The Crisis of Civilization

2012, Society  -   119 Comments
Ratings: 8.42/10 from 53 users.





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119 Comments / User Reviews

  1. I have never seen so much negativity in one documentary. This problem, that problem. The sky is falling. nothing is working. I wasn't able to find a date for this film but it seems old and still we continue on. We have all the sustainable energy we need All we need to do is take it. This is proven. "The sky is falling" And still we continue on. Nay sayers abound. The only way to do it is to do it. So do it. Really !

  2. Sweden is socialist. What's so bad about sweden?

  3. Brilliant. It's such a shame such 'progressive' thinking has been ignored for decades.

  4. I just wish that All Governments stop medealing in Peoples lifes just to creat a useless Authoritarian - Totalitarian job for some lazy slob, who got his lunch money taken when they were kids .and creat jobs for education, spread democracy, and real freedom (True freedom) om.

    1. you speak the truth

  5. help me see the real issues in our world today...what important is-if I cant share directly to the solution of the problems (International level)...I can still do some initiative in solving it...Live it yourself first...and be an influence to your neighborhood.

  6. Excellent Documentary, I will recommend all my friends watch it!

  7. This is a laughable documentary if you could call it that. While the narrator is certainly eloquent, he has very little if any knowledge of economics and the current market economy. He bases his arguments against an extreme form of free market capitalism that has been tempered by regulation and no longer exists (which is presumably why the "archival footage" used to make a point is from before my birth).

    The arguments made are short and without proper depth which can be nicely demonstrated in the narrators portrayal of carbon taxes. While yes there is a price put on the carbon, these credits simply do not come out of thin air as he suggest and arn't some money factory for companies. They are part of a cap and trade policy in which the government sets a level of pollution beyond which a high level of taxation occurs. THe pollution below that level is divided into portions which are sold to companies, essentially taxing them for their pollution and decreasing overall creation of pollution by making it more expensive. This is a system that has and is working, nearly 3/5 of the value (measured in GDP) in the world has been created since the 1980s, capitalism has worked, and as the narrator unfortunatley doesn't seem to know or care to mention is that GDP per person is senonomous with an individual's living standard and the growth which he seems to despise, rises it.

    If he wants to live in an agrarian society he can move to one, the future will move on and those who wish for it halt or slow down are unfortunately destined to be left behind.

    1. I think the author is saying that we need to prepare to go back to a agarian society because the earth is nudging us in that direction. If we disreguard this "nudging" ... the earth will certainly go ahead with its plans for our disposal.

    2. We need more efficient and planned growth, to go back to an agrarian society would be to doom millions if not billions to death because of the inefficiencies in such a system. Mass migrations out of cities to the farmland, we are far past our carrying capacity as an agrarian people, we must continue on a techonologial and forward looking path if we are to survive, not go back to a system that thrived when there was less than 1/10th the current population.

    3. There are simply not enough resources to continue the path that we are on.

    4. Thad Pinakiewicz, I am not very sure how educated you are, but you seem to have seen the documentary through some blurred or deluding bi-focal lenses in a smoke filled room. I want to mention to you that unless you eruditely educated, it will be impossible to winnow the truth out of this system of things. What the documentary has done for you is bring out the 'wheat out of the weeds' in a system of things redolent with lies, deception misdirection and sometimes loathsome indifference. On my part, I am appreciative of this.

  8. Like usual, no one talk about the most important problem of unsustainably: demographic growth. This is the main problem, and no one say anything about it. To have +2 childrens per women is the biggest source of waste in the world, and this problem need to be solve in order to solve the rest.

  9. @jpquick2
    Naive is the opposite of what a conspiracy theorist is. If you're going to criticize, use the right word. A conspiracy theorist is cynical, one who doesn't trust what he is told. A naive person would believe exactly what he was told, despite any evidence to the contrary, which is a disservice to yourself and a danger to others.

    1. naivete can apply to following the teachings of anybody who purports to lead by teaching anything with dubious value. the idea that a molecular dis-organizer or whatever it is can actually bring down an EXTREMELY heavy object like tower one and two of the world trade center is dubious to say the least.

  10. Nature has been pushing us through a long, slow process of evolution. Now we are being pushed into a new state. We're discovering that we are all here TOGETHER in ONE totally INTERCONNECTED global world. If we will only overcome our selfishness we will discover the good life nature has in store for us.

    We are coming up against all these crises because we are not aligned with the direction nature is taking us. If we aim towards integration instead of separation, balance with nature instead of overconsumption, and making sure EVERYONE has a good life instead of just me, we will enter this new life painlessly.

    I don't believe that political and economic structures are the root of the problem. The real root is our selfishness and disregard for nature. Simply overthrowing these structures will not fix things since they are just a reflection of our egos. We all need to change our understanding and way of thinking and the rest will follow.

    I'm tired of pointless work and everyone exploiting each other for the sake of endless self gratification. And I'm excited about discovering what's next together with everyone!

    1. The more research I do on the subject, the more I am starting to believe that there is a relatively small group of people ‘at the top’, above the U.S. Presidents and other leaders of the world that have an agenda to be ‘Kings of the world’. At one time I thought it was U.S. Imperialism but now I think we are the biggest puppet under their control. Right now the U.S. dollar is worth 2-1/2 cents against an ounce of gold and so far no President, regardless of Party affiliation, is able to turn this phenomenon around. Why?

      I used to think that the Kennedy brothers were way over rated; but I have since changed my opinion of them. I think JFK was the last ‘real’ President that had the people’s interest at heart and was killed because of it; as was his brother Robert.

    2. Robyn, You are right where I was at for a long time. Two videos changed everything for me (both are on TDF).
      They are "The MoneyMasters" and "JFK2". On can never be sure of finding "the truth" as it seems to be a moving target, but these two pieces of work have truly changed my life. It is definitely way past time to act as climate change now threatens our basic survival. There is nothing left to lose. Kennedy said "These men seem to have a collective death wish" and that seems to sum it up well.

