From an opening reflection on the beauty of the world – that which we often take for granted – we are taken on a brief montage of former Vice President Al Gore giving lectures, coming to rest on one. "I am Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States of America." Amidst audience cheering, the tone of the film is set; "I don't find that particularly funny," Gore responds, with a wry smile on his lips.

An Inconvenient Truth is, at heart, a filmed Keynote presentation given by a man who feels he hasn't done enough to alert the world to the issue of global warming. Through warm-hearted respect, combined with a mildly humorous tone – and a few self–deprecating jokes, Gore manages to grab our attention, taking us on a journey through the science of global warming in layman's terms, dispelling some myths as he goes. This is important, as the crux of the film is not just that it is an issue that needs addressing, but that it is an issue that requires everyone to act. As a society, we often find we are encouraged to "pass the buck", to live life with a focus on the individual, rather than the whole. The issue of global warming may be something we are aware of, but not something that directly affects us as individuals, and so we can move on. It is this belief which Gore combats in the speech he gives. This is an issue that will have ramifications for us. This is an issue we can do something about.

For Gore himself, this is a problem he feels passionately about – a passion that has increased after his son was involved in an accident; an event that changed his outlook on life. This key factor, documented in the film, helps make Gore's message more personal, and invites sympathy through the interspersed clips of Gore's political past. As the film states, however, this isn't a film questioning politics, so much as a film questioning morals. It is our moral responsibility to ensure we care for our planet – something that as Christians we are called to do by God (e.g. Genesis 2:15). The consensus amongst scientists is that we are, as a whole, causing damage to the planet with our abundance of carbon dioxide emissions, and this needs to be regulated.

The benefit of An Inconvenient Truth over a public lecture, other than reaching a wider audience, is the freedom offered by the editing and the camera techniques to keep the topic fresh, leaving the focus on the film's powerful message. As the film, together with its theatrical trailer, illustrates, "Nothing is scarier than the truth".

Rob Hunt, Maths Student, Southampton University