In the hard-hitting The Refugees of the Blue Planet, filmmakers Hélène Choquette and Jean-Philippe Duval take viewers from the Maldives to Brazil and onward to their native Canada to dramatically illustrate how millions of people (more each year) have been displaced as environmental refugees by the effects of global warming and uncontrolled corporate exploitation of natural resources. In the Maldives, we see how global warming and rising sea levels are literally threatening to drown the islands into extinction. In Brazil, the predominance of monocultural (i.e. exclusive) plantations of eucalyptus trees have transformed once-fertile and diversified land into devastated, lifeless acreage where once-plentiful water sources have been nearly depleted. In Alberta, Canada, the proliferation of controversial oil wells has displaced rural farmers and landowners due to the exhaust and undetectable oil-well leakage of toxic “sour gas,” leading to possible human side effects (the area has witnessed a dramatic rise in cases of multiple sclerosis). Many viewers will be deeply moved by interviewees who tearfully describe their feelings of betrayal and helplessness in the wake of corporate greed (and with little or no legal recourse in a world that politically favors powerful corporations, they have few hopes for the future). One expert here observes that “change only occurs when all people suffer, rich and poor alike.” Sure to spark outrage and concern, The Refugees of the Blue Planet is an impassioned wake-up call. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)
The Refugees of the Blue Planet
(2006) 53 min. In English & French w/English subtitles. DVD: $250. National Film Board of Canada. PPR. Volume 23, Issue 5
The Refugees of the Blue Planet
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