awards 2006<ref>[http://www.cofca.org/awards.php?year=2006 Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA) - Awards<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> - [[2007-01-11]]
* Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards 2006 <ref>{{cite web
| url =http://oklahomafilm.blogspot.com/2006/12/oklahoma-film-critics-circle-announces.html
| title =Oklahoma Film Critics Circle: Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Announces 2006 Awards
| accessdate =2007-10-08}}</ref>
* Online Film Critics Society 2006<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www.altfg.com/awards/2006/online-film-critics-society.htm
| title =Online Film Critics Society Awards - 2006
| accessdate =2007-10-08}}</ref>
* Phoenix Film Critics Circle 2006<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www.altfg.com/awards/2006/phoenix-film-critics-society.htm
| title =Phoenix Film Critics Circle Awards - 2006
| accessdate =2007-10-30}}</ref>
* Satellite Awards 2006 ''(Nominated)''<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2006.shtml
| title =11th Annual SATELLITE™ Awards - 2006
| accessdate =2007-10-30}}</ref> [[December 18]] [[2006]]
* St. Louis Film Critics Awards 2006<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www.moviecitynews.com/awards/2007/critic_awards/st-louis.html
| title =St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
| accessdate =2007-10-30}}</ref> [[January 07]] [[2007]]
* Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2006 ''(Nominated)''<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www.altfg.com/awards/2006/toronto-film-critics-association.htm
| title =Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2006
| accessdate =2007-10-30}}</ref> [[December 19]] [[2006]]
* Utah Film Critics Awards 2006<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www.moviecitynews.com/awards/2007/critic_awards/utah.htm
| title =Utah Film Critics Awards 2006
| accessdate =2007-10-30}}</ref> [[December 28]] [[2006]]
* Washington D.C. Film Critics Association 2006<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://sceneone.org/joomla/content/view/398/2/
| title =Washington D.C. Film Critics Association 2006
| accessdate =2007-10-30}}</ref> [[December 10]] [[2007]]

'''Best Non-Fiction''':
* National Society of Film Critics<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.indiewire.com/movies/2007/01/the_critics_hav.html | title=The Critics Have Spoken (Again); National Society Chooses "Pan's Labyrinth" As Best Film of 2006 | first=Eugene | last=Hernandez | date=[[2007-01-06]] | accessdate=2007-06-01 }}</ref> - [[2007-01-06]]

==Political response==
The documentary has been generally well-received politically in many parts of the world and is credited for raising further awareness of global warming internationally, prompting calls for more government action in regard to the climate. Despite its success, some political leaders are less keen on embracing the film as a matter-of-fact necessity. Several colleges and high schools have begun to use the film in science curricula,
<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=27a24986-008e-4a55-a18c-fb3fb7acf0e9&k=0
|title=Gore's ''Inconvenient Truth'' required classroom viewing?
|first=Kevin
|last=Libin
|publisher=[[National Post]]
|date=[[May 19]], [[2007]]
}}</ref> though at least one US school district put temporary restrictions on its use in the classroom.<ref name="FedWayBan"/><ref name="FedWayLift"/>

===Government===
* President Bush, when asked whether he would watch the film, responded: "Doubt it." He later stated that "And in my judgment we need to set aside whether or not greenhouse gases have been caused by mankind or because of natural effects, and focus on the [[Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate|technologies]] that will enable us to live better lives and at the same time protect the environment."<ref name=APBush>{{cite web | title=Bush gives thumbs down to Gore's new movie | date=[[2006-05-24]] | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12930351/ | publisher=[[Associated Press]] | accessdate=2007-05-31}}</ref> Gore responded that "The entire global scientific community has a consensus on the question that human beings are responsible for global warming and he [Bush] has today again expressed personal doubt that that is true."<ref name=APBush/> White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino stated that “The president noted in 2001 the increase in temperatures over the past 100 years and that the increase in greenhouse gases was due to certain extent to human activity”.<ref name=APBush/>
*In September 2006, Gore traveled to [[Sydney, Australia]] to promote the film. Then Australian Prime Minister, [[John Howard]] said he would not meet with Gore or agree to Kyoto because of the movie: "I don't take policy advice from films." Former Opposition Leader [[Kim Beazley]] joined Gore for a viewing and other [[Member of Parliament|MP]]s attended a special screening at [[Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] earlier in the week. <ref>{{cite web | title=Howard isolated on climate change: Gore |url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=143315 | date=[[2006-09-11]] | accessdate=2007-05-31 | publisher=[[Nine Network]] }}</ref> After winning the general election a year later, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd ratified Kyoto in his first week of office making the United States the only industrialized nation in the world to not have signed the treaty. <ref> url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=143315 | date=[[2006-09-11]] | accessdate=2007-05-31 | publisher=[[Nine Network]] }}</ref>