    3. You are right on top of it Robyn318, the truth about any matter almost always frees the mind of the truth seeker. Keep that up!

    4. Jason, Your point is true and it may be possible to do an end run around these jerks and Permaculture is our best model currently to do so. In interviews with its co founder Bill Mollison he has virtually no angst about the military/industrial complex created by the Rothchilds and their central bank cartels that currently afflict our planet. He just seems to understand that we will either wise up or nature will exterminate us (and uncounted species who have no dog in this fight- bad form indeed). Check out permaculture but ONLY from the original works by Mollison and Holmgren as like all healthy movements it has been infiltrated and subverted by these monsters.

  11. All or most of you talk about Political parties,,,such a sham and im sorry you all dont see the bigger picture,its not about politics,its who pulls the strings,and its not our Govt,,,,,,,,,lest we see that those in power,care less about us,the more we see,,,,

  12. 10 yeara ago engineers were saying we would never have computer chips the size of a gigabyte.... I have a 3 gig duo core now at it often operates at 100% so MORE IS needed. Any remewable is better than unconventional crude ANYONE. It takes 3 barrels of water to make a barrel of oil out of Canadian 5 years we will be squandering 9 million barrels a day and the fascists are in control of government to make sure that it happens imagine water is more valuable than oil any day of the week. We are allowing other's to squander this resource....WE have to get much more militant in this country our grandparents were that is how we got what few rights and sevices we do have. They didn't come from an enlightened benevolent capitalist state that is for sure. I can't wait for these portable solar panels to hit the market. I could probably power my tv and puter with it easily and a few other household goods as well. Like lamps.

  13. i like the documentary. Ahmed a smart guy. Clearly .... 9/11 was an inside job but is not mentioned in this docu.

    1. Read Judy Wood's book "Where did the Towers go? Evidence of directed free-energy technology on 9/11"

      She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering (structural Engineering), M.S. in Engineering Mechanics (Applied Physics), & PhD in Materials Engineering Science. She taught Experimental Stress Analysis, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials (Strength of Materials), & Strength of Materials Testing.

      Her book is filled to the brim with compelling evidence that the towers collapse was not gravity driven, but was “unraveled like a sweater” (in her words).

      Again in her words, “We stand today at the dawn of an entirely new age. Man has in his hands a method of disrupting the molecular basis for matter and the ability to split the earth in half on a moments notice. (It gives the term, "scorched-earth policy" a new significance.) The technology that was demonstrated on 911 can split the earth in half or it can be used to allow ALL people to live happily ever after with free energy.”

      We are not in Kansas ANYMORE!

    2. yes I know her work. At first I was a skeptic but on further study she makes a lot of sense. I like her phrase: "you can't meter it". Indeed Nicolai Tesla already came up with techniques to extract energy from the ionosphere one 100 years ago. But ..... like Woods says ... you can't meter this energy.

      Humans just love wars and to exploit others. The few good people, creative minds etc. serve the exploitive ones. All these problems that we have now is not necessary at all. These neo-con thugs always think of some enemy to fight. Maybe the human race should think of some alien common enemy 30 lightyears from here. Maybe that could align humans whatever race or religion.

      Because if you were a Christian and would be floating in space and would bump into a Muslim by pure chance. Wouldn't you be happy to see him/her?

      These are sad time, idiots rule the world.

    3. gimme a break. 2 planes smashed into the towers. that's it. stop being so naive and pursuing ridiculous conspiracy theories. it makes you look like an id**t.

    4. Read Judy Wood's book then we will talk

    5. HA your the naive *****! tell me this...Where is the plane that hit the Pentagon? or how about the field in P.A.? or how about WTC7 that didn't even sustain major damage yet it fell at free fall speed! there is a mountain of evidence against what they told us and its people like you that keep the truth from coming out because you don't ask questions but sit and watch fox news while eating your t.v. dinner. Research the subject before you act like you know what the F*ck your talking about!

    6. Q: "Where is the plane that hit the Pentagon?"
      A: It broke up into small pieces which were recovered. Think about it. That plane went through to the 4th ring of the 5 ringed Pentagon. I don't know exactly how fast the plane was going, but 220 mph is my guess. The Pentagon was built to a high level of structural stability.
      Did you see the the animation showing what would happen when a plane such as the one on 9/11 hit the Pentagon at a high rate of speed? I know, I know, that was doctored to cover up the vast right-wing conspiracy. Yeah right, and all the TV and cable news outlets INCLUDING MSNBC (the FOX of the left) were involved.

      Just for the record, I do not eat TV dinners and I am an Obama Democrat. I USED to be a dittohead until I saw Barak in a vision not unlike St. Paul on his way to Damascus.

    7. "...ability to split the earth in half on a moments notice."
      Robyn; How do you know she is an engineer and a Ph.D.? Where did she teach? If you can give accurate answers to those questions, I will THINK about reading her book which sounds like a load of sheit (or is it schite?).

    8. You obviously have a computer, do a little 'research'; in the process you may learn something.

    9. Okay Robyn, I will look up "Judy Wood" on Amazon in the "Books" section. Also, I would like to say I was wrong to be so harsh with you. You are clearly not an "idiot" as I said you might "look like" one if you continue to pursue and talk to friends and family about this molecule scrambling death ray. You might also get on a list. You know, the Patriot Act and all that civil liberties robbing garbage (it's not all bad, but it has to be scaled back to a more reasonable point). Anyway, sorry for the name calling.

    10. why my response to the above is down there somewhere after something about the power of the few and the Kennedys is a mystery to me. I'm a big fan of the Kennedys except the last generation before the most recent one. I guess that happens in every powerhouse family sooner or later. the drive, the ambition, it just fades for some reason. maybe it's very simple like wanting to stay alive. i know that sounds cold but hey, it's something to think about. i'd think about it.

