Last week, in my Nonfiction Writing class, we watched the film Manufactured Landscapes. Since then, it's been on my mind constantly. Over the last few years, the issues raised in the film have transformed my perspective on economics, world trade, personal as well as national finances, technology and capitalism, etc. It is hard to find an aspect of life unaffected by this issue.
You can watch a short video of some photographs from the film on the photographer's website - Edward Burtynsky. Select "Worldchanging" from the links on the left - then "View the Worldchanging.com Introduction Video".
A summary from his website:
Shot in Super-16mm film, Manufactured Landscapes extends the narrative streams of Burtynsky’s photographs, allowing us to meditate on our profound impact on the planet and witness both the epicentres of industrial endeavour and the dumping grounds of its waste. What makes the photographs so powerful is his refusal in them to be didactic. We are all implicated here, they tell us: there are no easy answers. The film continues this approach of presenting complexity, without trying to reach simplistic judgements or reductive resolutions. In the process, it tries to shift our consciousness about the world and the way we live in it.
After watching something like this - it is hard for me to understand why anyone would still support oil production and consumption. How can we continue in this way while so many others suffer the consequences? It may save us a few dollars, but it costs others their lives. Is oil really worth it? Especially when alternatives such as wind and solar exist?
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