The 11th Hour: Leonardo DiCaprio’s
Documentary Film Opens 8/31Across USASo, we find ourselves on the brink. It's clear humans have had a devastating impact on our planet's ecological web of life. Because we've waited, because we've turned our backs on nature's warning signs, and because our political and corporate leaders have consistently ignored the overwhelming scientific evidence, the challenges we face are that much more difficult . — Leonardo DiCaprio
The 11th hour is not the ideal time to begin a project, especially when the project is changing the world—more precisely, changing the way we do just about everything.
Changing the world is the challenge and opportunity presented in the new documentary The 11th Hour produced and narrated by environmentalist and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
The alarming rate we are using our resources and not replacing them is one of the major themes of The 11th Hour .
There just isn't a lot that we build in our industrial society—or the world—that does not dip into our “savings account” to make. The savings account means our oil deposits. Because that oil won't be there forever, it's time and perhaps way past time for us to find new ways to construct our societies. Even if we did not run out of oil, its becoming increasing clear that burning fossil fuels is affecting our health and the planet in ways we can't even fully measure.
Some renowned scientists, such as Stephen Hawkins, are not sure that we haven't already gone too far. “One of the most serious consequences of our actions is global warming brought about by raising levels of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. The danger is that the temperature increase might become self-sustaining, if it has not done so already. Drought and deforestation are reducing the amount of carbon dioxide recycled into the atmosphere and the warming of the seas may trigger the release of large quantities of CO 2 trapped on the ocean floor.” The”“worst case scenario,” he says, “is that earth would become like its sister planet, Venus, with a temperature of 250 centigrade, and raining sulfuric acid. The human race could not survive in those conditions.”
Drought. Famine. Severe flooding. Record rainfall. Hurricanes. Acid rain. The highest average temperatures in recorded history. Yes, there is plenty to be concerned about.
If you know someone who doubts that the planet is changing in a way that negatively effects our health and well-being, this is the movie to take them to.
The 11th Hour does a great job of pulling the many consequences of our actions together in one place for us to see how they are interrelated. And then begins the conversation of what it will take to turn that around. It pulls in a lot and covers a wide range of topics, so you come away with a good sense of the big picture and what we face.
The film was written by DiCaprio with sisters Leila Petersen Conners and Nadia Conners. After collaborating on two short films ( Global Warning and Water Planet ), the trio set out to explore the larger story of the human experience on the planet. To gain such a broad perspective they sought out credible voices to speak to the history of the human species, the state of the oceans, land and air, and social, design and political challenges for change. They ultimately netted 150 hours of interviews with over 70 scientists, designers, historians and thinkers. “We reached out to independent experts on the front lines of what could be the greatest challenge of our time—the collapse of our planet's ecosystems and our search for solutions to create a sustainable future,” says DiCaprio.
Many of those experts came from the Bioneers. Kenny Ausubel, founder of Bioneers, served as central advisor for the film and was chosen to participate in 200 interviews with DiCaprio before and after the premiere.
Bioneers is a nonprofit organization that promotes practical environmental solutions and innovative social strategies for restoring the Earth and communities. Bioneers advances positive change by bringing together leading scientific and social innovators and promoting their visionary ideas through an annual conference, educational media and web site. The conference attracts more than 3,000 attendees and is where filmmakers Conners Petersen and Conners interviewed many Bioneers presenters for the film.
Ultimately they spoke with experts from all over the world such as including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau.
At first it looked like there was not much to be hopeful about.
Said Nadia Conners, “I went into the process of making this film already very pessimistic about the state of the world but after each interview I would become more and more optimistic. Sometimes it wasn't what was being said—in fact, an interview could be with someone describing the collapse of our ecosystems—but I was truly inspired by the passion and depth of these people we spoke to. They have been out there on the front lines fighting for years and they are filled with hope and belief. Their hope along with their bravery and strength is contagious. I came out of this process grateful to have been born into this time—that in fact as an individual I can be a part of something truly epic—nothing short of changing the world.”
Ultimately I think the film offers two unique gifts. One is it's broad perspective and clarity of how interrelated and connected we are on our common planet—this is definitely a challenge that will require that people join and work together. Second, it gives the people who have solutions to implement and ideas about how we can correct our course a much larger audience at this important time. The 11th Hour opens the door to a whole new world of possibilities and tells us the challenges we face can be met and changed—but that story's end is yet to be determined.
“We, as citizens, leaders, consumers and voters, have the opportunity to help integrate ecology into governmental policy and every day living standards,” concludes Leonardo DiCaprio. “During this critical period of human history, healing the damage of industrial civilization is the task of our generation. Our response depends on the conscious evolution of our species and this response could very well save this unique blue planet for future generations.”
Commentary by Steve Hays. Information for this article provided by Warner Independent Pictures, the Visioneering Group and the Bioneers. Side quotes are from The 11th Hour. For film information see www.11th Hourfilm.com . For community action see www.11thhouraction.com , created by filmakers Conners and Conners Peterson. For information on the Bioneers annual conference in October and more information about Bioneers participation in The 11th Hour see www.Bioneers.org .
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