THE ENVIRONMENT: DOCUMENTARY AND FILM SCRIPT WRITING

 THE ENVIRONMENT: DOCUMENTARY  AND FILM  SCRIPT TWRITING

INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY SCRIPTWRITING   

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Welcome to this year’s Environmental Awareness Conference. The main topic for this lecture is centred on documentary scriptwriting. The primary aim of the institute is to help out all those students who are actively engaged in promoting sustainable lifestyle among other earthlings and to enable them to promote environmental awareness. These scripts will constitute the core of our research and filming of green documentaries related to the eco-system in areas especially threatened by the impact of climate change.

Most people have watched the fantastic documentaries made by National Geographic, Richard Attenborough, Al Gore (The Inconvenient Truth) or CNN (Going Green) Michael More (Bowling for Columbine). If you haven’t then you should check them out on YouTube.

After viewing a few documentaries from BBC Documentaries and the other websites mentioned above, you’d realize that making documentaries is one of the most rewarding and challenging profession or hobby you can be involved in. Documentary making is an exciting adventure on the whole whether you're at the beginning gathering information, in the middle grappling with the actual shooting and interviewing, or just trying to figure out how to edit the footage and adapt them to your script.

In part-2 of this workshop lecture, we shall accept questions from four of the QELI students who have just joined us from some of the EU countries, USA, Canada, Ghana, Kenya, Papua Guinea and Brazil.

One hour later, the interview starts after the lecture…
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OUTDOOR ENGLISH LESSON: A VISIT TO

DEHESA BOYAL:  INTRODUCTION

Dehesa Boyal (Los Pinos) is a green area used by the local people for leisure activities in Puertollano. It’s an ideal outdoor space for a family weekend.

It is actually a large forest park which has an entertainment area with a swimming pool, cafés, tennis courts and wooden cabins for overnight stay. These lodgings are mostly used by visiting students who choose to spend the weekend there. You can also go hiking and walking in the vicinity as an outdoor sport. This large forest park is part of the Alcudía Valley which is accessible from Puertollano.

The Alcudía valley is made up largely of pine forest. On the ground, there are a variety of shrubs, forming a dense thicket which provides the right environmental conditions for other plants and animals to survive.

PHOTOS

FAUNA AND FLORA

The fauna and flora consists of: birds, flowers, butterflies, insects and other creatures.

The area is also rich in amphibians and many insects. It’s also possible to see animals such as badger (tejon), a deer or wild boars. That’s why Dehesa Boyal is considered as an ecological corridor for many birds in transit from northern Europe. So the Alcudía Valley occupies a strategic environmental site for the fauna and flora in the EU.

VOCABULARY: ENGLISH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Trees: forest with pine, olive and eucalyptus trees Different kinds of butterflies Different species of birds Different types of flowers A variety of insects A limited number of mammals	Sierra Morena forest A variety of shrubs Hiking path Trekking path Shrub vegetation of the Alcudía Valley Plants that grow on rocks or in the cracks Soil with traces of cattle or horse dung

Birds pájaros	doves , palomas,	swallow golondrina	canary canario
bulls toros	finches, pinzones,	sparrow gorrión	butterfly mariposa
robins, petirrojos,	partridges perdices	parrots loros	deer ciervos
horses caballos	vultures , buitres	lark alondra	Boar jabalí

Eagle El águila	Frog , La rana	squirrel La ardilla	Fox El zorro
Crow Cuervo	Blackbird, mirlo	Lizard largato	badger tejón
beak el pico	snout hocico	tail cola	wing el ala
hoof pezuña HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE	claw la garra	feather la pluma	fur el pelaje

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INSPIRING CRITICAL THINKING AND COGNITIVE GROWTH

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE
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VOCABULARY: THE ENVIRONMENT

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PART-2

VOCABULARY AND SCRIPTWRITING

Is there a science behind scriptwriting?

Most experts from Hollywood strongly believe that there is a true science that governs scriptwriting which deals with: vocabulary, technical language and style otherwise the end product could easily fail in the actual performance. From the scriptwriter to the final projection on screen, film making requires a lot of steps. In documentary making, among the footage we have already shot, good language and a good script will ultimately render the footage manageable and performable. Mastering the right vocabulary and language is a prerequisite for students at QELI who are interested in documentary scriptwriting.     Study the following quadrant list of vocabulary related to the environment.