  14. Even though I agree with the general narrative put forward the explanations given are occasionally connected by non-sequiturs.This is especially true when he discusses finance and currency creation. He seems to forget that had we not bailed out the banks the entire financial system would have collapsed. Hank Paulson and members of Congress were discussing martial law and food distribution contingency plans in case the bailout didn't pass. Everything for every business is lent on short-term credit. When the financial system crashes goods don't get delivered. Period.

    The banks make incredibly risky bets, and deserve to go bankrupt like you or me would, but unfortunately they had to be propped up or far, far worse consequences would have ensued.

    We should have done more thorough investigations for illegal activity, and put many of these players in prison. However, this documentary suggests we should simply let the system go under. Good luck investing in renewables, or building a garden AFTER the system collapses. I say let the Federal Reserve keep propping up the system until the inevitable happens because I'll be even more prepared by then. On the other hand, if your not preparing yourself yet you should keep in mind that delaying the crash makes its aftermath stronger.

    Then again whoever believes oil prices are high because of magical speculators, evil oil companies, or bad politicians will be caught with their pants down because they lack the critical thinking skills to do basic research and discover that *gasp* prices are rising due to a supply/demand imbalance. U.S. consumption is down, and U.S. production is up. However, global consumption is RISING, and global supply is STAGNANT. This means higher prices. Are people speculating? Of course! But they're speculating because fundamentals are screaming for higher prices in the future. The MSM is somehow blind to this.

    1. I disagree with you about the financial institutions; I see it like an old growth forest, when the big ones fall it allows room and resources for the smaller ones to thrive. Bank of America has become too large to sustain itself, it pioneered internet banking to save itself money by eliminating teller positions, then tried to initiate monthly fees to use its debit cards. If small business would have been encouraged during this financial debacle, it would have taken a little time but I think our economy would have been much better off because of it. The reason the ‘too big to fail’ banks were bailed out is because they sold about $750 billion worth of bad loans to China and they were dropping like flies. It would have been a global financial nightmare and a diplomatic disaster for the U.S. to not buy them back.

  15. Occupy the planet!

  16. yes, we need to face reality head-on
    government does it in secret
    friends and family dare not discuss it
    many prefer robotics to acting out of step
    as an individual, one can act

  17. The recurring theme here is the if we came to our senses and 'worked together' for the common good of everybody, we could solve our coming massive crises. I guess he feels good to be talking about it all, as if he is doing his part. And he is doing his part, God bless him. If we could all work together, huh. I'm afraid change will come in a rather more violent manner!

  18. Didn't know you could get a phd with nectar points!

    the animation is pretty good though

  19. @Luis. Huntington was hit-or-miss in his worldview. I began reading his works while I was in grad school (Internat'l Relations/Internat'l Economics), and found him to make many flawed statements based on Western Civilization's views on democracy and geopolitics.

    "The Third Wave" was flawed in using Portugal as the example of regime change towards democracy. It was a military coup -- pretty democratic wouldn't you say? And I believe during the early 2000's, internal criticism of the regime around economic transparency/corruption was fierce -- even by recognized national news services....

    "The Crash of Civilizations" - his defining work - is the 2nd most flawed Poli Sci work I have ever read. Culture is BY NO MEANS the driving behind conflict -- international economics and Western (US) world policing and rhetoric has been the driving force behind world conflict post-WW2. Don't get me wrong - Fukuyama's "End of History" is the 1st most useless theory I have studied as a Poli Sci student.

    "Who We Are" is the bastard child of the neo-con worldview. In this work, Huntington moves away from the purely international arena and takes a more isolationist/fear-mongering tactic.... In a country of immigrants -- only ~2 million indigenous people still in their land -- this is hypocrisy at it's greatest....

    While I respect your opinion -- very subjective subject with none of us having the exact same outlook when making sense of the world scene. However, I do believe this doc is more pertinent than Huntington's outdated works. From the Reagan thru Bush II regimes I would posit that Huntington was verifying current US policies. However, GW Bush did such a poor job of implementing policy -- and injecting this "cultural war" -- into the minds of most Americans. Xenophobia, selective isolationism, binary worldview, and piecemeal world policing aimed at protecting US interests and resource needs is the current state of US policy.

  20. Well,from an academic standpoint Samuel P. Huntington is more credible than the narrator of this documentary. What the latter is doing is trying to simplify complex issues like international terrorism (which in fact IS a clash of civilization, cultures and values ), global warming and enery shortage and attempting to put them under a holistic umbrella. This is a neat package, but one that misses the point and undermines the complexity of each ISOLATED phenomena. This is not serious academic work and is certainly not objective and not free of ideological bagage.

    1. So what are you doing about it Luis Boy. Criticism is not a valid solution.

  21. "all of us are in for a rough ride..." hang on tight. Alarming so much so that I would suggest that conspiracy is the standard operation procedure. Gov't and Corporations will use whatever means is most available to get what they want. And all of these ideas are measurable, predictable, and inevitable. Or you can ignore this and go on with life in the bubble of the WORLD OF TOMORROW.

    Localization... produce only the energy that we need for the members on the community and only the food that is needed as well, reduce the size of gov't and create local homogenous groups preferably of populations of 1,000 and LESS, make local currencies interdependent upon all who are of the community, but management and oversight would need need to be very strict and transparent, i.e. reject NEOLIBERAL economic policies, which, btw, is the same as George W. Bush's Neo-Conservative beliefs/practices and Democrats are not free of culpability.

    We need only exorcise the demons of unfettered wealth accumulation and all those putrid, rotting neo-liberal ideals from our consciousness.... very difficult so I think we can expect some really rough times in the future until those demons are gone. Everybody's got to learn sometime...

    1. I think RFK said it all in 1968

      "I found out something I never knew: I found out that my world was not the real world."

  22. there is a plethora of green technologies that we could be using right now. The people who make a lot of money off the outdated technologies do a lot to suppress said new technologies.

