Such a transition has been made possible by the convergence of several factors: a stream of new science showing an accelerating pace of climate change and its impacts; the everyday experience of people witnessing the change around them (and
seeing it on the evening news); the compelling portrayals of what is happening and why, such as Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth and the 2007
reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and the shifting stances of constituencies as diverse as
evangelical Christians (who argue for protecting the climate on grounds of stewardship of God's creation) and military leaders (who argue on grounds of national security).