[Graeme]

Years of Living Dangerously

YEARS of LIVING DANGEROUSLY is global warming like you’ve never seen it before. Coming to SHOWTIME in April, this multi-part television event tells the biggest story of our time: climate change and the impact it’s having on people right now in the US and all over the world. Over the course of eight episodes, we’ll report on the crippling effects of climate change-related weather events and the ways individuals, communities, companies and governments are struggling to find solutions to the biggest threat our world has ever faced. An all-star cast of correspondents goes into the field—to Texas, Kansas, California, Colorado, New York, Maine, Montana, Washington, the Carolinas, Florida, the Middle East, Africa, the Andes, the North Pole, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the South Pacific—to meet the people and see the places affected by climate change.

slashfilm

[Narz]

Good to hear that this type of message is coming into the mainstream entertainment industry, albeit probably too late.

[rollin]

Looks interesting at a low level. I have watched many films on global warming and on peak oil, many very well done. I do wonder if they have much effect though, being diluted by thousands of hours of other TV and movie shows per person each year. The impact is so diluted by the huge amount of "communication" going on.
Elizabeth Kolbert did a great job searching out and presenting the story of global warming/climate change in her book Field Notes from a Catastrophe.
Maybe this show is modeled after her efforts.

The key here is the physics, human produced GWG overwhelm any volcanic, solar and orbital effects. The only thing holding GW back is massive pollution dimming the amount of light reaching the earth. Once we clean up the pollution, GW rears it's ugly head much faster.

[ralfy]

Looks interesting at a low level. I have watched many films on global warming and on peak oil, many very well done. I do wonder if they have much effect though, being diluted by thousands of hours of other TV and movie shows per person each year. The impact is so diluted by the huge amount of "communication" going on.
Elizabeth Kolbert did a great job searching out and presenting the story of global warming/climate change in her book Field Notes from a Catastrophe.
Maybe this show is modeled after her efforts.

The key here is the physics, human produced GWG overwhelm any volcanic, solar and orbital effects. The only thing holding GW back is massive pollution dimming the amount of light reaching the earth. Once we clean up the pollution, GW rears it's ugly head much faster.

From what I remember, the NAS final report argues that CO2 does not negate these but act as a forcing or feedback factor. Thus, the pollution is dimming the amount of sunlight but also trapping heat.

A "Global Dimming" documentary also addresses this. From what I remember, it refers to soot blocking sunlight, such that "cleaner" fuel does not help. The only way out is to use energy that has little CO2 emissions.

[americandream]

He's moved to rural New Zealand as well.

[Lore]

Showtime has posted the first full episode of Years of Living Dangerously on YouTube. Probably the most high production, high impact documentary I've seen to date on climate change.

http://youtu.be/brvhCnYvxQQ

[careinke]

I watched the first episode, not bad. The Indonesian parts reminded me of Eastbays fiction book Direct Action. I found the part where Harrison Ford implied he was going to be able to chew out Indonesian government officials to make them change their ways, rather amusing. Good luck with that Mr Ford.

I also thought the other two threads (texas and Syria)interesting.

Unfortunately I don't have cable, so I will not see the other episodes.

[Lore]

Obviously the first episode was the setup. What I found interesting though is that unlike other documentaries focusing on climate change and trying to make the point that AGW really does exist, Cameron starts out with that being a mute point. He instead picks up on why society is ignoring the threat. From the Jesus jokers in Texas believing it's all in Gods plan. To the Syrians transferring the pain of their drought that's leaving them poor and hungry towards their government's inability to do anything about it. Lastly, the stripping and burning of forests in Indonesia for the wealth of palm oil, while ignoring the climate repercussions.

A powerful insight into why humans are not Homo sapiens.

[Subjectivist]

Showtime has posted the first full episode of Years of Living Dangerously on YouTube. Probably the most high production, high impact documentary I've seen to date on climate change.

http://youtu.be/brvhCnYvxQQ

Thanks for the link, just got around to watching it his morning. I deeply appreciate the fact that Christians are not portrayed as the bad guys, and that people with my beliefs are shown as being concerned for God's creation and taking responsibility for our own actions.

I don't subscribe to Showtime, but will consider doing so to see the rest of the series. I do think Mr. Ford is rather optimistic thinking he will be able influence what is clearly a very corrupt government official to change his ways. Governments frequently pay lip service to fixing things but then do nothing any differently than he did before. Sadly our planet has a large and growing population and Palm Oil is an excellent food source, full of vitamins and calories. So long as that is true there will b a big incentive to replace all the natural tropical forrests with plantations of food trees like Palm Oil, and tropical fruits like Banana, Papaya and so on.

[dohboi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brvhCnYvxQQ

Watch it and weep.

[Subjectivist]

We have been talking about this for over a week already, it was pretty good.
years-of-living-dangerously-james-cameron-t68821.html

[Ibon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brvhCnYvxQQ

Watch it and weep.

Weep over the destruction but a sense of hope that this documentary was made. Also that the producers framed the film targeting an audience of the faithful and religious. Good move. We did not need another documentary preaching to the choir by framing CC with more scientific and rational explanations.

Our predicament does have its origin in a lack of the sacred and a spiritual poverty in how we have treated our biosphere. Moving the masses will only happen when solutions are framed in this context. Of course you need the help of The Overshoot Predator in the form of these droughts etc. to penetrate this ignorance.