  23. It was an informative .doc., but not very original. Watch "Arithmetic, Population and Energy" also on YouTube.
    The graphic analogies were cute, but for me a distraction. Perhaps the intent was to hold the attention of the TV addict.
    Treebarhogg mentions the disconnect between research and government, but misses the cause and effect. There are two reasons that government is "erronious". One is simply that politicians have private agendas and are narcissistic like all psychopaths are. The other is the fact that politicians don't do science. They wouldn't be politicians if they could comprehend math and the sciences. Also, it is easier to manipulate the masses with faith than fact.


    ''all malfunctions quoted short & sharp!''

  25. Let me see...we could drill into the earth, like we already do, but instead of pumping out oil, we pump in water. Then, when it returns out of another pipe as steam, heated by the geo thermal transference, we could then use that steam to drive electric generators. Of course, you could also then condense that steam and produce clean pure distilled water as a by product. Wow! even a dummie like me can come up with that one.
    Come on people, you're telling me that our science leaders can't figure out simple technology that could be green and renewable? lol
    Seems to me the world powers at play have us right where they want us, afraid of our own shadows and doing what they want in order to keep us fighting over natural recources, money, religion, politics and power. And we are slowly killing ourselves on a planetary level. The earth will be fine once we greedy selfish parasites are gone.
    Nothing has changed throughout history. Someone always wants to rule the world and control the populations. War is slow, and we breed to fast, so they have got us killing ourselves slowly in other ways, so they can get rich while we do it to ourselves and then they will ride out the storm in hidden bunkers when $@%# hits the fan.
    They will become the master race that has been dreamed of by many world leaders of past (think Hitler) Not because they are smarter or stronger, but because they have the money and power to crush anyone who believes that there is a way out of this global mess. The ones who have faith in our leaders do not understand the bloody history of man.
    OK, I'm ready for most of you to disagree with me now. lol

    1. "Come on people, you're telling me that our science leaders can't figure out simple technology that could be green and renewable? lol"

      That IS what's happening funny enough, not because scientists can't figure out these technologies but because we have no science leadership. In western government, the whole arena of science is just a facet of the dominion. The scientific approach to social problems comes behind the economic, strategic, and even fanatical approaches.

      I think our governing bodies should be closely linked with our state universities. A web of academic research and social legislating, scrutinized by the public at any archive, be it the library or the internet, or both, and managed by democratically elected scholars. Less reality TV, because serious intelligent people would be boring on the tube.

    2. Why didn't educated minds come up with that brilliant solution? Maybe it because it would take more energy to make your scheme work than you can get back from it. You just built the world's first net negative energy sink.
      An idea not covered in this documentary, and it needs a serious airing, is the concept of energy density. Oil and gas are more energy dense by orders of magnitude than renewables. That is the reason the schemes proposed on here fall short of filling the burgeoning energy gap. There is no currently available supply chain innovation that can fill the gap that oil will leave. I'm sorry that's just the way it is. Maintaining current Western-style standards of living is incompatible with living sustainably. It's a tough pill to swallow but there it is, the sooner people start wrapping their heads around that the better (instead of trying to build a Hummer that runs on sunshine and dewdrops).

    3. Interesting how you dismiss the idea without explaining in detail how or why it wouldn't work.
      Not that I am saying it would, but you dismiss it so easily. I'm sure you must be a scientist.
      I do believe there are much better ways to utilize our natual and renewable resources.
      Tesla was on to something but got cheated out of his place in history. Our government still holds hundreds of his patents and ideas secret. Think H.A.A.R.P.
      But then, he was trying to convert natually occurring electricity in our ionasphere to supply us all.
      That, would have interfered with the corporate monopolies plans that got us hooked on nonrenewable resources, solely because they were cheap and easy to profit from. And they are still profitting, even more today than then, as we further depleat them
      We do not have an energy problem, we have a conversion problem.
      Electricity has been, and always will be, the only natural renewable resourse that can save us. It even powers our bodies.
      I do not understand why the use of natural geothermal heat cannot be utilized in some manor either. Many early coal minors were even cooked to death when they hit pockets of super heated water underground.
      Oh well, guess I should just give up hope of any scientific breakthroughs. Based on your opinion, it must be impossible.
      I stand corrected.

  26. Give a solar panel and a battery to every African that lives in the Sahara desert and you'll have their problem solved. Build huge panel stations so the energy can be exported to Europe and you solve Europe's problem in Africa. Who gets the money, who is hired to work to build them, who has to live near them, who is it for?

  27. I live in canada and ive been to the oil sands in Alberta. If you covered just the area used to mine, process and store waste with solar panels I think it would more then equal the total energy output of the oil reclaimed I cant rememeber the exact energy return they are getting but i remember it was a joke something like 1 barrel to make 1.5 but dont quote me on that
    @AZ your comment "Imagine the most beautiful hill of your area covered with solar panels or the ocean covered with oil rigs? all in the name of profit!" It happens everyday and i would damn sure rather have solar panels than a coal fired plant or a nuke plant or even a (suposedly safe) biomass burner like the one they are building just down the street from me. Its up to us to guide this runaway system onto a new path. And what the hell we could get hit by a massive CME next week and blow our existing powergrid to hell making this whole topic academic ; )

  28. 1 degree temperature rise and that's it the world is fubard, lol this doc is the biggest pile of bs I have ever seen

  29. The energy/electrcity problem is immense. Probably the most interesting, worthwhile and yet least talked about approach is to consume less - that's a paraphrase from a German nuclear engineer. Industry requires baseload to run 24/7 perhaps industry should not be allowed to run like that? On the other hand every one of us in modern developed societies is guilty of heavy over use of electricity which is going to get worse by a factor if and when we start using it instead of combustion engines for transport.

