On Wednesday, November 20th, Syracuse University’s Students of Sustainability held a showing of the “Do The Math” documentary in the Watson Theater. The film followed environmentalist, reporter, and author Bill McKibben on his crusade to end the burning of fossil fuels in America. His mission is to educate Americans about the damage that the burning of fossil fuels causes to our planet and the atmosphere. The documentary also provided warnings of what we can expect in the future if we do not stop destroying the Earth with pollutants. He founded 350.org, which is a site devoted to teaching people how they can take a stand against corporations and practices that are virtually destroying our ozone layer.
According to McKibben, 2012 was the warmest year on record and also the most extreme weathered. This isn’t due to chance, it is due to the destruction of our ozone layer by humankind that is ruining our environment. Bill McKibben truly believes that we are running out of atmosphere to put waste products directly because of the mass amount of pollution caused by humans. He hopes that Americans can take innovative actions to stop the use of fossil fuels and discover an alternative, as it is becoming increasingly necessary. Unfortunately, McKibben claims that this innovation is prevented due to the enormous power of the companies that use fossil fuels daily. Experts believe that humanity is facing the need to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint, especially in wealthy countries. In McKibben’s book called “The End of Nature,” he warns that the atmosphere rises two parts per million in CO2 every year. Also, he states that the atmosphere is five percent wetter than it was five years ago. This is because as we add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, it traps heat and causes an increase in global temperature. It is alarming, also, that we’ve already burned enough fossil fuels to raise the temperature of the earth one degree, with two degrees being the safe amount of degrees to allow the Earth’s temperature to raise. Half of the entire polar ice cap is missing due to human negligence. At this rate, we will surpass the safe amount of CO2 to be added to the atmosphere in fifteen years.
McKibben was very passionate about how untouchable big businesses are when it comes to receiving consequences for littering our planet with pollutants. He emphasized the importance of taking on the fossil fuel industry to and forcing them to make the necessary changes to improve our planet. Any individual can get fined for littering, but the big companies that pollute the air daily pay no fines for their indiscretions. BP polluted the gulf of mexico and, when exposed, spent a little bit of money to appear more planet friendly when, in reality, they made barely any changes at all. These companies are careless about the damage they do to our planet and pick it apart at their leisure, searching for more fossil fuels. They are literally tearing apart the earth to look for the last bits of gas and coal.
There is, however, actions that people can take to make a difference in this important matter. It’s only when as many people as possible involve themselves that there is any hope. People must show civil disobedience to protest investments that promote the expansion of fossil fuels. In order to have any effect on the industry at all, people need to be made more aware of the dangers of burning and using up these fossil fuels and then join the fight against it. Churches and large organizations have the power and influence to get more people involved, but they choose not to take advantage of it. That needs to change.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie showing and the following panel discussion that I attended on Wednesday. It was extremely informative and motivated me to take part in any movement that I could find that would help to protect our planet. After watching the documentary, I am disgusted by the way that people are trashing and destroying the place in which they must live. More people need to be made aware of this issue and take action to find alternatives to fossil fuels that are safer for the environment. I felt that “Do The Math” was incredibly inspiring and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the future.