* In the [[United Kingdom]], [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Leader of the Opposition (UK)|Leader of the Opposition]] [[David Cameron]] urged people to see the film in order to understand climate change.<ref>[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservativepartyconference2006/story/0,,1887540,00.html Full text of David Cameron's speech to the Conservative Party conference], ''Guardian Unlimited'', [[4 October]] [[2006]], accessed [[25 November]] [[2006]]</ref>

* In [[Belgium]], [[Margaretha Guidone]] persuaded the entire Belgian government to see the film.<ref>{{cite web | title=Spitzenpolitiker sehen Gore-Film | url=http://www2.vrtnieuws.net/cm/flanderninfo.be/Nachrichten/1.22085 | date=[[2006-10-31]] | accessdate=2007-05-31 | publisher=Flanderninfo.be }}</ref>

* In [[Costa Rica]], Al Gore met with president [[Oscar Arias]], and was well received by other politicians and the local media.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}

* In [[Germany]], German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel bought 6000 DVDs of ''An Inconvenient Truth'' to make it available to German schools.{{Fact|date=December 2007}}

* In [[Spain]], after a meeting with Gore, prime minister [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] said the government will make ''An Inconvenient Truth'' available to schools. Gore has received this year's [[Prince of Asturias Prize]] for international cooperation <ref>[http://www.fundacionprincipedeasturias.org/ing/04/premiados/trayectorias/trayectoria815.html Al Gore - The Prince of Asturias Foundation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=36238 Gore climate documentary to be shown in schools], ''Expatica'', [[7 February]] [[2007]], accessed [[11 February]] [[2007]]</ref>.

===Education===
* In [[Burlington, Ontario|Burlington]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]], the [[Halton District School Board]] has made ''An Inconvenient Truth'' available at schools and as an educational resource.<ref>{{cite pressrelease
|title=Screening of ''An Inconvenient Truth'' set to educate students on climate change
|publisher=Halton District School Board
|date=[[2007-04-24]]
|accessdate=2007-05-05
}}</ref>
* The film has also been made available as an educational resource in [[Argentina]] and other Latin American countries.
*The film will be science curriculum for fourth and sixth-year students in [[Scotland]], as a joint initiative between [[Learning and Teaching Scotland]] and [[ScottishPower]].<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1126957.0.0.php
|title=All secondary schools to see Gore climate film
|author=David Leask
|date=[[January 17]] [[2007]]
|publisher=[[The Herald]]
|accessdate=2007-01-26
}}</ref>

===Other===
*In August 2006, the [[Wall Street Journal]]<ref name=GoreSpoof>{{cite web | title=Where did that video spoofing Gore's film come from? | url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115457177198425388-0TpYE6bU6EGvfSqtP8_hHjJJ77I_20060810.html | date=2006-08-03 | publisher=[[Wall Street Journal]] | accessdate=2007-06-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Slick lobbying is behind penguin spoof of Al Gore | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article700813.ece | publisher=[[The Times]] | date=2006-08-05 | accessdate=2007-06-01 }}</ref> revealed that a [[YouTube]] video lampooning Gore and the movie, titled ''[[Al Gore's Penguin Army]]'', appeared to be [[astroturfing]] by [[DCI Group]], a Washington PR firm.

