There is quite a lot of historical ‘what-if’ fiction out there. What if JFK had not been assassinated, for example, or most commonly, what if Germany won the second world war. One such hypothetical I like to ponder is, what if Al Gore had not been defrauded of the 2000 US Election, a result that brought George W. Bush into power. With Gore’s evangelical belief in the effects of climate change, it is safe to say that there would have been a very different presidency. What he could have achieved with the scepticism that still, unbelievably, exists in much of America is another matter.

What we can safely say is that he wouldn’t have brought us the ground breaking and Oscar winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth in 2006, or this follow-up that unusually for a documentary is getting a decent multiplex release. It details how the world has and hasn’t changed in the intervening decade, with footage of ever escalating environmental catastrophes around the world. It also focuses more on the man himself and what he has been doing in the last ten years, specifically training people on how to spread his message. The film has received some criticism for being so much about the man, rather than the issue, but I don’t think that is entirely valid. I found it interesting to see a peek of his private life, and his energy and enthusiasm is much to be admired.

A large part of the latter half of the film is set around the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016. This was the most fascinating element of the film as it centred on the wheeler dealing and furious politicking required to get all of the significant nations to agree to the proposal. There is a lovely shot of Gore, just after the agreement was ratified, just for a second relaxing and taking it all in.

Whilst the film does try to put a positive spin on what is happening now, with the advancement in solar energy in particular, the shadow of the current US President does loom over it, and the decision by the infantile egomaniac to pull out of the agreement is duly mentioned just before the ending credits.

This will not be considered as an important as its predecessor, but it still reiterates a message that we must one day fully open our ears to.

Rating: 9 out of 10