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Third, while mainstream scientists predict that the frequency and strength of freak weather events will radically increase, Gore ties specific weather events (such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2003 European heat waves) to the dynamics of the greenhouse effect. The scientists I talk with are very reluctant to tie any specific event to global warming, while confidently predicting that we will see more and more of such catastrophic weather.

Gore was present at the screening I attended for An Inconvenient Truth. In a discussion afterward, a young biologist raised these issues with Gore. She wanted to speak as a scientist, and scientists are supposed to be frank both about what they do know and what they don't know. But, she said, she was afraid that if scientists admit their uncertainties on global warming, those admissions will be used by special interests to undermine their testimony.

Gore's response: Science thrives on uncertainty. Politics is paralyzed by uncertainty. And therein lies the key to Gore's approach: he is a politician who is talking about science, and he doesn't want to muddy the waters by talking about probabilities. He wants action now—and he's right about that.

"It's human nature to want to take time to connect the dots," he told us. "But there will be a day of reckoning."

"Too many people go directly from denial to despair, but we have everything we need to solve the problem. Except political will. But in America, political will is a renewable resource."

The film ends with two exhortations. One is to visit the film's official website (www.climatecrisis.net). The other is to pray. But when you pray, it says, quoting an African proverb, move your feet.

An Inconvenient Truth is showing in limited theaters. For a complete list of theaters, visit the official website.

© David Neff 2006, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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