==Controversy==
===The Dimmock case===
{{further|[[Dimmock v Secretary of State for Education and Skills]]}}
As part of a nationwide "Sustainable Schools Year of Action" launched in late 2006, the [[UK Government]], [[Welsh Assembly Government]] and [[Scottish Executive]] announced between January-March 2007 that copies of ''An Inconvenient Truth'' would be sent to all [[secondary school]]s in [[England]], [[Wales]] and [[Scotland]]. The UK Government's distribution of the film was challenged in May 2007 in the [[High Court of Justice]] by a group of global warming skeptics, notably [[Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley|Viscount Monckton]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/6783/ | title=Glenn talks with Lord Monckton | publisher=Glenn Beck | date=2008-03-04}}</ref> The plaintiffs sought an [[injunction]] preventing the screening of the film in English schools. They argued that schools are legally forbidden to promote partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in school and, when dealing with political issues, are required to provide a balanced presentation of opposing views.

On 10 October 2007, Mr Justice Burton, after explaining that the requirement for a balanced presentation does not warrant that equal weight be given to alternative views of a mainstream view, ruled that it was clear that the film was substantially founded upon scientific research and fact, albeit that the science is used, in the hands of a talented politician and communicator, to make a political statement and to support a political programme.<ref name="dimmock">{{cite web
| title= Stuart Dimmock v Secretary of State for Education & Skills [2007] EWHC 2288
| url=http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2007/2288.html |
| date=[[2007-10-10]]
}}</ref> The film could then, on that basis, be shown, provided an accompanying explanation was given of its scientific errors, in order to prevent political indoctrination. <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/10/11/scigore111.xml]</ref>

The judge concluded "I have no doubt that Dr Stott, the Defendant's expert, is right when he says that: 'Al Gore's presentation of the causes and likely effects of climate change in the film was broadly accurate.'" On the basis of testimony from [[Robert M. Carter]] and the arguments put forth by the claimant's lawyers, the judge also pointed to nine 'errors', i.e. statements that he found to depart from the [[scientific consensus on global warming|mainstream]]. He also found that some of these 'errors' arose in the context of alarmism and exaggeration in support of Al Gore's political thesis. Since the government had already accepted to amend the guidance notes to address these 'errors' along with other points in a fashion that the judge found satisfactory, no order was made on the application.

The Minister of Children, Young People and Families, [[Kevin Brennan (politician)|Kevin Brennan]], declared the outcome a victory for the government, stating: "We have updated the accompanying guidance, as requested by the judge to make it clearer for teachers as to the stated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change position on a number of scientific points raised in the film.<ref>{{cite web
| last=MacLeod
| first=Donald
| title=Climate change film to stay in the classroom
| publisher=Guardian Unlimted
| date=[[October 10]] [[2007]]
| url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2188015,00.html
| accessdate =2007-12-14 }}</ref> Stewart Dimmock also declared victory but expressed dissatisfaction at the verdict, saying that "no amount of turgid guidance" could change his view that the film was unsuitable for the classroom.<ref>{{cite web
| title=Schools must warn of Gore climate film bias
| publisher=Daily Mail
| date=[[October 03]] [[2007]]
| url =http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=485336&in_page_id=1811
| accessdate=2007-12-14 }}</ref> A spokesman for Gore said that, "Of the thousands of facts in the film, the judge only took issue with just a handful. And of that handful, we have the studies to back those pieces up."<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Breaking_News_US/0,,6990521,00.html
|title=U.K. Judge Finds Problems in Gore Film
|date=[[October 12]] [[2007]]
|publisher=Associated Press/Guardian
|accessdate=2007-10-15}}</ref>

