Viff ‘08: The Ark: Belonging

Does the earth belong to humans or do we belong to the earth?

One of the latest entries in the “What the hell are we doing?” series is well worth watching, especially for Vancouverites.  Many scenes are recognizable and it provides visuals to many of Bill Rees’ thoughts on how our excessive ecological footprint will soon step on us.

This documentary starts and finishes in the Arctic where global warming is transforming the environment before our eyes.  The Inuit’s change of lifestyle to one of fossil fuel dependence leads to our civilization’s determination to contaminate the planet with virtually every chemical ever produced.

The cinematography is breathtaking at times while the information is well presented in a variety of formats.

Unfortunately, anyone who speaks with an accent is subtitled: the only time it is necessary is when the white scientist speaks French.  The other times only indicate a racism not quite resolved.

The solutions offered are limited and naive in my opinion.  Divine intervention is one, while another is to do what we do more efficiently: certainly a step in the right direction but in terms of saving ourselves on this planet, it’s about 200 years too late.

There’s lots of important stuff here and it’s well presented; go get inspired to make the changes that have been overdue for generations!

Click here for more info and tickets.