28 February, 2011

The Refugees Of The Blue Planet (2006)

Synopsis:
This is a truly moving film by Hélène Choquette and Jean-Philippe Duval about the ever growing phenomenon of environmental refugees. These are people who have been displaced as a result of the ever growing number of natural disasters, or as a result of the negligence of corporations and governments who make deals to extract hazardous resources on peoples land, utilize practices which degrade the environment, or force people off their land for the creation of monoculture farms. In numbers they have now surpassed the number of political and war refugees in the world (25 vs 23 million). These refugees aren't limited to third world and developing countries...it could be anyone.

We are taken to 3 very different parts of the world where people are suffering from 3 very different problems, all of which have made them environmental refugees. These stories are juxtaposed with interviews made by numerous scholars, human rights and environmental activists.

These areas include the sinking islands of Maldives and Brazil where thousands of previously self-sufficient farming families were forced to sell their plots to a corporation who created a Eucalyptus plantation on land which previously provided sustainability for people and now employs only 1500 and has become a literal desert. The third area is rural Alberta, Canada were Sour Gas is a nasty and toxic combination of sulfuric acid and crude oil.
Watch

No comments:

Post a Comment