Please watch the last 15 minutes of Ice on Fire (we already watched most of it in class!) here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJFx_geNL5s
After, please make an argument (as a reply to this post) based on the documentary's modo: Game Over or Game On? Write 1-2 paragraphs (4-5 sentences each). State which side of the argument you see the world at and give an example from the documentary to support your argument.
My name is Connor French and I see the world at the devastating side. The documentary shows natural gases being released into the atmosphere. The average human is not entirely aware of the devastation that we continue to cause. These impacts will have a tremendous reprocussions on our environment as consistently shown through the documentary.
ReplyDelete-Connor French
I agree with Conner, I think its very hard to see the world bounce back with all the devastation we see. Near the end of the video Leonardo says that renewable resources will surpass fossil fuels in terms of jobs, cost, and sustainability which is great but this field of resources is not expanding at the rate it probably should be. I don't think we will fully transfer over until we completely waste the resources we have now and then we will have to transfer over.
ReplyDeleteI hope this is not the case but it will be for some places on earth that do not have enough money to keep up with technology. I feel we have the ability for game on but but its so hard to get people to comply and agree with what we have to do.
I believe that it would be difficult for our world to automatically bounce back because not a lot of people are aware of what is going on in our world. The documentary shows gases being released into our air and having jobs and sustainability will cause it to decline. However, I do not believe it would be that easy. We need to create a well thought out plan that would be more effective because it might be too slow causing it to be too late for a change.
ReplyDeleteI believe in the team game on. Our survival depends on us, as a society, making the necessary changes to create solutions. The images shown in the documentary were jaw dropping and thought provoking but an even more disturbing picture to see is us doing nothing and watching the future generations suffer. We cannot give up now.
ReplyDelete"Game on" makes the most sense to me, personally. The fact that humanities ingenuity has proven effective to combat the myriad issues faced currently gives hope for our future. Learning how to adapt to the current changes in our environment while simultaneously seeking ways to mitigate further impacts to the system is possible as we saw in "ICE ON FIRE." From the management of forests to increase carbon packing, to the renewable energy options it is obvious that game on is the current mindset of the experts.
ReplyDeleteHowever, without it being "game over" for the current market's core industries status quo operating model, the efforts will be less efficient. Providing incentives for these industries to shift their way of doing things is a vital aspect of the whole approach. So far, I lack confidence that the needed changes will happen quick enough, and returning to pre-industrial benchmark levels of carbon in our atmosphere, or plastics and pesticides in our systems, will be possible. The issue seems like a social one to me, and without a strong shift in worldwide norms the problem will only continue to get worse.
As a student that has taken numerous biology and conservation classes at Channel Islands, that it is near impossible to restore habitats back to original mint conditions. However It is hard to imagine just giving up on the planet. I personally am on the game on side of this issue. I think that our society can make a difference, even if the difference in the long run is feudal. Regardless of the effects of our efforts, I would feel guilty if I did not give it my best shot to mitigate climate change.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is easy to forget that climate change does not only impact wild flora and fauna. Mother nature and father time are undefeated and Earth does not need humans, humans need the Earth. Our children and grand children will suffer the consequences of our ancestors. I want to give future generations a better life that I will live and it will be impossible to do that if climate change ravages our planet. As scholars and environmentally minded individuals it is or responsibility to inform the public on how to better this world, not to judge those who have made mistakes.
It appears that some hope remains, if the public can motivate political leadership of the need to reverse, not mitigate, global warming. The projects shown, such as photosynthesis from artificial leaves, tidal energy generation, and even energy generation taken from the movement of the ocean, provides a blue print for hope. It was interesting to consider that though the problem has been more profitable than the solution, we may be at a point where the profit from implementing solutions to global warming are more profitable than producing fossil fuels. This makes the sustainable green economy a true hope for the future of humankind.
ReplyDeleteIt is upon the youth and their supporters to make these changes a reality. We are at a tipping point, and if we continue to burn fossil fuels at an ever-increasing rate we will be supporting another great die-off. I remain optimistic that given the upheavals we have seen with demonstrations and that green technologies are growing more profitable, we can overcome the inertia we face. I think that we will work our way out of our present dilemna, and end up at a far stronger point with a sustainable future.
I believe it is game on. I think it may be possible to reverse the damage we have done to the earth, but we cannot do it alone. We all need to do out part to fix things and at the same time do not forget the little countries and make sure we do our part to help them too. Because the bigger countries are the cause of all the damage to the earth and should take responsibility for it and not little countries suffer for our mistakes.
ReplyDeleteSteve Abara
DeleteMost people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them." ~ Henry Ford
ReplyDeleteIt's better to act now rather than ignore or complaining about the issue, so it's definitely game on! The game over perspective to me sounds like there is no hope and that the human population are not intellectual enough to come up with ways to mitigate climate change. In fact the film disproves this as there are several mitigation techniques that are shown throughout. Although it won't 100% mitigate climate change, think about it in a way that these strategies are a great start and can help in the long term.
As a beginning ESRM major one of the most prevalent issues that I've seen causes climate change are the combustion of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels release CO2 in the atmosphere, a potent greenhouse gas along with the other gases creates the greenhouse effect. As a result in the film scientists are trying to find ways to achieve draw down by pulling excess carbon from the atmosphere. Biochar is a solution that can reduce pollution of the soil while being an area of safety that stores carbon. If biochar is used in 10% of the world's soil, it will sequester 29 billion tons of CO2, which is mind blowing.
-Eli
In my opinion we are currently on a balancing act between “game on” and “game over”. Though if I would have to choose one it would be “game over”. Like mentioned in the documentary, most people do not realize what is going on in the environment. If I was to ask about coral bleaching at my work place, most would not be aware of its current size. However, if I ask about an event that happened at my college, they would know almost all the details about it. Our minds are set to take in drama more than that of information we need to survive, I also feel that this becomes more prominent the more we depend on technology.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite statements in the video is “the technology that could save us is one that takes carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere” (stated around 1:17:30). I agree with this point but not completely. Carbon Dioxide is what we need to take out of the atmosphere but its also what we need to stop putting into the atmosphere. Even if we had that technology mentioned we would be putting more CO2 into the atmosphere than what that machine could possibly pull out of the atmosphere. Its basically like a metaphor “you have to start from the ground up when working on something”, which is exactly what we should be doing and not looking at the future but right here and now.
I would argue that we are in a game on state due to the possibility to reverse the damage caused by human activities and the increase in education on climate change. Consumers are the deciding factor that are the biggest influencers in the long run due to the effect of changing cultural norms and perspectives.
ReplyDeleteas of now I do not think it is possible to instantly switch over to using solely renewable energies but I do believe that younger generations serve as the new leaders to pursue the need to push for a restructuring of the world's energy consumption.
After watching the last fifteen minutes I am completely on team "Game on" because I feel like "Game Over" is giving up. Through educational resources such as this documentary to educate people and try to reverse the damage that has already been done. Personally, I don't think it would be easy to make the complete switch over to using only renewable energy. However, I think we should start implementing smaller changes and try to push any kind of laws towards completely making the transition.
ReplyDeleteMereana Street
DeleteThe pessimist in me wants to say Game Over. With the rapid climate changes occurring, any mitigation or adaptation is just not enough to save the planet.
ReplyDeleteHowever, with the strategies I've learned this semester and in this documentary, the optimist in me wants to say, GAME ON. We can definitely make a difference and change history
I believe it is Game On, sure we've done a lot of damage but its only over if we give up. Adaptation to the coming changes will be our best hope at keeping our planet looking as it is today, for future generations.
ReplyDeleteThis is Chris Swan
Delete