By MARTIN M. COOPER Guest Columnist It’s too bad that Al Gore is the focal point of the movie, “An Inconvenient Truth.” He detracts from his own message. It’s not that he does a poor job presenting his new documentary on global warming; in fact, he was less stiff than we’ve ever seen him. He introduced himself by saying, “I am Al Gore, I used to be the next president of the United States of America,” with a wry reference to his own political fortunes. The problem is, today everything is viewed in light of the excessively partisan political landscape we’ve drawn. It’s not a pretty picture: people are “red” or “blue,” “left” or “right,” “hawks” or “doves,” “pro labor” or “pro business.” And so, unfortunately, as a former vice president and presidential candidate, the film’s presenter and viewers’ opinions of him obscure his own message. Those who consider themselves environmentalists or conservationists hail “An Inconvenient Truth” as gospel, and a wake-up call to the rest of us. Those who align themselves on the other end of the issue say the movie’s scare tactics are based on nothing but unproven scientific bunk. Al Gore’s presence gets in the way of a central fact: This film’s topic is not as much a political issue as it is a moral issue. This is a film that takes on a highly complex issue, and there are rarely simple explanations to complex issues. How do you explain the issue of global warming so that most of us can understand it, and then, if we do, how are we to react to the message? In some ways, it’s pretty simple. You show snow-peaked Mount Kilimanjaro a few years ago, and then its nearly-brown look today; the comparative pictures are striking. You listen to Al Gore intone seriously, “If you look at the 10 hottest years ever measured, they’ve all occurred in the past 14 years, and the hottest of all was 2005.” And that doesn’t even count the July heat wave we’ve all been experiencing here in the Valley. Business has demonstrated its ability to evolve in light of environmental concerns in the past, and appears ready to do so again. In 1953, inventor Robert Apblanalp, later one of Richard Nixon’s closest friends and financial backers, patented the technology that led to the creation of the spray can. Soon his Precision Valve Corporation was earning more than $100 million annually manufacturing more than one billion aerosol cans each year in the U.S. and a few other nations. By the mid-1970s, science had demonstrated that the fluorocarbons in those spray cans were adversely affecting the ozone layer, which led to creation of an environmentally friendly aerosol can. Al Gore should be pleased with the increasing signs that business realizes it has a responsibility for environmental matters, and broad media coverage is pushing that awareness along. Media attention The July 17 issue of Business Week features a four-page spread examining how some companies are adapting to the reality of rising temperatures and other climate changes. Recently retired NBC anchor Tom Brokaw is hosting a Discovery Channel program on global warming and says he was impressed by “An Inconvenient Truth.” In an editorial last week, the New York Times referred to a recent National Academy of Sciences report that “the earth is inexorably heating up and that industrial emissions are largely responsible. This is a case of global importance, not least because America’s failure to act decisively has discouraged the rest of the world from acting decisively.” It appears that business is getting the message: The Bob Hope Airport spent $1.3 million installing electric charging stations at all 14 boarding gates to encourage airlines to convert from diesel to electric powered ground service equipment. Southwest Airlines converted over 80 percent of its equipment to electric power after the chargers came online, and this conversion happened much faster than anyone expected. Sales of hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius continue strong, and the new documentary, “Who Killed the Electric Car?” is sure to keep the role of the vehicle in environmental pollution top of mind. Brian Sobel, Sales Manager of Keyes Woodland Hills Honda, says, “People are willing to spend the $6,000 more for a hybrid than a non-hybrid Civic Honda. If I had 100 on my lot I could sell them all a good example of the growing awareness of the importance of the environmental issue.” Some Bank of America employees are eligible for a $3,000 cash incentive to buy a hybrid car; they are one of three Fortune 1000 companies to offer cash incentives to buy a hybrid. As business people, we have a responsibility to look further than the next quarter’s profits. Hackneyed phrases as “giving back to the community” and “corporate responsibility” have to be matched with action. One doesn’t have to be an environmental activist to see that our climate is changing at a geometric rate, and that our children and their children will be impacted by decisions we make now. Go see “An Inconvenient Truth.” You may agree or disagree with Al Gore’s politics, but don’t let that get in the way of considering his message. You may or may not share his point of view, but you can’t walk out of the theater without thinking and perhaps that is indeed the sign of a good movie, after all. “Politics aside, I think you owe it to yourself to see this film.” Roger Ebert
