Times Editorial : A convenient proposal
Posted on Tuesday, July 18, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/42914/
By now Americans have an opinion
concerning the existence of global warming.
Essentially, most Americans believe one of three things: 1. Global warming does exist and the federal government, among others, is letting powerful corporate interests protect their profit margins at the expense of the environment; or 2. Global warming doesn’t exist. But, even if it does, the problem certainly is not as bad as leftleaning liberals who like to talk about the polar ice caps melting like to think it is; or
3. People just don’t care.
In the spirit of getting people in the mood to discuss all the possibilities global warming might entail, a group of concerned citizens is hosting a free showing of the Al Gore documentary “ An Inconvenient Truth” on a first-come, first-served basis at 7: 15 this evening at the Fiesta Square 16 Cinemas in Fayetteville. Those responsible for this free movie include local businesses, individuals and members of Audubon Arkansas, the Sierra Club and the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology.
Regardless of where you stand on the whole global warming issue, everyone involved in footing the bill for the free movie-going experience deserves serious credit for putting their money where their mouth’s are. Regal Entertainment Group, which owns the Fiesta 16, provided a discount price of $ 6 per ticket, meaning more than $ 1, 000 would be required to pay for use of an almost 180-seat theater.
It’s nice to think we live in a community that already cares about protecting the environment. Fayetteville, for instance, is one of just three cities in Arkansas that have signed onto the U. S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which means to advance the goals of the Kyoto Protocol.
If global warming does exist, there are still many among us who believe individual people and towns can’t have the impact on solving this problem that the federal government has. But this is an incorrect attitude. From recycling newspapers and aluminum cans on a daily basis to driving more fuel efficient vehicles, all of us together can make an important impact on the global conversation “ An Inconvenient Truth” seeks to inspire.
Among life’s eternal truths is that actions speak louder than words. Individual commitment to seeking a better world for our children and grandchildren matters plenty. In their own way, the people responsible for purchasing the tickets for this free viewing of Gore’s movie are doing what they can to create a dialogue that might lead to a cleaner and safer planet earth.
So tonight, if you can spare a few hours, take time to ruminate over what is potentially one of the biggest problems facing civilization today. Besides, on hot day like this one, surely there are worse ways to spend the evening than sitting in the dark, in a cool, air-conditioned movie theater, pondering the future of the world as we know it.