It is The Overshoot Predator that has brought these folks to their knees, not enlightened CC analysis and facts.

If folks can only understand this through the context of their own religious beliefs that is just fine. We need more folks like that evangelical christian lady who is a climate change scientist. We also need more droughts and other calamities. In other words we do indeed need to further worship The Overshoot Predator as the one who enlightens.

Change will not happen from the rational side of the equation but rather from consequences that move the masses on the sacred and spiritual level.

This documentary is important and very sophisticated in understanding this.

That is hopeful.

[dohboi]

"you need the help of The Overshoot Predator in the form of these droughts etc. to penetrate this ignorance."

But it is exactly places like this--Texas and OK--that show that even extreme, long-lasting drought and heat don't by themselves make people more likely to see the truth. Mostly, they just turn ever more strongly to prayer and Jesus. What was it the guy said: "I believe in God, and he isn't a scientist."

[Subjectivist]

But it is exactly places like this--Texas and OK--that show that even extreme, long-lasting drought and heat don't by themselves make people more likely to see the truth. Mostly, they just turn ever more strongly to prayer and Jesus. What was it the guy said: "I believe in God, and he isn't a scientist."

You misunderstand what he is trying to communicate. Scientists are seen by he faithful as frequently arrogant people who think they are smarter than God and better able to design the world and shape how it functions. God designed the world to function just fine without the intervention of humans trying to improve things and messing them up in the process.

This is what the Evangellical Climate Scientist is telling the Congregation, we are messing up creation by dumping so much Carbon into the air. Everyone of faith can understand this message, do mot dismiss it because you do not share their, or my, faith in God.

[Ibon]

This is what the Evangellical Climate Scientist is telling the Congregation, we are messing up creation by dumping so much Carbon into the air. Everyone of faith can understand this message, do mot dismiss it because you do not share their, or my, faith in God.

Correct. If CC or peak oil is such a deep common denominator in representing an end to BAU then all of us, secular and religious, will need to incorporate this into their stories. We live by narratives. This is what defines culture. We are all touched by this and the accusation that scientists sometimes act out of hubris is actually correct when they become incapable of departing from their own narrative in communicating CC and peak oil. It should not be the objective of the scientist to become science evangelicals in getting out the message of CC and peak oil but rather have the truth of CC and peak oil reach as many human beings as possible. Notice how much more sophisticated this documentary was in creating a narrative to reach non scientific folks.

The christian lady who is a climate scientist has been frustrated probably for over 15 years. It just took the drought for her to find her voice and an audience receptive to her message. This is what I mean when I say that consequences are the catalysts toward transformation. And thus my faith is with The Overshoot Predator.

[Ibon]

But it is exactly places like this--Texas and OK--that show that even extreme, long-lasting drought and heat don't by themselves make people more likely to see the truth. Mostly, they just turn ever more strongly to prayer and Jesus. What was it the guy said: "I believe in God, and he isn't a scientist."

Science is not the end all rational solution to addressing the cultural transition necesarry to move toward another paradigm in how we relate to our planet. Science has acted with much hubris, arrogance and disregard toward our biosphere. Assuming that just more science and logical reason is the solution is actually a further example of this very hubris.

It goes without saying that the religious will also need to break out of their literal interpretations and incorporate the truth that is no where to be found in any of the 2000 year old religious texts of the 3 monotheist religions that dominate today. That 11th commandment that thou shalt not breed beyond the carrying capacity of your planet. Buddhism and hinduism and Confucian philosophy fails equally in this regard.

The wise elders, authors of these texts, guided by the hand of god, lived 2000 years ago when we were only in the millions and disease and famine kept us well within carrying capacity.

In these new biblical times unfolding before our very eyes this 11th commandment will be carved deep into the marrow of an emerging new spirituality. Existing religions will either incorporate this into their theologies or they to will perish.

Do we fully understand how deeply transformative an age we live in?

[dorlomin]

If it works then fair enough but that was cringeworthy stuff to watch for me.

[GHung]

I've been describing my strategy for years as "not feeding the beast". The Beast, utilizing wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony has tempted and prompted industrial age humans into an extreme level of planetary overshoot, and blinded them to the horrific consequences of this behavior. These capital vices or cardinal sins, of course, were prophecied and are encoded in the Christian ethos. By their own declarations they are doomed to eternal damnation, showing their asses to their God and Father.

Dante pretty much nailed it.

[Ibon]

These capital vices or cardinal sins, of course, were prophecied and are encoded in the Christian ethos. By their own declarations they are doomed to eternal damnation, showing their asses to their God and Father.

Dante pretty much nailed it.

There is prophecy that is self fulfilling and then there are transformative events that can challenge this. Will this century provide such an opportunity. We will see.

[WildRose]

I applaud that Christian climate scientist for communicating the facts of climate change in a way that her audience could understand them and apply them to their beliefs. I was disappointed, though, that so few people attended her presentation - hopefully she'll keep on trying to reach more people.

After watching this episode, however, I find myself thinking that the problem is so much greater than just people of religious leanings not wanting to accept evidence of man-made climate change. We're really all to blame whether we're consuming with abandon, working the jobs that support destructive industries or making big bucks off of new pipelines. We put the same blocks up against the facts, not wanting to change and therefore not listening to the message.