    The problem with electricity is it needs to be generated which is basically transforming another form of energy (kinetic/chemical/photo/strong nuclear force) into it. When energy is transformed, some is lost. Consider, that a nuclear power plant uses fission (releasing strong nuclear force) to generate heat - first inefficency, some energy is lost as photons - which then boils water to drive a steam turbine (kinetic) - 2nd inefficiency, more energy lost as heat in friction - to convert it into electricity, which is transported along cables - this is the third inefficiency, more energy is lost as heat through resistance from the cables (the longer the cable the more energy is lost) then the fourth inefficiency comes when as the end users we use the electrical resistance of a heating element in a kettle to boil water (one example), yet more energy lost etc. Consider also that nuclear is singularly the most energy dense and efficient way of driving steam turbines that we have discovered.

    By far the biggest loss is in the cables, which means that any power plant be it coal/nuclear/wind/hydro/solar/etc. needs to built suitably close to where it is to be used. This is a big problem for things like offshore wind. Even then the biggest loss will still be through cable resistance as heat. Retrofitting our infrastructure so cables run underneath buildings would be one way to catch some of that lost energy but this would be hugely expensive. Simpler tech like using solar panels on roofs to heat water instead of generating electricity are good and cheap and should really be built into every home - they work even in cloudy weather unlike photovoltaic. They also avoid the chain of energy losses through transformation, however, using it for an open system (where the water is used then replaced) creates serious pressure and containment issues.

    Renewables are generally clean (exception photovoltaics require large amounts of heavy metals) , but are intermittent, requiring energy to be stored for times when the generation is off. Storing energy is problematic as yet more energy is lost over time. I think the reality is we need a patchwork effect of all current types of power generation as and where is most appropriate. Photovoltaic in hotter drier climates, Wind turbines in windy places, geothermal wherever available, hydro where there is space for a dam and reservoir that doesn't risk wiping out towns or villages further downstream, Nuclear for baseload and industrial zones etc...

    Oh yeah, and we need to keep at least a few oil wells going, for all our roads, plastics and petrochemicals, so burning it at the rate we do to move vehicles is really wasteful, not to mention toxic for the entire environment, air land and sea.

    But even doing all this combined with well constructed insulated buildings with solar panels+small turbines on roofs, and heating electricity cables running through the floors will not be nearly enough unless, we keep burning carbon based chemicals for most of our electricty as well or, we all (in our modern 'civilised' societies) learn to use less. In the end however, this will not be a choice, rather an unavoidable truth.

    Regards, Sam.

  30. It seems to me that Think Tanks are a waste of time if they don't product blue prints out of the crisis they have analyzed. Half hearted suggestions and transfering responsibility to others do no one any good.

  31. I agree with what he is saying about how the western economic system works: On a middle-management level. There is another factor however that is the on-off switch for these bubble/burst cycles: Here in the U.S. it is Federal Reserve System that decides wealth and its distribution, in Europe it is the European Centralized Bank; same dog, different yard. It appears these ‘centralized banks’ aren’t satisfied with making exorbitant amounts of money using the fractional reserve model, they want even more by sabotaging a healthy functioning economic system by greatly over inflating the amount of currency in circulation, knowing it is not sustainable, and purposely removing massive sums in an extremely short time period, causing the economic collapse. The hidden purpose of this is to get the maximum amount of loaned currency out that the economy can sustain and when the mortgages or collateralized loans get close to being paid off, and more of the monthly payment goes to principal than to interest, currency is recalled, money gets tighter, overtime or second jobs get eliminated and loans are defaulted on. This creates a huge ‘land grab’ opportunity for these mega-banks, there was one in the recession of the 80’s that worked so well they created the opportunity for another one with the Great Recession of 2008. All of this newly acquired land is resold again with the banks acquiring the majority of the monthly payments as interest once again. This isnt by chance, it is by design.

    I would have fallen victim to this scam too, except my wife worked in mortgage investigation for 15 years and saw what was going on. After the big refinance craze phased out (I think in the late 90’s), banks were taking applications from people who had two bankruptcies in their past; there was no way these people would get a loan, but her company was getting thousands of these a day, week after week, month after month; at $300 per application (non-refundable). The same scam is being run in Europe with the Euro, countries that bought into this new currency are in dire straits because instead of creating their own currency, they borrow it, like the U.S. does, and have to pay interest on every dollar in circulation. This puts a tremendous tax burden on these countries and the better the economy does, the bigger the tax burden.

  32. BS garbage. Capitalism is the freedom of movement of capital across the global. Capitals are allocated where is there is most effective, and most impacted. What this means is that it can adopt in a peak oil world, since when confronted with economic pressure, capital will be allocated toward things like solar, and other forms of energy.

  33. A well made documentary that explains what motivates the interests of big money, politics and oil in today's fast changing world.

  34. a tank drifting throught the city? i want to be a taliban! (0:55:08)
    but seriously im sick and tired of the recent docs that use footage from the 50s, we are not all babyboomers.

  35. I think this doc is good until the point of more expensive oil problems!
    We cannot rule out the new synthetic fuels they might have major impact in our future!

  36. I am disappointed that when he talked about paring down our lifestyles he didn't mention overpopulation, carrying capacity of the earth, and controlling fertility. just saying the earth can carry 11 billion people, doesn't mean it should, or that it is sustainable.

  37. I think we should have another documentary category based soley on energy.. fossil fuels, electricity, solar, wind, theorectical, etc

    I would love to have discussions on peoples experience and education on this. i want to eventually make my entire house energized by alternative sources that are basically free of monthly charges.

    1. I have a friend who's job it is to search for oil, he seems to think that the problem is not yet a lack of oil but that it is getting increasingly difficult and expensive to get at it. His favorite alternative, which he says is beautiful in its simplicity, is to turn the Sahara into a huge solar panel (something to do with silica? ) and switch from ac to dc. Unlikely to happen because of cost (again) and the lack of cooperation between the countries that would need to be involved, who would run it and how would the profits be shared ?

    2. I could take care of the profits. Just because im such a nice guy:)

    3. OK, the job is yours! Just give me your bank details and I'll sort it all out for you ;)

    4. I don´t trust the banks, just put it all under a rock and i´ll pick it up.

      What you wrote about solar power from the sahara is actually something the germans are working on. I don´t know how far that project has come but it was on really large scale.

