Rayce Dendel

Eng. 2010
8:00 A.M. MWF
Profile

There are many voices and personalities that one could name as exemplary when
talking about environmentalism. In the end I chose to write about Al Gore, 45th Vice President of
the United States, because he is recognized worldwide for his achievements in the preservation
of our only home, the Earth.
Most people know Al Gore for only two things: being Vice President of the United States,
or for being the guy who made An Inconvenient Truth, and thats a fair cursory glance. But
when you look beyond these two things, there is a clear picture of someone who has made not
only a global impact on the environment, but on human kind itself, through championing a cause
that is on the forefront of our very struggle for existence. Its very easy to forget that we once
came from nature itself, scraping and clawing out our lives against everything that Mother Earth
had to throw at us. As we all know, this changed, rather quickly at that, and we started bending
nature to our own will, and warping our very environment to suit our continual stream of
consciousness that we know as life. In the beginning, the impact of this was not seen, because
there simply werent that many humans. Now, with a global population of reaching close to 8
billion people, the evidence of our negative effects are shockingly apparent. Because of this, it is
time to stand up and make some serious changes, and we too can follow in the footsteps of
people like Mr. Gore.
During his acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, Al Gore was quoted as
saying the following: We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency a threat
to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we
gather here. But there is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid
the worst though not all of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly. (Gore,

2007) Gore received the Peace Prize for his work on making global warming and climate
change major talking points in many political realms all across the globe. Through spreading
awareness and education on the subject of human impact and how we are changing our
biosphere, Al Gore brought what was previously a relatively unknown and little spoken of issue
to the main stage of the worlds attention, and rightly so given the consequences of obscurity on
this issue.
Of course, you cannot talk about Al Gore and his work with environmentalism education
without mentioning An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary that some would argue is the crown
jewel and main point of reference in the matter of global awareness and his campaign to
educate. Made in 2006, the documentary was about Al Gore and a slideshow that he had put
together of graphs and information paired with pictures about the effects of global warming.
Many did not think the film would generate much success, but it turned out to be the tenth
highest grossing documentary in U.S. history, Which is saying something for a film about a
slideshow about the environment. Centering on scientific data and research from some of the
worlds top scientist and paired with photos from National Geographic, the film generated
worldwide interest, appearing at film festivals all over the world, trying to raise awareness about
this pressing issue.
Some would argue that since people like Al Gore and his colleagues are doing so much
for the Earth that everyone else need not bother, and I find this to be absolutely false. The
reason we must highlight people like Al Gore is to show just what one person can do with the
right intentions. Not only that, but I think after examining this issue closely that most people
would agree that we all need to get involved. This is why the work that Mr. Gore and others
have done is so important, because once people get educated, then they can get involved.
Think about how different our world could be if it was as socially taboo to not recycle as it is to
litter? What if every single person took steps to reduce their carbon footprint and put effort into

helping our environment, instead of harming it through indirect actions for which there is no
accountability? We certainly wouldnt be in quite as deep a hole as we are in now.
According to NASA, the sea level has risen 6.7 inches in the last century, but in the last
decade alone, we have doubled the rate of the previous century. (NASA, 2016) This does not
sound like very much of an impact, but when put into context of the last two or three hundred
years, it is plain to see that we as a species have a significantly negative impact on our planet.
This sort of thing is hard to visualize, because often times we dont see the actual effect we
have on the world around us, which is a tool most people need to be able to put meaning or
impact behind something. Imagine some of your favorite beaches and coastlines. You probably
have fond memories of salty ocean smells and tasty local cuisine, found only in that specific
spot. Now imagine all of it under water, ruined and soaking beneath the depths of the ocean,
waiting for some future explorer to re-discover. This may seem dramatic, but in a short number
of years, this is the reality that we will all soon face, and even if you have no experience with the
coast, this effects you as well.
This is why Gores work is so important. Not only has he done more than his fair share to
educate the world about this pressing issue, he has founded multiple organizations and
institutions dedicated to fighting this global epidemic. The Climate Reality Project was one of
his crowning achievements in the face of climate change. This is a non-profit organization
dedicated to the same principles as Gore himself, namely the spreading of education and
awareness in relation to global warming, and the impact that we as humans have on our
environment. In addition to education, the project takes steps to help reduce emissions and
begin repairing our damaged environment. There is an endless list of the consequences of
global warming, and one could write another paper (or four) on the impact this monster of a
global phenomena has, but sufficed to say that no matter where you live, you occupy
somewhere on Earth, and the space around you will be changing. Because of this, the work that

Gore does impacts us all. It may not be a dramatic or significant change at first, depending on
where you live, but at some point this issue will find its way into your daily life.
So lets take a moment to recognize what people like Al Gore have done for us as a
species. Someone like Gore with that much money and power could have DONE anything, or
BEEN anything, and this man chose to helm a cause that effects us all on the deepest level. Al
Gore has done a lot, and we didnt get to cover very much of his total impact, but I think the area
we focused on is the culmination of some of his finest work to date, and I look forward to seeing
what he will do in the next decade or so, as this issue comes closer and closer to an inevitable
confrontation. I think history will look back on Gore with kindness; as someone who pioneered a
cause on a global scale long before anyone else had the courage to. Not only that, but I hope
they look back on him as someone that served humanity in many different ways. He the Vice
President of one of the most powerful nations on the planet at the time, but he also served
briefly in the military of that same nation (America). After deciding this was not enough, he
became a household name in one of the most imperative issues in the modern age, cementing
himself firmly in our planets history. There are many things we can all do to help out our planet,
and its getting to the point where this is not a luxury or a choice that we should do if we want to
be good people. This is something that will literally kill us all if we dont take action to stop and
repair the damage that is being done. We can all take a page out of Al Gores book,
(metaphorically), and take steps to change not only your future, but that of your loved ones as
well. This is something that we all have to deal with, so its worth talking about and taking a
frank, honest, and objective look at this issue. We have ruined many aspects of our planet, but
we are not beyond redemption. Thank you for taking the time today to look at and consider a
problem larger than yourself. With people like Gore leading our society in a positive direction,
we can continue to take action against this enormous obstacle in humanities path, and do our
best to spread awareness on this issue. Even something as small as letting other people know
the problem exists can spark a fire in someone. You never know. Certainly Al Gores professor

could not have known that he was educating a future environmental champion, and you can do
the same. All it takes is a single step in the right direction, and soon, we might all find ourselves
in a better place, literally and metaphorically.

Ref Page
A. Gore, A. (2007, December 10). Al Gore-Nobel Lecture. Retrieved from
https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/gore-lecture_en.html
1. (n.d.). Al Gore Biography. Retrieved July 2, 2016, from
http://www.biography.com/people/al-gore-9316028#related-video-gallery
1. Aldred, J., & Goodchild, L. (2007, October 12). Timeline: Al Gore. Retrieved
July 1, 2016, from
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/oct/12/climatechange1
1. Shaftel, H., & Tenenbaum, L. (2016, June 30). Climate Change: Vital Signs of
the Planet. Retrieved July 2, 2016, from http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
Published date is date of last website edit, could not find original post date.
1. EPA, U. (2016, June 14). Climate Change: Basic Information. Retrieved June
30, 2016, from https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/basics/
No original publication date, the electronically published date represents the last day the
article was edited