Film Reflection #1

Lindsay Harris

COMM 3824-01

1/24/19

Film Reflection 1: Disruption

From the moment this film began, I knew it would not be an easy one to watch. Everything from the music, to the editing, to the tone in which those being interviewed use all made me feel uncomfortable watching this. I felt guilty with every scene that went on, however I can tell that this is probably their intent. Watching the Global Representative from areas affected by super-typhoons cry in front of the entirety of the United Nations was surreal because it is easy to assume that politicians and those involved in government organizations are untouched by these tragedies when in reality it impacts people blindly.

The most uncomfortable, shocking moment was when those being interviewed began to discuss “tipping points.” These are things that are so small, like the acidity of ocean water becoming too high for plankton to live in, that could crumble our entire ecosystem as we know it. It is clear to see that we are not doing enough to prevent something like this from happening. I found it interesting when another man being interviewed brought up the concept of a “moral” tipping point. This is something that people would come to subconsciously; something that happens to them that makes them stop and decide that they need to do more to help improve the environment. I fear that part of the reason we have not made large amounts of progress is because people on Earth have lost the moral backbone that our ancestors held.

Someone in this documentary made a remark about how we live in a razor thin safe zone, that is the perfect median because directly above and below us are unlivable environments. We do not do enough to maintain this small zone of habitable Earth. If we look to Germany, a place that incentivized using environmentally friendly practices, then we could create a global model which would help to reverse some of the damage that we have done to our planet. While it may not solve all of our problems, anything will help at this point as we fall further away from our “Good Earth” and this world as we know it.