    5. I think Japan are in on it too, or maybe working on something similar. I love the idea of the coming together of so many people as much as the project itself. Cooperation on that scale would be an incredible achievement. Fingers crossed! Any particular rock? Sedimentary do?

    6. YOu guys really? You certainly haven't been there? Imagine the most beautiful hill of your area covered with solar panels or the ocean covered with oil rigs? all in the name of profit!
      darn...tell your friend i say thumbs down.

    7. Everything is for profit, imagine the cost of a project like that. And alternative needs to be found, this might not be it but it might also be better than what we have now. Pretty sure they wouldn't cover the whole thing, they'll probably spread it over a few ;)

    8. I also think of putting solar panels in the Sahara. The sand storm is a issue.

    9. I expect they would have thought of an answer to that, they can store the power and tip the panels to remove most of the sand. Maybe turn their backs to the wind or slide covers over 'til the storm passes. If they need help they can call me ;)

    10. Not by the millions like in New York but a lot of people still live in the Sahara Desert. I don't think they want their backyard used for the rich who won't give anything back to THEM and even if they did.

    11. Surely got to be better than the oil rigs and wells, the gas pipelines and for some the wind turbines or hydroelectric dams. If you want power you have to pay one way or another. We can't all have wood fires, not enough trees and think of the pollution. if this is one of the best things on offer they should do it and with luck some better resolution will present itself.

    12. How do they carry this energy out of the desert? By digging all over the Sahara in order to create energy lines or by setting up electric posts criss-crossing in all directions? And then what charging the few inhabitants for the electricity created?
      No the solution to energy is not to cover the Sahara with ugly pannels, not in my opinion.
      Thumbs and big toes down!


    13. There is a map on wiki, if you search for Desertec you can se how small the actuall area needed is.
      And of cause the dessert is a beatiful place. But what is the alternative?
      Destoying the entire planet instead of making an already dead place ugly?

    14. We need clean affordable energy, anything is worth a try isn't it? You might like to check out magaracs links :). Honestly not the whole desert :)

    15. @Az.. Got to differ with ya on this one. Not that Im for covering the desert, but weigh the pros and cons of this. If it eliminated the need for fossil fuels, Im all for it. And like Magarac said its not that big of an area needed. And its the DESERT! lol, nobody lives there!!! yes its beatiful but what are the downfalls to building panels there. Yes we need lines built, but its electricty, not oil. Its clean. There is no possibilty of spills, damage to the atmosphere or climate, its pros are huge. At least its a step in the right direction. If there are downsides I say we at least take this solar step and evolve later, just my opinion.

    16. Nobody lives there? Just like nobody lives in the Arctic, so they dam the hell of north of Quebec.

      Do you really think these electric plants will be far away from the population? How are they going to get there to install them and retrieve the electricity produced?

      I don't doubt this is a subject i know little about, i will leave it at that and read others.


    17. Well Id rather see individual power grids dispersed anyway. Makes more sense than having centralized power. Just like food production should be localized, so should power in my opinion.

    18. Ironically, that's how it used to work in the old days. My little Canadian town once had it's own power station. So did the town about 45 clicks away. Most all town had power dams in the early 1900's.

    19. You really don't need power lines. If you want to get romantic about solar panels, put them in space. If man can get the material needed in space, electricity can be converted to microwaves and sent to earth and then converted to DC using a rectenna.

      The technologies is there, it's just the need to rationally sit down and make future priorities. We'll always need oil for plastics, in fact, I'd say that is one of the most important needs for oil. We need to focus on better energy production.

    20. Interesting idea. A few problems though, energy loss through conversion, atmospheric interference, refraction and focal spread would demand a large amount of large photovoltaics in space, for relatively little output on the ground, also, once on the ground, cables would still be needed. Also, DC power is much worse than AC for transporting through cables, a DC power grid would require generation/boosting every couple of miles. Also, the intensity of microwaves needed to supply 13 amperes for a kettle brings it squarely into the very dangerous range.

      Not to mention the energy cost of mining all those heavy metals, and the energy cost of getting them into space, where simple maintenance requires more energy than the thing can produce in decades. Economic costs can not be ignored, either.

      Localised generation is crucial I think, but only as much as is reasonably applicable. Large scale generation like nuclear is hampered by this principle, as there is a lower limit on the size that a fission reactor can be made to work. On the other hand, using solar power on the ground to heat water locally (again a kettle example!) without converting it into electricity and back again, would be a much simpler and effective idea. Only not at night time... *bangs head against wall*

      Thinking about ideas like this is very important, but I think it is more important to think about ways to reduce our demand for energy - and little is being done in this respect. I don't think I could live in a world without my cups of tea :)

      Regards, Sam.

    21. Thermos flask :) Or a stillsuit (Dune) with a tea bag in the filter.

    22. I can't imagine those millions of square miles of dunes being covered with solar panels. Frankly one of the most serene, enchanting view in the world.
      An ocean of tranquility.

      An ocean of tranquility."

      Well, it beats covering the Amazon in solar panels.

    24. Ive been watching a few docs on the subject of solar energy and it seems all the technology is there, even costs are going down its just a matter of politics, and avoiding a solar monopoly. Whats gonna happen when every home owner has their house all solar and everyone's car is electric or some derivitive of alternative energy?

      I think the on the issue of the Sahara Desert its about powering Europe. An area the size of France in the Sahara has the capability. I don't like the idea of all the power centralized in one area though. Seems you would definitely need a big reserve power station in case of war. Anyway, seems we (US,north america) could use our own deserts to light our continent, Mojave, Mexico, etc.

