I love documentaries and a friend of mine recommended “Alaska Gold” because he watched it in his environmental economics class and knew I would like it. It aired in 2012 on the network “Frontline”. The documentary was based on the Bristol Bay community which is located in southwest Alaska. The opening scene displays beautiful Alaska with a single fisherman boat. The captain is explaining how it is “like Christmas morning” because it is the opening day for fishing season.  Then the explanation of why Bristol Bay is so popular, it is one of the few places that still have the wild sockeye salmon. Considered some of the best salmon in the world.  Sixteen million fish returning from a single boat trip, it makes the largest fishery for salmon in the world. Bristol Bay is one of the planets most successful and sustainable harvest of wild salmon.  In addition to the large fishery, this area also has some of minerals that are highly sought out for like gold, molybdenum, and copper. The issue that brings the “Frontline” to do the documentary is that large mining companies want a piece of this “Alaska Gold” when they are not native to this area. They want to try and mine in the largest “open-pit” mines which is located in Bristol Bay. This pit is otherwise known as “Pebble Mine”.  This open-pit would directly affect the salmon spawning territory if Pebble Mine were to be built. It would cause irreversible damage to this pristine salmon habitat. Which would later lead to fisheries, the people, and the wildlife that rely on the fisheries (rather economically, socially, or environmentally) to be negatively impacted. The end of the document discussed how this was politically being addressed. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) will be helping to make the decision and will be a discussion for year to come on rather to allow these mines to be formed and how that will affect the fisheries.

This reminded me of the “Cup of Coffee” exercise and how everything can be affected in the environment just off one decision. The possible outcomes that could occur from Pebble Mine would spiral out and affect more things than it would help. But that also relates to the Triple Bottom Line concept. It would affect Alaska, more specifically Bristol Bay, socially because people eat this fish, celebrate this local fish, etc. and if they start to be depleted because of this mine that will directly impact people. In addition, economically this is a huge source of income for this area. If the salmon started to disappear it would drag people out of jobs, people will lose money, and would eventually lead a community into poverty. and lastly, it would directly impact the environment. The mining could do a number of things to affect this area like, distorting acres of salmon water areas like wetlands, ponds, and lakes. The risk of accident and pollution into these watersheds are also a high consideration.

I did some research to follow up and as of January of 2018, the EPA has announced that “The decision neither deters nor derails the application process of Pebble Limited Partnership’s proposed project.”. in other words, after many people fighting the incoming mines, the EPA suspended the decision until further notice. This documentary was very interesting and insightful for what is currently happening in the United States. This is one of the few sustainable examples of natural fishing and it is threatened by cherished mineral mining. I also provided the link below if other people care to watch it!

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/alaska-gold/

References:

“Alaska’s Bristol Bay & The Pebble Mine.” Earthjustice, 5 Mar. 2019, earthjustice.org/features/alaska-s-bristol-bay-the-pebble-mine.

A Cambodian Spring is a complex, emotional, and eye opening film that follows three Cambodian activists as they go up against the injustices being perpetrated against the lower class. In Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh, Tep Vanny and Toul Srey Pov are residents and leaders of the Boeung Kak lake community. In 2007, The World Bank began to slowly fill the lake with sand, flooding dozens of houses, and bulldozing those that stood in their way. Over in the Siem Reap province, The Venerable Luon Sovath begins to film the injustices underway in a small farming village by the Cambodian government. A number of their people have been thrown in jail for protecting their property in a violent shootout. Venerable is a Buddhist monk, and by not only taking a stance in this political affair but taking the lead in a protest, he risks being “defrocked”

Beginning as two separate stories of activism, Venerable soon becomes involved in Vanny and Srey Pov’s cause, and all three protest the Boeung Kak lake destruction together. Over the course of six years, the film documents countless protests, riots, conflicts, and rallies all in an effort to save the lake and the surrounding community. The issue gets nationwide attention, and serves as the voice of underrepresented citizens of Cambodia who are being taken advantage of by the corrupt government.

Modern-day Cambodia is shaped by somewhat chaotic and sometimes violent development due to it’s long history of corrupt government and injustices within the lower class (which is extremely low compared to that of the United States). This documentary literally charts this development over years with a focus on the land rights protests that sparked a nationwide demand for social and political change. This is so incredibly important because for most people in Cambodia, their land is what they’ve got – it’s a livelihood. Boeung Kak lake is this natural resource that has been serving the surrounding people for decades, and now a foreign company wants to build a skyscraper there. Vanny and Srey Pov are two working mothers who put their lives on hold in order to prevent this from happening The message of citizen activism is so prevalent in this film – that you have the power to fight for your rights and those of your community.

The documentary film, “Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification”, directed by Tristan Bayer and Daniel Hinerfeld explores the shocking environmental effects of Ocean Acidification and its real life consequences. The documentary was made to raise awareness about the largely unknown problem of ocean acidification, which poses a fundamental challenge to marine life and the health of the entire planet.

Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification defines Ocean acidification as the process by which the pH of the ocean is decreased (becomes more acidic). The driving force behind the acidification of our oceans is widely attributed to the continuous burning of fossil fuels and subsequent release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As the levels of carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere, more and more is absorbed by the oceans. This carbon dioxide reacts with hydrogen monoxide, or water, and results in the formation of hydrogen ions, increasing the acidity. In other words, since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide has increased in the earths atmosphere causing the ocean to acidify.

