An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

Shortly after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the historic 2016 Paris Climate Agreement, a crack in Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf caused a 1.1-trillion-ton block of ice to calve, forming a colossal iceberg which is already breaking into huge chunks. Add that to the increasing threat of mega-fires, destructive hurricanes, deeper droughts, and worldwide temperatures hitting a record high for the third year in a row. To call this documentary follow-up to 2006's Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth timely is a bit of an understatement. Former Vice-President and Nobel Peace Prize-recipient Al Gore updates his dire observations, while also looking at enlightened global energy policies and the latest in technology. Says Gore, “Mother Nature is telling us, and people are noticing it.” Gore believes that global warming is the most threatening aspect of our ecological crisis because the thin atmospheric shell surrounding our planet is the most vulnerable part of Earth's system. Gore argues that Trump's decision to leave the Paris agreement has isolated the United States in the world community and opened the door for a China ready to assume a leadership role. He also notes the real risk of other countries retaliating by trading among themselves, creating advances in solar and wind energy, and placing barriers on U.S. products that contribute to carbon pollution. An effective and impassioned documentary, filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk's An Inconvenient Sequel illustrates how environmentally-conscious citizens and their governments are struggling with consequential climate challenges. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Effecting Change: Speaking Truth to Power” (27 min.) and “Truth in Ten” (12 min.), as well as the OneRepublic “Truth to Power” lyric video (4 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a thought-provoking sequel.] (S. Granger)