    25. I don't think it will be centralized, or that this is only about solar power. Looks like they want to link wind and water into their network, other places will be able to contribute. Anything that reduces the negative impact we are having has to be explored :)

  38. Simple solution: hydrogen. Not from water, but from from other materials.

    1. If we used water it might start to reverse the water pollution issue.

  39. Great doc, especially for those who are overwhelmed by the huge amount and seemingly conflicting information 'out there'. Brings it all together in a non emotive, relaxed and I believe politically unbiased format. xxxx

  40. He asks if climate change is real; almost everyone accepts it is real. The correct question: Is it the result of man’s industrialization of the planet; or the result of the earths Precession of the equinoxes? One Precessional rotation lasts 26,000 years, or one degree every 72.2 years; and the last glacial period ended about 12,500 years ago, which would put us on the opposite side of that cycle.

    Huntington says that Islamic countries are resistant to westernization because they come from different cultural traditions. I think it is even deeper than that; their culture is driven by Koranic scripture that says man can have culture and civilization as long as it is not industry based…this planet is not large enough and its resources are not abundant enough to support world-wide industrial based cultures. We are seeing that after a little more than a century of industrialization global resource depletion is a legitimate concern; pollution of the planet’s vast water supply is a legitimate concern as is contamination of vast amounts of soil.

    And the carbon credit scam is an “it looks good on paper” solution for bureaucratic approval, but exacerbates the problem. Just like modern medicine’s approach to most physical maladies; instead of addressing the real causes for the ailment, give a pill to mask the symptoms and allow the patient to keep doing the same destructive behavior that is causing it.

    I agree with him that our ultimate dependence on renewable energy will change our societal definition of freedom i.e. ‘unlimited growth’ and unrestrained environmental damage. Unless we get enough forward thinkers in key political positions in time to gear up these new sources of energy before their initial setup costs become prohibitive, we will be one step behind, instead of keeping abreast of, ‘reasonable’ energy demands.

    Agricultural issues are a discussion in their own right. Chemical fertilizers address only the plant’s need for green plant growth, root growth and fruit/vegetable production; it does not address trace elements like boron in beet production and the unfortunate result is most of our modern truck farms grow nutrient deficient produce.

    This video is a little corny, but just as parts of the video are outdated, I think the message is that our thinking on these important topics is just as outdated. These are my thoughts on the first 29 minutes of this video…I like it so far. I hope he goes as far as to show how the Federal Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank are involved in keeping these issues unresolved.

  41. We should switch our currency to pebbles and just farm. They did it in the islands where they used small seashells as money. If we could get our heads around the fact that crops and food are the name of the game we could get down to the real nitty gritty of life on earth. That being to harvest those crops for potent and soothing cocktails. Imagine if we all stopped this bullsh*t modern lifestyle we could all have beautiful rows of grapevines to eat and make wine with. Nice long golden fields of barley for earthly brown pops. Sprouting green, full bushes of raspberries that could be plucked like tiny gems while humming a sweet song as the sun kisses your face. Everyone on earth could do this. Have this little piece of land to till for your own health and enjoyment. Planting, harvesting, singing, eating, drinking etc. Then at the end of the day when you have been given what the earth has provided for you, pour you and the lady of your choice the nectar of the grape fields. Build a cherry wood fire under the summer stars and maybe roll a wee sneaky bit of the green stuff from that plant you have tucked near the corn field. Now relax, look up at the stars, remember the old days of sweeping up at a fast food joint filled with synthetic food. Look at your favourite little honey sitting fireside with you and whisper softly in her ear. "Lets bone." Go Ron Paul!

  42. Yes! A Chevy Monza! at 7 minutes in...

  43. Really good doc - Dr. Ahmed brings it all together. If you are a denier of all things bad, don't watch. I buy the whole thing.

  44. I'm a Canadian , well an earthling at best ,we come out of the shoot and our feet hit the ground ,WE have no other place to go !!! Got that !!!
    You , me the fly on the wall , we all have a right to be , to live , to eat , to breath . The world we are born on to and into is home to to us all ,there is no bank and there is no credit in nature .
    When we spend all the tree's there is no wood left to make our home's with , When we spend all the water we will die for the lack of it , For it is then as we lay dead on the ground that the gold will fall through our decaying fingers ,back to the ground from where it came .
    And we will have spent our time unwise and we can not make more of it .

    1. i'm sorry but in nature not everyone has the right to live, heck not everyone has the right to be born: in nature your mom maby did not even have enough protein to build you in the womb, what i'm saying is you should be greatfull some people die in poor countries so that the corporation in your country can bring you food in the trucks propulsed by the gas people die all over for. billions of people cannot be born in nature.
      oh yeh, i am canadian, too, so wha? earthlings kill earthlings, kill that fly on the wall before it makes you ill cause it walked all over your hamberger.

    2. Your...statement "in nature your mom maby did not even have enough protein to build you in the womb" has nothing to do with the your opinion that not everyone has a right to life.

      That is nature and circumstance. As well as individual choice. There are numerous factors influencing the relationship between the child and mother. Both exterior and interior that can cause the mother to; for example have a still born.

    3. That hamburger will make you ill, not the fly.

    4. I agree with you 100%. For the last several years I have been wondering why man, that is supposed to be the most intelligent (what ever that means) species on the planet; can elect and appoint and allow to stay in their elected office, Presidents, Congressman and Assemblymen; who after taking an oath of office to uphold the U.S. Constitution, openly and fervently support policies that allow corporations to cause the seemingly unavoidable destruction of this country.

      Personally, I think intelligence is an illusion, an assumed birthright of the human ego, to allow it to run amuck, unchecked over the whole of the earth. I can see why people can think there is a grand design; how else can you explain it.

    5. @Robyn318
      Nothing will happen overnight, but necessity will (hopefully)invent a cure for the 'current human condition'...otherwise it's all over red rover.
      Money and intelligence are only relevant 'to the observers frame of reference', as is everything else, just ask a global bank financier. xx

  45. I'd just like to point out that, no matter how good things are, or how much worse they could be, people will always complain about something. People will always find problems.

    1. wow! hail columbus!

