Al Gore in Brixton

THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH 

In the wake of Al Gore’s Live Earth concerts this weekend Transition Town Brixton held a screening of ‘The Inconvenient Truth’ at the Ritzy last night.  Our Q&A session afterwards made it obvious that while Gore’s movie has been instrumental raising awareness, we need to be developing more thorough solutions to the problem of global warming than those presented by Gore in his movie. 

Deepak Rughani, from Biofuel watch, discussed the importance of not mollycoddling the audience - in this ‘race against time’ we cannot afford to be ‘drip fed’ information.   Guy Shrubsole, from Carbon Rationing Action Group, also made a strong point for more engagement with the issues.  TTB founder Duncan Law mentioned Al Gore’s 7 Step Pledge, which TTB supports. Here it is:
 

Live Earth’s 7-Point Pledge on the Climate Crisis:

• To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;

• To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become “carbon neutral;”

• To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;

• To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;

• To fight for laws and policies that expand the  use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;

• To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,

• To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

Other news from the event includes publication of a ‘Global Warming Survival Handbook’, a well illustrated good starting point.