Al Gore (C) and Davis Guggenheim are applauded
© AFP Gabriel BouysHOLLYWOOD (AFP) - Making use of a vast body of scientific data, the film represents a stinging rebuttal to the dwindling and increasingly discredited band of skeptics who refuse to acknowledge the extent of climate change.
Though the film is directed by Davis Guggenheim, Gore is the undisputed star, interspersing persuasive presentations about the environment with personal recollections from his life.
"We are so inspired. We share this with you," Guggenheim said to Gore as the film's team received the award.
Gore, whose win was likely to stir more speculation about the possibility of his running for president next year, used the award to call for more attention to global warming.
"My fellow Americans, ... people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis," he said.
"It's not a political issue, it's a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act. That's a renewable resource."
Melissa Etheridge, whose song "I Need to Wake Up" copped a second Oscar for the environmental documentary, also heaped praise on the former vice president.
"I have to thank Al Gore for inspiring us, inspiring me, showing that caring about the Earth is not Republican or Democrat, it's not red or blue. We are all green. This is our job now."
The central thrust of Gore's claims in the film is that global warming is a genuine threat and is largely man-made, an assertion that is backed by recent research.
An avalanche of data is used to illustrate how rising temperatures could threaten the planet, most strikingly showing before-and-after photographs of glaciers and mountain ice packs.
He also cites a study taken from analysis of Antarctic ice cores showing carbon dioxide concentrations higher than at any time during the past 650,000 years. The scientific community has generally accepted the veracity of statements made in the film.
RealClimate, an online blog by 11 prominent climate scientists, praised the film as "remarkably up to date, with reference to some of the very latest research."
Gore concludes the film on a positive note, saying it is not too late to reverse some of the damage and arguing that actions such as planting more trees can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Many analysts say the positive effects the film has had on Gore's public image could persuade him to launch another campaign for the White House after his razor-thin defeat to George W. Bush in 2000.
Gore has said it is highly unlikely he will stand in the 2008 presidential election, but he has stopped short of ruling out another run.
"I don't have plans to be a candidate again, and though I haven't ... completely ruled out any possibility of running at some point in the future, I don't expect to and cannot perceive circumstances in which I would," he said.
©AFP