The film begins with footage of all the marine life that’s in the ocean, from white sharks to jelly fish. It talks about how incredible the ocean is and how so many people depend on the ocean in so many ways, some ways are obvious like food, recreation, and transportation. Additionally, the ocean protects our shores and it protects our coastal lines from storms. Oceans regulate climate, provide the world with most of its oxygen and has the power to create life. However, due to ocean acidification, it is transforming the chemical of the ocean. In decades, rising ocean acidity may challenge life within the ocean on a scale that has not occurred for tens of millions of years.

Since the industrial revolution, the ocean has roughly absorbed one quarter of the carbon dioxide produced by burning fuels. If we continue to put vast amounts of carbon dioxide, animals ranging from shellfish, crabs, lobsters, shrimp to mussels and oysters will start to die. Corals and reefs are also being put at risk, because, OA is messing with the skeletal density of these corals, therefore, they are dying.  all these life form animals are being put at risk. If we continue to eliminate these animals we are interrupting the food web, this interruption can effect the livelihoods of people. Specially, on the people that rely on the ocean for their food system.  If we continue to profound the oceans chemistry, we will see drastic consequences.  The film poses the question how can we as a society move beyond fossil fuels?  It is by reducing the use of carbon dioxide, or using energy more efficiently like the use of natural energy from solar panels. This new promising green revolution may help us protect our economy and our environment but only if we chose to engage and shift to these new changes.

Overall, if we don’t take action, Ocean acidification does and will continue to have major effects on the overall health of our oceans and by extension, it is no exaggeration to say, human society as a whole, effecting everything from coral reefs to kelp forest, and marine life.

https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/acid-test-global-challenge-ocean-acidification/

The documentary film, “The Devil We Know”, directed by Stephanie Soechtig exposes the serious dangers of chemicals used by DuPont to manufacture Teflon kitchenware. . One such chemical is PFOA which has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses. By purposely dumping dangerous compounds into drinking water and willingly exposing workers to PFOA also known as C-8, DuPont has created one of the biggest environmental cover-ups to date. DuPont continues to deny that C-8 and PFOA are harmful despite files showing potential dangers as far back as 1982 and entire communities that have been ravaged by cancer and other ailments.

The Devil We Know focuses on the blue collar community of Parkersburg, WV which has borne the brunt of damages from DuPont. Manufacturing is the backbone of Parkersburg. Common products include teflon cookware, waterproof jackets, and microwave popcorn bags, all of which require C-8. Citizens of Parkersburg who worked directly with the chemicals, including pregnant women, were the first to feel the effects of C-8. Extremely high rates of cancer and birth defects were present in the population and children’s teeth began to turn black. One resident, Bucky Bailey, was born with a birth defect that required him to undergo over 30 surgeries as a child and permanently altered his genetic code. Pollution from the factories and from DuPont ran downstream to other communities in the Ohio River Valley and potentially to the entire United States.

The film begins with footage taken by a Parkersburg farmer, Wilbur Tennant, of dead livestock and dogs on portions of land which he sold to Dupont. Tennant was told by DuPont that the land would be used for “non-hazardous” waste. However, when his cattle began suffering birth defects such as white, blind eyes and dying prematurely, he started to believe otherwise. The footage features Tennant belligerently expressing his view that something incredibly wrong was occuring on his land. Tennant was one of the first in his community to be suspicious of DuPont’s motives and to recognize signs that all was not well with the water. He attempted to get help from city officials, doctors, veterinarians, lawyers, and journalists, who all turned him away. DuPont owned the majority of Parkersburg and Tennant realized that he would have to seek help elsewhere. DuPont’s control over the towns it operated in is a theme that runs throughout the documentary.

The key point of the film is the investigation into DuPont which features interviews from those involved in the case as well as taped depositions from DuPont executives and lawyers. DuPont’s files made it clear that the company was aware of the dangers of C-8 and PFOA and continued to manufacture it regardless. When their rival chemical company, 3M, discontinued production of C-8 due to the clear dangers it posed, DuPont upped production. Despite links to ailments and the fact that C-8 has been found in the drinking water of 27 states, DuPont has not been seriously damaged by lawsuits, yet. Attorney Rob Bilott is a prominent feature in the documentary. His fight against DuPont began in 1999, when he took Tennant’s case against DuPont. He later represented 70,000 who had been drinking water directly laced with PFOA for years and helped to organize one of the largest epidemiological studies of chemicals in the history of the United States. Part of the film tracks Bilott’s cases against DuPont and shows the mountains of incriminating data freely given by DuPont. 2

The documentary does not go into much detail on the effects on consumers besides mentioning that C-8 is found in the blood of 99% of the world’s population. As many as 110 million Americans are potentially drinking water that has been contaminated with PFAS chemicals, including an estimated 24,904 people in South Carolina. PFOAs have been found in the blood of animals from Alaskan polar bears to albatrosses on Sand Island in the Midway Atoll. The dangers posed by PFOAs and other chemicals are serious and do not appear to be solved anytime soon.

Link: https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the%20devil%20we&jbv=80997719&jbp=0&jbr=0