Does the Al Gore Method Work?
As many people already know and have heard of, Al Gore is certainly a supporter of climate change. His tactics however, have been criticized as overly extreme environmental communication. Some do not like the idea of being scared into action, but nonetheless, The Inconvenient Truth has had many people talking about it for years now. Below is a clip of Al Gore explaining his theory of climate change — you decide if you agree with him or not.
I personally believe in his message and feel as though he communicates his ideas about climate change well, and I also agree that a change needs to be made. For this reason, I believe the Al Gore method does work. People need motivation to change, and if that motivation is created through the fears of our future, then that is a good way to go forward. The reality is that if we do not make swift changes to how the human race operates, we may damage our planet beyond the limits of its ability to repair itself.
Why Resist Climate Change?
As illustrated in Jennifer Good's article on the framing of climate change in Canadian, American, and international newspapers, many social structures within the media attempt to downplay the idea that human activity is destroying the planet (Good, 2008, p.238). In Good's findings, she explains that this phenomenon is especially prevalent in the United States, in comparison to Canadian, and international newspapers (Good, 2008, p.241). When they do cover environmental issues, American newspapers use specific language that downplays the seriousness of these problems. For example, in Good's paper, she discovers that American newspapers use the term "global warming" at a much higher rate, compared to Canadian and other international newspapers because terms like "climate change" and "the greenhouse effect" have an increasingly negative ring to them (Good, 2008, p.241). The question is, why downplay climate change? I feel that the answer to this question is that people are naturally resistant to change, along with the fact that much of the economic structure we are currently familiar with will have to be remodeled. This will cost a lot of money and many people will lose their jobs before new "green" jobs will be created to replace these vacancies. Due to this reluctancy to change, I believe extreme communication — as exemplified by a figure like Al Gore — is necessary to move people enough to actually make changes in their daily lives.
Below is an example of extreme climate change communication, it is not ridiculous in the sense that it is created with an educational tone. However, it does present the scary potential outcomes of climate change that will dominate and eventually threaten the human existence. This is the kind of communication that can make a difference, but now it is time we start to see real change.
Bibliography
The Framing of Climate Change in Canadian, American, and International Newspapers: A Media Propaganda Model Analysis. (2008). Canadian Journal of Communication, 33(2), 233-255.
