The 11th Hour – Movie Notes
Infected Organism
Fight between human and nature – the environment will survive
Planet is an infected organism
Lights seen at night – biosphere is in trouble
Critical point in time – committing suicide
Many Scientists believe we are out of balance leading to the collapse of our ecosystems
Our mind is able to loo
Ecological incidents are shown as individual events by the media
Connect the events – allows us to see the relationship between us and the planet
Out of Balance
Live in tolerances
Environmental – temperature and water
Web of life must stay within these tolerances
Heat and gases – not an iceball – just the right conditions
The human body has DNA and genes but most of the cells in us are other organisms
6 Septillion (6 with 24 0’s) – happening in your body
Humans are a very young species – If all time was a day, we arrived 15 minutes before midnight
We are the 3rd chimpanzee – which have two characteristics – tools and communications
Individuals – group together and have two characteristic individuals – Oppoturnistic and greed
Our Mind is what makes us different – only animal on planet that can choose a future
Alternatives to sunlight
Mind – What has changed in recent history to cause us to be out of balance
Not separate from nature – we are one with nature
Culture – assumes we are special and separate and given dominion of the world
Can’t be separated from nature – This is a thinking disorder
Attitudes still on selfishness, economics, and politics
We assume its economy that is important – we forgot to treat nature with respect or pay the price
Fossil fuel age / industrial revolution nature converted to a resource / limitless growth and expansion
Lliving off current sunlight – maximum amount we could use to grow plants, warm our bodies
(1 million people)– now we are living on ancient sunlight – we now have 7 billion and we are living
on ancient sunlight.
Resource extraction
We have become a good alchemist – take fossil carbon and change it into human biomass
All based on fossil fuels
Too many people – oil allows us to do that
Our lives are subsidized by oil – nothing costs its real cost
We borrow a billion dollars a day to import oil – 1/3 of this is for oil
We don’t take into account all costs (ex. Medical problems, acid rain, global warming, and troops)
We live in a debt cycle – owe oil
Revenge of the Gods / revenge of Nature – technology has magnified the presence inside the
ecology so we can do massive amount more damage – need to be more cautious
Climate change
State of weather – 2 degrees difference, Causing droughts – in U.S., Flooding in Asia, Russia, India
Heat waves, Wildfires, Tornadoes, Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Carbon dioxide – may become self-sustaining, may trigger large amounts of CO2 in the ocean and the
melting of the poles will stop reflecting sunlight and earth can become like Venus
Greenhouse effect – good thing
Adding to the amount of gases (CO2, CFC’s, and methane) – trap extra heat
It is reality and a concern for the future
Carbon dioxide at 400 pts per million may be tipping point
Modeling suggests it can get 5 degrees hotter
Scientific Evidence
Estimated the earth 7/10 of a degree even if we stop now it will still increase another ½ of a degree
Arctic Ice – starting to see changes may be ice free in next few decades which will change weather patterns,
and river flows, floods and droughts
Add another degree of uncertainty – threatens food, water, sea water, weather protections
In will become a National security problem (also international)
Environmental refugees – 150 million refugees due to climate change
We have not figured out how to change our ways
Dumping Grounds
Convergence of crisis
Every living system is in decline – rate of decline is accelerating
Living systems – coral reefs, aquifers, biodiversity, there is no living system that is stable
Basis of all life Conference – reports came in from conference – staggering destruction of ecosystems
Planet is seamless – fertilizers and pesticides affecting areas in causing dead zones 1000’s of miles away
Air pollution – no away – causing asthma
How many kids? - 30%
Ocean crisis - Taken too much out (fish) and too much in (pollution), destroying the edge
Overfishing and by- catch
Biomagnification
Chemicals – plastics, colors,
Disorders – ADHD, cancers, diabetes, behavior, parkinsons, alzheimers, testicular cancer,
prostate, breast cancer – exposure in utero
Poor areas of color
Foods becoming poisoned, less and less of it
Soil Degradation
70% of the countries – no forest
Rainforests – don’t grow back – nutrient cycling destroyed
Desertification spreading where there used to be forest – lead to starvation and death
30% of the soils have been put in serious degradation, Nonrenewable resources
57000 gallons of water can be held in a single tree, can cause floods when removed polluting the ocean
Tip ocean into a state – turn conveyor belt off – ocean stagnation
Last time of this type of stagnation was at the end of Permian – 95% of all species went extinct
Economic Interests
Why aren’t we responding?
