Film "Home" puts our planet in perspective

Very impressive film that puts the problem out there all right. I saw it before but never took the time to watch it through. Embedding is disabled on the actual film but below is a trailer, or the full 93-min version is here.


IMO turning it around is going to be agonizingly slow and difficult.

However a fatalistic response is the worst possible reaction.

We in the wealthy west need to take the lead ~ to show the people in developing nations that 3 gas hogging vehicles and 3 homes per household is not the Holy Grail of all human aspirations. So that all people might learn and be able to attain a lifestyle of higher ideals and lower consumption.

As it stands right now, we are blocked from doing so by a tiny minority of like 1/10th of 1% of the people ~ who are afraid. Afraid of losing their chance to enrich themselves even more at the expense of the planet and the poor. Afraid of strange people and strange ideas. Afraid of losing control. Afraid that their way of life and their beliefs and they themselves may really be irrelevant. Afraid of generosity and giving.

The next biggest mistake is to say, "look at the other guy".

As in I dunno, "Bruce Springsteen what a hypocrite - preaches conservation and then takes his whole entourage by jet plane week in week out.." or "look at the Chinese, building a coal plant every week..."

We all have to show leadership in our own way. If Springsteen or Suzuki or even Elizabeth May takes more plane rides than you or I, you may want to recognize travel is a job requirement of these people who might try to lead the millions of us out into a more sustainable future. These millions of people who have been brainwashed for decades to believe that the road to Nirvana runs through their two-car garage and a stock portfolio of resource companies.

Influencing many of these people is going to be a very tough job.

Many truly believe that we are entitled to a privileged existence. Many really believe with all their hearts it is a total coincidence that there was no winter in Canada this year.

Or, you know, they'll say, "it's a cycle". Sure. Suddenly cycles that normally run tens of thousands of years are going to kick in overnight.

Overpopulation is definitely a large part of the problem. This just makes it more obvious that lifestyle changes are needed at the top in a hurry.

If 20% of the people consume 80% of the world's resources, then clearly the effect of reducing the consumption of the wealthiest by even 10% will have a major impact. Even more important, hopefully the rising middle classes of developing nations will be able to set their own consumption ideals lower.