A film - Climate Change in Action

East Africa's drought, A catastrophe is looming says the Economist on Sept. 24, 2009.

Oct. 24, 2009 - 350.org will hold World Climate Action Day.

Oct 4, I will be packing my bag and camera's to go to Kenya and film, Climate Change in Action.
Can you believe we have to change the definition of a glacial pace? My film crew are all Maasai tribesmen. I will try to document their perspective of what it is like to watch the rivers dry, the animals die and have barely enough water to keep their child alive. We need to gain perspective on climate as well as the human spirit and the true cost of our impact. Climate change is already having devastating effects on millions of people and thousands of species. These dieing elephants and thirsty children are dependent on us taking one number very seriously at the Copenhagen meetings, 350.

350 parts per million of Co2 equivalent is the maximum amount we can have before big changes occur quickly on the planet. This number might start moving alot of $$$ numbers in the system, you can look at this as opportunity to build a balanced robust economy that serves the entire world population of all species or simply accept that it is its time to pay our environmental debt or there will be hell to pay bigger than the housing crisis. The good news is these new numbers are related to the truth, and the protection of life and our future. What is it called, dollar cost averaging? hmmm Costing dollars is different than costing lives, costing species, costing the future. "I can save these dollars for my shareholders, the dollar cost average per species lost is......." If your industry might need to sort that out I have the number of a good therapist for you, as some things that you have been afraid to look at need to be examined and reevaluated and you may need some help.

Carbon is the ecosystems currency and if we bank on that we will all have a better future. Everything we do has a carbon cost to the environment so taking that expense to the environment seriously is something we must all participate in daily. We can reduce the enviromental dept by banking carbon and removing it from the atmosphere. We already know some best practices like eating local and organically produced foods, eating less meat, driving less and more fuel efficient cars, insulating, and screwing in the cool twisty shaped light bulb called a CFL. Industry best practices, if you are working for a coal company,start retooling your skills as you will be downsized, prepare now and don't say we didn't tell you so. I am getting on a plane that is hideously carbon intensive so I will plant trees in Kenya, I will build a school that includes a curriculum on sustainable development and if I am lucky some of you will help me make that project grow so they can restore rapidly deteriorating habitat and crop yields with permaculture solutions. That way when we fly to Africa we can plant trees at our school and help in the garden along with the....elephants. Yes when I first proposed permaculture the Maasai said great idea but what about the elephants? My response, Wow Elephants are a problem to sustainable development in your country too?

We are making a shift into an abundant clean energy economy, this inevitable system wide shift will produce tremendous wealth while stabilizing climate, increasing global health and improving habitat. I call it the MORE trend. When Money Organisms Resources and Ecology are on the bottom line there is more value throughout the system and less unaccounted for debt. We incorporate a full spectrum of values and needs, along with integrated system evaluations that use bio-mimicry to become more efficient.

Resisting the shift into a clean energy economy, rather than participating in it is fool hardy. Remember how we loved vinyl but now we buy Compact Discs. Transportation had a few transitions from horse rides to bicycles to model T's and now the Prius. This and many other examples show a system evolution towards innovation and efficiency. Shouldn't energy do the same thing? Petroleum and oil seem so efficeint at first glance but that doesn't take in the whole picture. Cheap fossil electrons are compact ancient sunshine burning in combustion engines, gorgeous, unless you have a lungs and a carbon sensitive atomosphere. So we get to continue innovating some more and a different group of guys get to be rich this time a round. I think something more exciting could happen this time.

New innovation today can literally end hunger in our lifetime by localizing and scaling clean food, water and energy. A clean energy economy is an economy that everyone can participate in not just the elite. Including CDM's in climate policy is essential. Resisting change from carbon intensive to carbon sensitive technology, not only causes harm to millions of people and animals dependent on the choices we make today, it also shows a lack of innovation and creativity.

We are ready for the new thing. Change is inevitable, coal plants will become as extinct as dinosaurs and the several other species that have already met the demise of the petro-intensive beast of our society. I just hope we don't have the museum that the display shows the antiquted coal life cycle along side the extinct, giraffe, flamingo, species that disappeared along side it. Coal today really how can we??? That just silly. We have proven that we are truly industrious, and this century will harness the profits from cleaning up the mess we made in the last century. To quote George Bush when he bombed Iraq, "there is a lot of money to be made rebuilding what we destroy today." Uncle already, I think we have accrued enough damage to start cashing in on the clean up if you are unable to join the ranks of the morally intact at least do smart business and start saving our most precious assets with your investments.

My film will be shot against the stark landscape of drought in Kenya as it compares to a seemingly starker landscape of the spirit and hearts of great nations who have not come together in an honest conversation about what is being asked of us. I recommend a step by step approach. 15% a year can achieve 80% reduction by 2025 and that still may not be fast enough. I know they say 2050 but they also use to say 450ppm and guess what, way over the limit. Its a lot of work, a lot of new jobs, a lot of fun technology and well some simplifying our lives and making less greedy a really fun aspiration. 80% reduction requires everyone in the energy landscape taking a minimum step of 5% a year while others take bigger leaps picking upt the slack with smart grid, wind, solar, and hybrid fuel technology. 5% is business as usual. Bank carbon, there is trillions of dollars of value in its reduction so guys if you want to understand the markets, follow the laws of nature and win the race. Bank on your values, your integrity and MORE - Money Organisms Resources and Ecology - on the bottom line.

Two things you need to know about me if you want to follow this blog and the film progress. I can't spell, I can take pictures, I never, know where, to put commas even, after reading - Eats, leaves and shoots. I am bad at names even if I loved the guy, and well I always give it my best and sometimes that disappoints me too. I hope I can bring some inspiration, joy and insight to a pretty sad situation and a very complicated problem. Who the hell knows how it will come out but we are on quite a journey. I will be shooting with the canon 5d Mark ii. Love to have your words, your editing and your contributions to the conversation. Keep it real, Daisy