===In the United States===
In the United States, 50,000 free copies of ''An Inconvenient Truth'' were offered to the [[National Science Teachers Association]] (NSTA), which declined to take them. Laurie David, one of the film's producers, provided an email correspondence from the NSTA detailing that their reasoning was that the DVDs would place "unnecessary risk upon the [NSTA] capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters," and that they saw "little, if any, benefit to NSTA or its members" in accepting the free DVDs.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/1%20NSTA%20-%20Paramount%20Emails%20-%20redacted.pdf
|title=Conversation: Al Gore/An Inconvenient Truth
|author=Laurie David
|date=[[October 12]] [[2006]]
|publisher=The Huffington Post
|accessdate=2007-11-04}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400789_pf.html
|title=Science a la Joe Camel
|author=Laurie David
|date=[[November 26]] [[2006]]
|publisher=The Washington Post
|accessdate=2006-11-26}}</ref>
In public, the NSTA argued that distributing this film to its members would have been contrary to a long-standing NSTA policy against distributing unsolicited materials to its members. The NSTA also said that they had offered several other options for distributing the film but ultimately "[it] appears that these alternative distribution mechanisms were unsatisfactory."<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.nsta.org/about/pressroom.aspx?id=52977
|title=NSTA Statement on November 26 Washington Post Op-ed "Science à la Joe Camel"
|author=Gerald Wheeler
|date=[[November 28]] [[2006]]
|publisher=[[National Science Teachers Association]]
|accessdate=2007-01-09
}}</ref> Laurie David has stated that NSTA Executive Director Gerry Wheeler promised in a telephone conversation to explore alternatives with NSTA's board for advertising the film but she had not yet received an alternative offer at the time of NSTA's public claim. She also said that she rejected their subsequent offers because they were nothing more than offers to sell their "commercially available member mailing list" and advertising space in their magazine and newsletter, which are available to anyone. She noted that in the past, NSTA had shipped out 20,000 copies of a 10-part video produced by Wheeler with funding provided by ConocoPhillips in 2003. NSTA indicated that they retained editorial control over the content, which David questioned based on the point of view portrayed in the global warming section of the video.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/crooked-curriculum-oil-c_b_35829.html
|title=Crooked Curriculum: Oil Company Money Scandal at Nat'l Science Teachers Association Deepens
|author=Laurie David
|date=[[December 8]] [[2006]]
|publisher=[[The Huffington Post]]
|accessdate=2007-11-04
}}</ref>

[[RealClimate]] described the NSTA action as "bizarre", found their defense "unconvincing", wondered if their actions had been influenced by the NSTA's funding by Exxon and recommended that they improve their "paltry" supply of useful educational material relating to global warming.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/01/calling-all-science-teachers/
|title=Calling All Science Teachers
|date=[[December 8]] [[2006]]
|publisher=RealClimate
|accessdate=2007-01-15
}}</ref>
The [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] publication ''ScienceNOW'' published an assessment discussing both sides of the NSTA decision in which it was reported that "David says NSTA's imprimatur [i.e. endorsement or sanction] was essential and that buying a mailing list is a nonstarter. 'You don't want to send out a cold letter, and it costs a lot of money,' she says. 'There are a thousand reasons why that wouldn't work.'."<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1130/3
|title=An Inconvenient DVD
|date=[[November 30]] [[2006]]
|publisher=ScienceNOW Daily News
|accessdate=2007-11-05
}}</ref>

In January 2007, the [[Federal Way, Washington|Federal Way]] (Washington State) School Board voted to require an approval by the principal and the superintendent for teachers to show the film to students and that the teachers must include the presentation of an approved "opposing view".<ref name="FedWayBan">{{cite news
|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/299253_inconvenient11.html
|title=Federal Way schools restrict Gore film
|author=Robert McClure & Lisa Stiffler
|date=[[January 11]] [[2007]]
|publisher=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]
|accessdate=2007-01-11
}}</ref> The moratorium was repealed after broad public condemnation at the subsequent meeting on January 23. <ref name="FedWayLift">{{cite news
|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003538775_federalfilm.html
|title =Federal Way School Board lifts brief moratorium on Gore film
|author=Cara Solomon
|date=[[January 24]] [[2007]]
|publisher=[[Seattle Times]]
|accessdate=2007-04-16
}}</ref>