Corporate economic globalization – We are killing off the host (perfected greed)
Ecosystems have no rights / it is property
Politics – respond only to wealth (fossil fuel)
Whitehouse edits a report Our Changing Planet – report by US science climate program
Phil Cooney (U.S. chief of staff) –former lawyer and lobbyist for oil companies
Not crisis of technology or public opinion
Government - Too much money in the political system (Need to override system / Need to find balance)
Economy is a subsystem – but it is set up to grow, the biosphere is not – this is the opportunity to change
Consumer Commodities
We don’t calculate 35 trillion dollars a year for what nature does for us for nothing (Not in equation)
Business – is now all about growth – not about quality of life – need to take back
Industrial system needs to be fixed - 1 truckload of product put out 32 trucks of waste
Problem is the way of the thinking – It is a cultural problem
It is the way we think – we are products of advertising
Ignorant of the terms of by which we live
Everything getting bigger – losing time
We don’t know (understand) how the rest of the world lives
Consumer democracy – People must have what they want and they want it now
Once commodities become cultural symbols - No stopping it. – must change object of desire
Extinction Crisis
We are out of balance / Media – how knowledge is passed
Not going from family – disconnected from the earth
Numbing our senses, losing the beauty of the world- looking for substitutes -We don’t know what we lost
Deforestation for agriculture and urban development and the earth is lighted up at night
our demands are always increasing but there isn’t any more available
Facing 1/3 to ½ of the species on earth
Life will probably not be extinguished – adaptable
We may be the most vulnerable
99.9999% of all species have gone extinct
Tragedy of our species – we are wiping out other species
Dark Age – most people are unaware
Worry about our lives – too narrow / People must be aware of the problems
If not, destruction of civilization – due to consumption, violence, destruction
Earth perspective – can’t be 11th hour for the earth, only an extinction crisis for the earth
One species is taking over the resources – away from other species
Sustainable Design
Future – US needs to make a change (Does nature hold the answers?}
Forces are created by humans – we are the solution
We have technology – need to use it to help us reach sustainability
Need to remake systems – this generation gets to remake the world
Materials – important but we need to think Cradle to cradle
Water needs to be clean
We need to treat each person fairly
We must design systems that maintain themselves
Waste-free
We design in isolation - Nature designs opposite of us
Kevlar – petroleum, acid, pressure
Life – can’t use heat, pressure, chemical baths
Spiders – webs 5x stronger than steel (only with water and chemistry at room temperature)
Fungus – membranes of mycelia (should be an example)
Accumulate metals, microbes, viruses, pollutants, Micro restoration, healing membranes
No waste – one organism’s waste is another’s food – should be a model for our industrial systems
Combine our waste, heating, growing, all in one building, city, planet or system
we could live like this and use only a tenth of the energy
Building account for 1/3 of all energy use.
Reduce human footprint by 90%
Efficient transportation - Solar, hydro, - get away from oil
Energy is the key
Move very fast if we want to
Detroit retooled for military in WWII in 6 months
Finished 3 years and 4 months – the war was over
It is time for all hands on deck – this can be a finest hour
Environmentalists – fastest growing groups
We can see what the new economy will look like (Build it in the time available)
Must be done by federal government
Give incentives to the renewable energy sources
Pollution Pay system
Lower income taxes – and tax in energy and uses
Open competition - Send the right message to the market
Build the political wheel for taking action
Vote – not just at the voting poll
You vote every time you buy something
Passion for place
What will it take for us to change – winning the battle is lifting the awareness of the general public
Enjoy the local things – more time (Reduce the large house, commute)
Be smart – Frugality
Doesn’t mean poverty
Nature is not endlessly abundant
Task of our generation
11:59 and 59 seconds
Although other movements have had a long time to move
We may not have the time
The Americans always do the right thing only after we do all the wrong things
Look into yourself – what are your passions
Get involved
Save the world (Be aware of your own heart)
Passion for place
Millions of people have responded to the events – environmentalism has become larger
Our response can save this planet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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