Ashley Acord Tactic #7 PBS Documentary "Heat"

Ashley I. Acord

Social Movements M/W/3:30-4:45pm

Dr. Kubal

Tactic #7 ex. Credit

PBS Documentary "Heat"

            Our Social Movements class was assigned to pick certain issues to support during the semester. We then built campus groups surrounding those issues. Our group was the environmental activist group, and we chose to emphasize the issue of mass fossil fuel extraction and consumption. We chose the name and acronym S.A.F.F.E, which stands for Students Against Fossil Fuel Extraction. Our group continues to focus on raising awareness of the damage our world is revealing from the extensive amounts of fossil fuels being extracted from its crust daily. We firmly believe this is a huge issue that must be dealt with immediately to slow this process although there is no reversal of its negative effects that it has already caused.  

            As one of our Social Movement tactics, S.A.F.F.E. chose to show the PBS documentary titled Heat that our Professor Dr. Kubal was fond of and informed us about. It was perfectly correlated to the issues our group is targeting. This documentary highlighted the main concerns of the use of non-renewable resources and the magnitude of damage this has had on our environment. The damage that has been caused by the excessive burning of fossil fuels is now irreparable to the atmosphere. In order to decrease greenhouse gases, we need to significantly lessen the burning of these fossil fuels by 60-80%.

Burning of fossil fuels is the 2nd largest contributor to greenhouse gases. Before the burning of fossil fuels and the industrial revolution occurred, CO2 levels sustained for hundreds of years. As of the year the documentary was created in 2007, there were over 600 coal powered plants in the world. Fossil fuels require a lot of energy to produce and generate a lot of pollution in return.

            The individuals that make up this powerhouse of oil extraction, mainly members of the senate and political lobbyist, are those dictating our fossil fuel implementations of any existing regulations. Their interests are reflective of the shareholders, who disperse the main portion of funding, rather than of the public. This form of corruption that is occurring benefits only the interests of the large companies and their accompanying special interests. There needs to be a checks and balance when it comes to large oil companies controlling the regulations on the burning and extraction of fossil fuels before it gets to a point of detriment to our existence on our planet.

            America also needs to stop being a role model of mass consumption and production, focused only on the means to spend and accumulate more things than their neighbor. This ideology and way of life is becoming very manipulating to the trade world and crossing over seas to all other countries. We will soon all produce and consume as much as Americans and we will surely run out of resources before we are able to grow old, as our founding fathers. This will be a true tragedy; much more relentless than the scrutiny we receive from society for having a less expensive vehicle, modest sized house, or non brand-name clothing. We need to recognize our already existing losses apparent today before we cause more in the future.