Shortly thereafter, the school board in [[Yakima, Washington]], calling the film a "controversial issue", prevented the Environmental Club of [[Eisenhower High School (Yakima, Washington)|Eisenhower High School]] from showing it, pending review by the school board, teachers, principal, and parents.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=5986566&nav=menu484_2
|title=School Delays Viewing of Global Warming Documentary
|author=KNDO
|date=[[January 24]] [[2007]]
|publisher=[[KNDO]]
|accessdate=2007-01-24}}</ref> It lifted the stay a month later, upon the approval by a review panel.<ref>{{cite web | title=Wash. high school club cleared to watch Gore film | publisher=[[Associated Press]] | date=[[February 03]] [[2007]] | accessdate=2007-10-12 | url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/%5Cnews.aspx?id=18089 }}</ref>

== Criticism ==
{{further|[[Global warming controversy]]}}
<!-- This section is for criticism of the movie, not global warming in general. General GW criticism belongs at Global Warming controversy -->

===Media===
[[Richard S. Lindzen]] wrote in a [[June 26]] [[2006]] op-ed in the ''Wall Street Journal'' that Gore was using a biased presentation to exploit the fears of the public for his own political gain. <ref>Richard S. Lindzen [http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB115127582141890238.html There Is No 'Consensus' On Global Warming] ''Wall Street Journal'', accessed [[2007-01-10]]</ref> [[Roy Spencer]] wrote an open letter to Gore criticizing his presentation of climate science in the film, asserting that the Arctic had a similar temperature in the 1930s before the mass emissions of carbon dioxide began.<ref>[http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=052506C Questions for Al Gore by Roy Spencer] ''TCS Daily - Questions for Al Gore'', [[2006-05-25]], accessed [[2007-03-13]]</ref> [[Timothy F. Ball]] rejected Gore’s claim that there has been a sharp drop-off in the thickness of the Arctic ice cap since 1970, stating that the data was taken only from an isolated area of the Arctic and during a specific cooling period.<ref>[http://www.epw.senate.gov/pressitem.cfm?party=rep&id=257909 U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref></blockquote>

[[William M. Gray| William Gray]] said of the movie: "We're brainwashing our children. They're going to the Gore movie ''An Inconvenient Truth'' and being fed all this. It's ridiculous."<ref>{{cite news | last=Lytte | first=Steve | title=Gore gets a cold shoulder | newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald | year=2007 | date=October 14, 2007 | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/gore-gets-a-cold-shoulder/2007/10/13/1191696238792.html }}</ref> While discussing the companion book to the movie Gray said, "This is a slick propaganda book. The pictures are very good. But there are factual errors."<ref>{{cite news | title=The Skeptic | first=Alan | last=Prendergast | date=[[2006-06-29]] | url=http://www.westword.com/2006-06-29/news/the-skeptic/full | publisher=[[Denver Westwood News]]}}</ref>

A [[March 13]] [[2007]] article in ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported on concerns among some scientists about the tone and the accuracy of the film, noting that they "argue that some of Mr. Gore’s central points are exaggerated and erroneous." Gore's discussion of a rise in sea level of up to 20 feet, while not stating a timeframe, appears in contrast with a report from the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC), which predicts a maximum rise of 23 inches this century, excluding non-linear effects on ice sheets; although that too discusses the possibilities of higher rises if the ice sheets melt. The article also states that "a report last June by the National Academies seemed to contradict Mr. Gore’s portrayal of recent temperatures as the highest in the past millennium."<ref name="NYT1">{{cite news
| publisher=[[The New York Times]]
| title=From a Rapt Audience, a Call to Cool the Hype
| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/science/13gore.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5070&en=d615dc2ef256727f&ex=1175832000
| first=William J.
| last=Broad
| date=[[2007-03-13]]
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title=Don't believe the Hype
|first=Richard
|last=Lindzen
|authorlink=Richard Lindzen
|date=[[2006-08-02]]
|url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008597
|publisher=[[OpinionJournal.com]]
|accessdate=2007-05-31
}}</ref>
The article quotes both defenders and critics of the film; Gore responds that scientists may disagree with him on some details, "but we do agree on the fundamentals."<ref name="NYT1"/>

