Discussion Questions for Summer Reading Program 2008
An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore

Personal Connections
1. Have you experienced anything personally that you would attribute to climate change and/or the environment?

2. What was your understanding of climate change before reading this book? How did your understanding change or grow as a result of the information in the book?

3. In the book, Gore discusses two personal crises – one with his son and one with his sister – that caused him to change how he viewed the world. Have you ever experienced a crisis that caused you to rethink how you saw the world?

4. Gore writes in reference to nature that “we’re inextricably tied” (p 161). Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? In the “Across the Wilderness” chapter, Gore describes his family’s outings in nature. What outdoor experiences have you done, and how have they affected your view of nature?

5. Can an individual really do anything to change the pattern of climate change or is it all too overwhelming?

6. What in the book – a fact, an image, a story – triggered a strong emotion for you? What feelings did it evoke?

Academic Connections
7. Do you agree that human activity is contributing to climate change by its emissions of greenhouse gases? What scientific evidence is there to support your opinion?

8. Gore argues that climate change is a moral issue in addition to a political and scientific one. What difference does it make if we approach this issue from a moral standpoint?

9. Where is Gore getting the information that he is presenting in the book? Do you believe that the scientific evidence in the book is credible? Why or why not? What is needed for a source to be credible?

10. Based on what you read, how does our economic system factor into climate change?

11. The US is the largest consumer of fossil fuels on the planet, releasing the greatest amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Do you think the US has an obligation to act and lead the effort to stop climate change? Why or why not?

Civic Connections
12. Do you agree that political leaders in the U.S. have ignored, or even tried to reverse, the scientific evidence for human’s impact on climate change? What may influence the position a political leader may take on climate change?

13. Whose responsibility is it to reduce greenhouse emissions? Is it up to the government or do individuals also have a personal responsibility? How might the government encourage individuals to reduce greenhouse gasses?

14. Do developed nations have a greater responsibility than developing ones given developed countries have already benefitted from energy use in ways that the developing nations are now trying to do?

15. What sort of world do you want to leave for future generations? What do you think would need to happen for this vision to be realized? Would you be willing to take these steps?

16. At the end of the book there are concrete actions that people can take to make changes. Which ones would you commit yourself to in order to make a change?