Thursday, May 1, 2008
If modern environmentalism isn’t dead, it should be.
Environmentalism today means changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs, signing a petition here or there and generally being dissatisfied with the government’s lethargic pace on environmental protection.
Environmentalists say they want to move beyond the status quo—our biggest enemy, responsible for inefficient homes, gas-guzzling automobiles and clothing made in countries we can’t even locate on a map.
But even so-called environmentalists still abide by the status quo. We still get our power from coal. We still drive. We still buy clothes made in the Philippines.
And an unlikely candidate, Titanic-babe Leonardo DiCaprio, is sinking with the environmentalism ship, as well.
Riding in on the Four Horsemen of the Environmental Apocalypse, DiCaprio’s recently released documentary, The 11th Hour, rehashes the environmental movement’s newest catch phrases about melting ice caps, deforestation and sustainability.
Fortunately, I don’t think he mentioned accomplishing anything outrageous by 2050, the politicians’ favorite year.
But the documentary is a stark reminder that the environmental movement is failing. We can answer almost all of the questions thrown at us: How much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere? How much warmer is the planet? What is causing this?
But we still can’t answer the public’s most important question: So what? Why should I change my everyday life?
The 11th Hour is the noblest attempt so far at posing this question. From opening images of a human fetus to talking heads reminding us that people depend on nature for survival, the documentary attempts to connect the dots that string mankind back to the natural world.
Unfortunately, this string gets tangled up in the whirlwind of interview subjects—Leo brings on 55 guests in 91 minutes, and they try to cover every environmental topic under the sun.
And, like the rest of the environmentalists, they forget the most important: relevance.
How are the effects of Hurricane Katrina applicable to the general population? Why should we care if Arctic ice melts away?
It’s tough to relate, and it took me a long time. But I don’t buy locally grown food because I’m worried about the polar bears. I buy it because I’m worried about myself.
Documentaries and news stories should change the approach they take when covering climate change. Instead of filling the public mind with lofty facts and figures about corn subsidies and the environmental consequences of ethanol, they should be telling people about why the price of food and beer is increasing, how it is going to drain their bank accounts, and only later connect these personal problems to the larger picture.
From its title, The 11th Hour is obviously a gloom-and-doom, “with this big of a carbon footprint, I should kick my own ass” type of film. At the end, Leo, barely saving the audience from wanting to drive off a cliff in a Prius, concludes with as much optimism he can muster.
But that optimism isn’t going to make humankind feel anything if we can’t connect the dots between the individual and the planet.
Until environmentalists can reframe their argument and make the environment relevant to the general public, it will be our movement’s 11th hour.
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