Telling the 'Inconvenient Truth'

While Al Gore’s film is a brilliant exploration of the science and impacts of climate change it doesn’t include a strong focus on how climate change specifically affects poor people.

Why not think about sharing some additional information when you show the film? Here are some key facts you could use:

• Climate change is having a huge impact on the lives of poor people. Recurrent floods, droughts, storms, a rise in sea levels and changing rains are having devastating effects on vulnerable communities.
  
  
• Poor people are the least able to adapt to changes in their climate. They are the most vulnerable to natural disasters; the most reliant on harvests coming at the right time; often live on marginal and unsafe land; lack insurance and savings; and are the least able to move from affected regions. According to the World Health Organisation, an extra 5 million serious illnesses and 150,000 deaths globally every year are caused by climate change, mainly in the developing world. It is estimated that there will be 50 million environmental refugees by 2010. In countries like Bangladesh if the sea level rises by 1 metre 10 million people will be left homeless.
  
  
• Climate change is one of the greatest injustices of our time. The world’s poorest people have contributed the least, yet they are hardest hit by its effects. The developing world produces a tiny fraction of the greenhouse gases that the west produces – the whole continent of Africa produces roughly the same greenhouse gas emissions as the UK – so it’s a matter of justice that we curb our own emissions and help poor people to adapt to the changes they are facing.

You could also offer people a biblical perspective on climate change, which again is not featured in the film.

Our climate change Bible study, part of the "Whose life is it anyway?" series will help you do just that.