citizens of tomorrow, be forewarned

I just watched Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." I found it startling, appalling and entirely relevant. The subject matter, global warming, is fast becoming a less divisive issue as the evidence becomes harder to ignore and the scientific community arrives at an irrefutable consensus. But even though our planet is warming at an alarming rate, with devastating consequences, and action must be taken, I have little hope. Call me a defeatist but I think people are too slow to change, too reluctant to adapt in the face of danger unless the situation is unavoidably imminent. That's not to say change isn't impossible or out of reach. After all, the future of humanity is in our hands and once we all accept that, we will begin to make the necessary sacrifices.

Gore put it bluntly when he said that America has to take the lead. As the top contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, America has an obligation to step up to the plate. But we're set in our ways. I admire Gore for providing the spark that ignites this movement but Americans are fat. We're fat on power and wealth, materialism and the ease of consumption, as well as fast food. As we get more comfortable and set in these ways, we have trouble losing the weight, both literally and figuratively. We're too lazy to change our habits and we don't want to be inconvenienced, even when our livelihoods are on the line. Clearly, this problem is deeply rooted and involves broad issues like sociology, economics and, as Gore notes, ethics. Time will tell but until then, I will continue to do what I can by recycling aggressively, conserving energy and resources, and urging others to do the same. Citizens of tomorrow, be forewarned.

ReELECT GORE