Samantha Bliss
Switch Film Annotation
Environment and Politics
TA Sonia
Word Count 1006
1.Title, director, and release year?
Switch, released in 2012 and directed/narrated by University of Texas professor
Scott Tinker
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
This video’s main goal was to objectively address the issue of America’s energy
through ‘agenda-free journalism.’ To achieve this goal, the video included interviews
with fossil fuel and renewable energy companies and asked of each sector what their
contribution to the U.S. energy future consisted of. The video visibly tried to balance the
number of interviews and the nature of questions asked of companies to maintain an
unbiased comparison of the two very different types of industry.
3. What environmental issues does the film cover?
This film addressed the familiar conflict between companies that produce energy
as a result of renewable fuels and fossil fuels. Fossil fuel companies defend their
position as the producers of the majority of energy, while renewable energy companies
try to justify the funds needed for research into making renewables mainstream. The
entire film focused on the gravity of our energy future as we rely on a nonrenewable
source of energy at present. The main point of the video was to inform the public about
their energy options here in the U.S. and compare them to practices used in other parts
of the world. Based on this information it should make it easier for the public to form an
informed decision about the necessity of fossil fuels compared to the research needed
to explore renewables.
4. What does the film have to teach regarding politics and government?
Switch makes clear complications that both government and environmental
organizations must attend to when faced with changes in an industry that is so
influential because of the monetary gain or expenses that it entails. The film pointed the
finger at the state and federal governments, and environmental protection agencies like
the EPA and DEP, as organizations that were either opposing or supporting the fossil
fuel or renewable energy industries. Several instances of politics affecting these
industries were mentioned in the film including the internal politics evident in fossil fuel
and renewable energy providers as well as governmental politics. One such instance of
governmental politics was the Department of Energy working with the company NRG by
providing them with a matching grant to explore renewable energy options. Other
aspects of government/political involvement included the CO2 restriction legislation
meant to hold fossil fuel companies and power plants more accountable for their
environmental impact. However, as the film was quick to mention, it is difficult for the
government to enforce restrictive policies on an industry that is responsible for a large
chunk of revenue brought in to the state, as well as the energy that such an industry
Samantha Bliss
Switch Film Annotation
Environment and Politics
TA Sonia
Word Count 1006
provides.
5. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
Perhaps one of the most persuasive aspects of the film was the statistics that
showed that six of the past seven global recessions were preceded by spikes in the
price of oil. This supply and demand trend was addressed in the part of the video about
the New York Mercantile Exchange. This part of the film was equally overwhelming as
the concluding fact of this section of the film was that the world uses a tanker of oil
every 13 minutes. This information brought to reality the gravity of the situation of our
nation and world’s energy future.
6. What parts of the film did you find unconvincing? Why?
I found this film relatively convincing as far as the provision of evidence of both
sides of the energy spectrum, whether it be renewables or fossil fuels. I felt that the
video did a good job of fairly presenting both industries throughout most of the video,
but there was a definite push near the end of the film for energy conservation which
made the author/director appear as somewhat of a hypocrite. He expressed at the
beginning of the video his goal to provide information as “agenda-free journalism” when
in fact, near the end of the presentation he seemed to have a distinct agenda focused
on energy conservation.
7. What kinds of corrective action are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not
suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
As a result of the apparent agenda evident in this supposed piece of “agendafree journalism” the corrective action suggested by the film is to reduce energy
consumption, even going as far as to suggest, however humorously, the use of golf
carts instead of vehicles for transportation. Some legitimate practices that the film
suggested were to insulate homes, install new doors/ windows with double panes, and
the use of solar parking canopies, etc. as part of the corporate world.
8. What additional information has this film led you to seek?
Due to its shift toward energy conservation near the end, the film has led me to
investigate further information on fossil fuels versus renewable energy and I have
supplemented my knowledge base with information from organizations supporting
renewable energy like renewablegreen.net as well as those supporting fossil fuel energy
like an article on the ilsr.org (Institute of Local Self Reliance) website that outlined the
Republican support of fossil fuels. From these websites, it can be observed that active
participants in the community have mixed feelings about energy and where it should
come from. These very different views, influenced by both political party affiliation and
personal opinion offer a diverse knowledge base for me to base my personal opinion off
of.
Samantha Bliss
Switch Film Annotation
Environment and Politics
TA Sonia
Word Count 1006
In conclusion, Switch offered a split viewpoint covering both the fossil fuel and
renewable energy industries. This new perspective on each method of energy
generation has led me to seek further information on energy providers in order to fully
construct a personal opinion of the benefits of renewables over fossil fuels or the lack
thereof.
Works Cited
Morris, David. “Republicans Support Fossil Fuels, Not Renewable Energy.” ilsr.org.
2013. 27 Sept 2013.
“Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy Pros and Cons.” renewablegreen.net. 2013. 27
Sept 2013