Cause, Effect
Let’s analyze the “Cause, Effect” speech structure with a focus on Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” speech.
Let’s get started:
We’ve broken this speech structure analysis into two sections: an overview of the “Cause, Effect” structure and an analysis of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” speech to see how he used it.
Overview
What is the “Cause, Effect” structure and when do you use it?
This structure is used to explain why something is happening and what its results are. It helps your audience connect the dots between actions and consequences, showing that the current state of affairs isn't accidental, but driven by choices, systems, or neglect. This structure is especially effective in situations where understanding why something is happening is just as essential as understanding what the situation is.
The “Cause, Effect” structure is used when your advocacy is focused on informing and building a case for topics that have been misrepresented or ignored in mainstream discourse. This structure makes your speech not just compelling, but educational.
Audience: Decision-makers, students, public audiences unfamiliar with the issue.
Setting: Academic forums, environmental summits, health justice rallies.
Cause: Climate change, public health crises, racial injustice, systemic poverty.
Note: While the “Problem, Solution” structure focuses more on what the problem is and how to solve it, the “Cause, Effect” structure focuses on what is behind the problem and the consequences of the problem. Essentially, the “Cause, Effect” structure allows the speaker to hone in on the complexities of the problem and is used when the audience doesn’t yet understand the full extent of the problem.
Cause: Identify the factors, decisions, or systems that created the issue. Point out who or what is to blame.
Effect: Use real-world outcomes to demonstrate the consequences. Let people see and feel the ripple effects.
Resolution: Offer a path to interrupt or reverse the cycle. Highlight the cost of inaction.
Analysis
How did Al Gore use the “Problem, Solution” structure in his “An Inconvenient Truth” speech?
Cause
Al Gore begins his speech by reminding the audience of a critical decision point from the past that led to dire consequences. This, he points out, is the cause:
"Eight years ago, some said there was not much difference between the nominees of the two major parties and it didn't really matter who became president."
He immediately illustrates why this assumption was catastrophically wrong, by highlighting what changed under the Bush-Cheney administration using concrete examples:
"We would not be bogged down in Iraq; we would have pursued bin Laden until we captured him. We would not be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis; we would be fighting for middle-income families. We would not be showing contempt for the Constitution; we'd be protecting the rights of every American regardless of race, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation. And we would not be denying the climate crisis; we'd be solving it."
Gore establishes his rhetorical theme of being cheated or getting ripped off when he warns that "we're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the future of human civilization." This vivid visualization helps the audience grasp the absurdity of current energy policies.
Gore then identifies the specific causes behind these problems. In the “Cause, Effect” speech structure, it’s okay— powerful, even— to place blame or point fingers:
"The carbon fuels industry — big oil and coal — have a 50-year lease on the Republican Party, and they are drilling it for everything it's worth. And this same industry has spent a half a billion dollars this year alone trying to convince the public they are actually solving the problem, when they are in fact making it worse every single day."
Effect
Gore explains the effects of letting climate change run rampant. To emphasize the urgency, Gore employs "show, don't tell" techniques with a series of alarming images:
"Many scientists predict that the entire north polar ice cap may be completely gone during summer months in the first term of the next president. Sea levels are rising, fires are raging, storms are stronger. Military experts warn us our national security is threatened by massive waves of climate refugees destabilizing countries around the world, and scientists tell us the very web of life is endangered by unprecedented extinctions."
These are the real world outcomes. Gore could have easily talked about rising temperatures, cited numbers from NOAA or the EPA, or talked about carbon in the atmosphere, but he didn’t. Why? Because Gore knows that these aren’t the effects that matter to people. In order to use the “Cause, Effect” structure effectively you have to humanize the impacts and bring it back to how the problem effects the people in your audience.
Resolution
Then, Gore transitions to his solution by offering a clear path forward:
"We already have everything we need to use the sun, the wind, geothermal power, conservation and efficiency to solve the climate crisis — everything, that is, except a president who inspires us to believe, 'Yes, we can.'"
This statement not only outlines the technical solution but ties it to the political solution—electing Barack Obama.
Using parallel structure, Gore frames the election as a stark choice between maintaining the status quo and embracing change. This is what makes this speech so impactful— Al Gore keeps it simple. Throughout this speech, Al Gore has dived into the complexities of foreign policy, politics, and the science behind climate change. For the solution however, Gore paints it in the simplest terms— a choice between two different options:
"If you like the Bush-Cheney approach, John McCain's your man. If you want change, then vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden."
The path to solving climate change is a bit more complicated than a partisan dichotomy, but Al Gore still demonstrates that a resolution should be simple and seem achievable. He further connects the climate crisis to broader national challenges:
"The climate crisis is intertwined with the other two great challenges facing our nation: reviving our economy and strengthening our national security. The solutions to all three require us to end our dependence on carbon-based fuels."
This strategic framing presents solving the climate crisis as a solution to multiple problems. It forces us to recognize the impact or the benefits of action.
Read the full transcript of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” speech.
Watch the full Al Gore “An Inconvenient Truth” speech.
Al Gore uses a lot of rhetorical techniques and tools in his speech. To learn more about rhetoric, click here.