  46. They use money to control and manipulate people and country's, that's the negative take on it

  47. Excellent film that uses the specialized knowledge of someone who has been able to source information across a very wide spectrum and put together a global picture that makes sense historically and holistically. The future is not hopeful when we continue to remain blind to all the forces at work which serve the interests of a very few. The future is hopeful when enough people can refuse to participate in systems that are failing us and seek solutions that are transparent and which benefit everyone.

  48. Community, family, well-being, save the earth, holding hands... someone needs to remind this guy that human history has been largely characterized by human misery, slavery, torture, war and genocide.

  49. Maybe you should just vote for Dr. Ron Paul. Is it only obvious to us that "woke up", that how we are doing things is very dangerous? You have Occupy Wall Street in the streets protesting because they can't afford their college tuition, and the media is covering that extensively, all while Dr. Paul keeps preaching about the true problems of the economic crisis, that begins in the roots of our Keynesian Economic system, yet he gets no love or attention from the media?!?!? It's funny how the "prophet" Obama could throw a couple of concerts and have some celebs support him, and boom, he got our vote, but Dr. Paul, who knows economics, and who can school anyone on world history is passed off as a goon. In 2003, before the Banking Comity, he stood their and spilled his heart out, warning us of the potential for an economic collapse in the next 5 years. what you know, 5 years later in 2008, the economy collapsed. But this is not just him, this was every Austrian Free School of Economics student saying it as well, as far back as 1998. It's sad that people sit here and believe that more entitlements and more spending can somehow save us? That's because they truly believe that today, we live in a true Free market economy, but if you have done 5 minutes worth of research, today in America, we really are running a Fascism.

    This message isn't only applying to Americans, since we are the cancer of the Earth. During the 80's and 90's we rampaged through Europe trying to convert ex-socialist states into what they believed was a Representative Democracy, and a Free Market Economy, but in reality all we did was put a puppet into power against the free will of the people, then made sure the country racked up enough debt, hence the name "entitlement nation", to make sure they owed and were dependent upon America, until another regime came into power to kick us out. But what most Americans don't realize, and these are the Americans who are voting for Obama, Romney, Gingrich, or Santorum, that today, America has become what we have tried to do to the ex-socialist states we conquered, how? Because China holds our debt, and therefore we are dependent on the status of their economy, and since they also use a Fiat currency like us, whenever they they manipulate it through interest rates, all we can do is bitch. And that is not China's fault, we do the same with our currency, on top of it we lie to our people. Ben Burnake on 02/29/12 sat in front of Dr. Paul how is part of the banking comity, and tried to tell him inflation was at 2%, little did he know that Dr. Paul already had a paper from three independent agencies who rate that in reality inflation was at 9%, then he proceeded to ask Bernake if he himself goes grocery shopping, Bernake answered "yes I do", Paul then asked "So if you go shopping, tell me the rise in price of milk compared to levels before 2008? Cause to me and the American people, they are 9%".

    And for those of you who really "believe" that the bailouts are working, just look at the stats people! I just hope enough Americans wake up so we can change the coarse of our beloved nation, no matter what our heritage is, we now call this place home, that is America, but what we live in today, our forefathers are probably laughing at us. We literally take the Constitution and wipe our ass with it, when in it gives us the outline how to run a country just like America was before the 20th Century, a country that gave birth to the likes of Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson, today these people are mere relics of a time past, but it doesn't have to be that way. Vote Ron Paul 2012 to actually show you give a damn about this country.

    1. I'm not an American but it's fascinating to watch the Republican debates leading to the upcoming election. Ron Paul's supporters seem to have been with him for along time and they are the most passionate and outspoken. Unfortunately, it would appear, they are too few in number.

    2. Thats because the supporters of the crazies (mitt, newt, santorum) are ignorant, uneducated, sheep who will vote for whoever their preacher tells them to on the basis of non-issues such as abortion and gay rights. Sadly this is a large part of the culture here. Some of us understand the dire situation of our evil empire, but no amount of voting for anyone will change anything. You are NOT allowed to stir the pot and disrupt the status quo. You will be destroyed.

    3. i only hope that you would not go back shooting indians like before 20th ct. although i mostly agree with you, i dont think that 'voting' will change anything, we need new stuff in this world, and i do mean new... greetings from europe

    4. Dude. Listen to yourself. You act like he will be the nominee. Do you really think the republican party will allow ron paul to be their representitive? The people in control of government will not allow it. He wouldn't survive to make his inaugeration speach. Why do you think obama is still alive? He is in the pocket of bankers like everyone else in government, except a pitiful few. Ron Paul is a pipe dream.

  50. socialist tosh

    1. Why is it that anything which puts people above money is automatically labeled as socialism. Which form of socialism is this ? Revolutionary ? Wasn't that into this but it's not the worst of its kind, easy enough to follow and suitably gloomy.

    2. It attempts to change the nature of man to a more socially ethical way. The lessons have been learned in history when things like this are attempted, public choice theory has lead us out of the situations that arose form those beautiful dreams that turned into nightmares. This documentary is not a recommendation for a step forward as it would lead us to believe but more likely a step back and allows all that has happened in the past to be in-vain. YOU CAN NOT CHANGE THINGS THAT ARE BIOLOGICALLY HARDWIRED!!!

    3. Paint me however you will but I lean more towards green than red. What exactly do you mean ? Your comment doesn't really make sense as a response to mine. History is history, full of wonderful stories and lessons we should learn, sadly we humans are a bit slow on the uptake. Willfully trashing our world is not something we have done before and although we're making a good fist of it now, there is still a chance we can undo some of the damage. People above money is not socialism, it's just people above money, which do you value more?

  51. Skipped through it, nothing you haven't heard before just someone new saying it. Ah well, could be worse, you could be down and out in Swansea. Going to cheer myself up with The Style Council :)

    1. Ha!, thought you were serious there. You could go all out and have a Wildwood dance party.

    2. If we get a long hot summer I might do :)