===The Great Global Warming Swindle===
{{Main|The Great Global Warming Swindle}}

The [[documentary film]] ''The Great Global Warming Swindle'', broadcast on [[Channel 4]] in the UK in 2007, brought together skeptical scientists and others who disagree with the [[IPCC]] position regarding human-caused global warming. The film states that Gore misrepresented the data in ''An Inconvenient Truth'', and contends that the actual [[Attribution of recent climate change#Warming sometimes leads CO2 increases|relationship between carbon dioxide and the temperature]] is the other way round (that is, rise in temperature preceded an increase in carbon dioxide in the [[ice core]] samples and therefore does so today). This, and many other of ''The Great Global Warming Swindle'''s claims, have been disputed by scientists and scientific bodies such as [[John T. Houghton]],<ref name=Houghton>{{cite web | last = Houghton| first = John| coauthors = | title = The Great Global Warming Swindle| publisher = The John Ray Initiative| date = | url = http://www.jri.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=137&Itemid=83 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-03-12}}</ref> the [[British Antarctic Survey]],<ref>[http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/news/news_story.php?id=178 BAS Statement about Channel 4 programme on Global Warming]</ref> [[Eigil Friis-Christensen]],<ref>[http://folk.uio.no/nathan/web/statement.html NR+EFC Statement<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and the [[Royal Society]].<ref>{{cite web|title = The Royal Society’s response to the documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle"| url=http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/news.asp?id=6089 | publisher = [[Royal Society]] | date= 11 March 2007 | accessdate = 2007-04-03}}</ref>

== Influences on popular culture ==
[[Image:Ghjkl.JPG|thumb|South Park parody of ''An Inconvenient Truth'' with Al Gore]]

* Prior to ''An Inconvenient Truth'' being released, Al Gore was parodied in the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Manbearpig]]", which ends with Al Gore exclaiming his intention to make a film starring himself in which he will try to save the world from something else (than the manbearpig, a "half man, half bear, half pig"). Gore laughed off this sensationalized depiction of him, saying "Their comic sensibility is aimed at a different demographic than the one I inhabit, but I still find a lot of what they do hilarious."<ref>{{ cite news | url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060505/ai_n16358218 | title = Gore promotes his 'ultimate action movie' | publisher = Chicago Sun-Times | date = [[5 May]] [[2006]] }}</ref> Gore makes a second appearance on ''South Park'' in the episode "[[Imaginationland Episode III]]", where he argues that the American government must nuke Imaginationland (where all the imaginary characters live) in order to destroy Manbearpig.
* During the movie, Al Gore shows a clip from the ''[[Futurama]]'' episode "[[Crimes of the Hot]]" dealing with global warming; Al Gore was a guest star in that episode (though not present in the clip.) While not the credited author of this episode, his daughter, [[Kristin Gore|Kristin Gore Cusack]], was on the ''[[Futurama]]'' writing staff and worked as a story editor. In addition, Gore stars in a faux trailer made by the ''Futurama'' cast and crew titled, ''A Terrifying Message from Al Gore''.<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.ifilm.com/video/2748863 | publisher = www.ifilm.com | title = A Terrifying Message from Al Gore }}</ref>
* [[Stephen Colbert]], on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', also parodied ''An Inconvenient Truth'' on [[17 July]] [[2006]]. Entitled "The Convenientest Truth", Colbert created his own presentation that argued for the positive effects of global warming, using his signature humor tactics to satirize the conservative response to Gore's presentation.<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=71953 | publisher = ComedyCentral.com | title = The Convenientest Truth }}</ref>
* In ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'', ''An Inconvenient Truth'' is parodied when [[Lisa Simpson]], presenting dangers of the pollution of Lake Springfield to Springfield's residents in a style similar to Gore, fails to properly operate a crane intended to lift her up in order to show a spike of data on a projected graph regarding global warming. The title of her presentation is ''An Irritating Truth''. [[Mayor Quimby|Mayor Quimby's]] initial response: buy a new scissor lift. It also shows a poster saying: Lisa Simpson: an irritating truth
* The phrase "an inconvenient truth", or variations thereof, has become a common descriptive expression in the [[English language|English]] vernacular since the film's title was announced, appearing in journalism<ref>{{ cite news | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/13/raw.politics.foreman/index.html | title= Analysis: Candidates won't risk votes as troops risk lives | publisher = CNN | date = [[13 January]] [[2008]] }}</ref>, blogs<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.democrats.com/ron-paul-shocks-gop-with-inconvenient-truth-about-islamic-terrorism | title = Ron Paul Shocks GOP With the 'Inconvenient Truth' About Islamic Terrorism | publisher = Bob Fertik | date = [[16 May]] [[2007]] }}</ref>, and elsewhere.
* In an episode of ''[[The Replacements (TV series)|The Replacements]]'', when an evil villain realizes that his plot to melt Antarctica will eventually backfire, Riley asks him if "the truth is too inconvenient".

