Gore's Film, "An Inconvenient Truth," Becoming Required Viewing in Canadian Schools

An article in National Post, an online journal, reports the experience of one Ontario, Canada, teenager with Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth." First McKenzie saw it in world history class. Then he saw it in an economics class. Then his world issues class. Finally, his environment class. Four different classes. Four different teachers. Four different showings of the movie.

"I really don't understand why they keep showing it," McKenzie, who last name was not published, was quoted by the Post. "I've spoken to the principal about it, and he said that teachers are instructed to present it as a debate. But every time we've seen it, well, one teacher said this is basically a two-sided debate, but this movie really gives you the best idea of what's going on."

McKenzie has taken the time to educate himself about the global warming (or climate-change) controversy, and says that the Gore film is too one-sided to be taught as fact. According to National Post, McKenzie's mother was outraged to find out that the movie was being presented as fact. "This is just being poured into kids' brains instead of letting them know there's a debate going on," she said. "An educational system falls down when they start taking one side." The Post points out that even some scientists who side with Gore's message are uncomfortable with "the liberties [Gore] takes with 'science' in the film. Though University of Colorado climatologist Keven Vranes said that Gore was right to publicize the message about global warming, we need to be careful "overselling our certainty about knowing the future."