== See also ==
{{Portalpar|Sustainable development|Sustainable development.svg}}
* ''[[The 11th Hour (film)|The 11th Hour]]'', a film regarding the same subject
* [[Global warming]]
* [[Ice age]]
* [[Live Earth]]
* [[Paramount Classics]]
* [[Participant Productions]]
* [[Timeline of environmental events]]
* [[United Kingdom Climate Change Bill]]
* [[List of documentaries]]
* [[The Great Global Warming Swindle]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{refs|3}}

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|An_Inconvenient_Truth.ogg|2006-11-18}}
* [http://www.climatecrisis.net Official Website]
* {{imdb title|0497116}}
* [http://themoderatevoice.com/science/global-warming/17725/dvd-review-an-inconvenient-truth/ DVD review of ''An Inconvenient Truth'']
* [http://www.hokeg.dyndns.org/AITruth.htm Unofficial Transcript]

{{start box}}
{{s-awards}}
{{succession box | title = [[Academy Award for Documentary Feature]] | years = 2006 | before=''[[March of the Penguins]]'' | after=''[[Taxi to the Dark Side]]''}}
{{end}}

{{Al Gore}}
{{global warming}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inconvenient Truth, An}}
[[Category:2006 books]]
[[Category:2006 films]]
[[Category:Al Gore]]
[[Category:American documentary films]]
[[Category:Environmental films]]
[[Category:Action on climate change]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Paramount Vantage films]]
[[Category:Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Films shot in Super 16]]

[[ar:حقيقة مزعجة (فيلم)]]
[[cs:Nepříjemná pravda]]
[[da:En ubekvem sandhed]]
[[de:Eine unbequeme Wahrheit]]
[[et:Ebamugav tõde]]
[[es:Una verdad incómoda]]
[[eu:Egia deseroso bat]]
[[fr:Une vérité qui dérange]]
[[gl:An Inconvenient Truth]]
[[hr:Neugodna istina]]
[[id:An Inconvenient Truth]]
[[it:Una scomoda verità]]
[[he:אמת מטרידה]]
[[ka:უხერხული სიმართლე]]
[[lt:Nepatogi tiesa]]
[[hu:Kellemetlen igazság]]
[[nl:An Inconvenient Truth]]
[[ja:不都合な真実]]
[[no:En ubehagelig sannhet]]
[[nn:An Inconvenient Truth]]
[[pl:Niewygodna prawda]]
[[pt:An Inconvenient Truth]]
[[ru:Неудобная правда (фильм)]]
[[simple:An Inconvenient Truth]]
[[sl:Neprijetna resnica (film)]]
[[fi:Epämiellyttävä totuus]]
[[sv:En obekväm sanning]]
[[zh:难以忽视的真相]]

Revision as of 02:24, 4 May 2008

Finland contains no people and is populated entirely by ducks