1	The environment      El medio ambiente
	conservation   conservación contaminant    contaminante contamination contaminación deforestation   deforestación

2	The environment      El medio ambiente
	to recycle    reciclar recyclable       reciclable recycled          reciclado recycling         reciclaje

3	The environment      El medio ambiente
	biosphere     biósfera ecological       ecológico ecologist         ecologista ecosystem      ecosistema

4	The environment        El medio ambiente
	environmental               medioambiental environmentalist                ecologista environmentally friendly        - que no daña el medio eco-friendly                       - que no daña el medio ambiente

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INTERVIEWS: PART-2

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Student1:

What is the first thing to do when writing a documentary script?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie

In my case, I interviewed the local people, visited the library and collected more information from the internet. I was lucky, because some students I am tutoring have first hand information about hiking and trekking in the Alcudía Valley (in Spain) which really helped me out.

Student2:

Assuming you were filming about deforestation and medicinal plants in Cape Coast (Ghana), would you write the script there?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

If I were given access to the university library, I’d rather do it there. It’d obviously give me real insight about the problem in situ. By interviewing the local people, I could gather a mass of rich information to sift through for the scriptwriting while shooting some footage.

Student-3:

What sort of profile do you look for in your protagonists?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

First of all, I’d consider somebody from the local community and is quite knowledgeable about the local culture and environment. We should bear in mind that a lot depends on the nature of the story (Air pollution and butterflies, River pollution and how it affects flowers, bees, fish, etc. We might also be dealing with the natural habitat of animals and deforestation; pesticides in the ecosystem, etc. The vital question here is, how can you as a cinematographer portray these findings visually?

For example: In the documentary- The 11th Hour (2007), actor Leonardo DiCaprio assumed the role of the protagonist-narrator and presented the story in which other commentators (Stephen Hawking, James Woolsey, etc.) explain how hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters are the inevitable result of the vicious circle of climate and environmental changes that can no longer be regulated by the respective governments. President-elect Barack Obama had a lot of good intentions about reducing carbon emission to the environment (in the USA) but unfortunately this has not been implemented.

Student-4

Why is that? Wasn’t he given the mandate to implement something like that?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

That is correct, however, this type of legislation is difficult to pass among the law makers due to lack of consensus. President Obama was even more convinced by the documentary of Al Gore.

Student-3:

Do you support the views of Al Gore about the negative climate change he claims is threatening our environment? Is it so difficult to deal with the truth about the environment?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

Well actually, his views are well documented and he proved that in his film: An Inconvenient Truth (2006). In this documentary, Al Gore presents in a very convincing way the dangers of global warming to the audience. The documentary portrays Al Gore's concerns that we are playing with fire by ignoring the negative climate change and its consequences in all fronts and the threat it poses for us earthlings and our cities and towns. The news is full of visual accounts of floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, drought, etc. We can’t deny that, can we? That’s why he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; you might win one someday if your work turns out to be as good as his.

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VOCABULARY-2, THE ENVIRONMENT

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VOCABULARY AND SCRIPTWRITING

Is there a science behind scriptwriting?

Most experts from Hollywood strongly believe that there is a true science that governs scriptwriting which deals with: vocabulary, technical language and style otherwise the end product could easily fail in the actual performance. From the scriptwriter to the final projection on screen, film making requires a lot of steps. In documentary making, among the footage we have already shot, good language and a good script will ultimately render the footage manageable and performable. Mastering the right vocabulary and language is a prerequisite for students at QELI who are interested in documentary scriptwriting. Study the following quadrant list of vocabulary related to the environment.

1	The environment El medio ambiente
	acid rain                   lluvia ácida carbon dioxide (CO2)       dióxido de carbono chemicals                   sustancias químicas climate change        cambio climático

2	The environment El medio ambiente
	garbage separation (US) separación de residuos solidos greenhouse gases                 gases de efecto invernadero greenhouse effect             efecto invernadero organic farming                      agricultura sin fertilizantes

3	The environment El medio ambiente
	global warming       calentamiento global waste disposal       eliminación de residuos ozone layer                 capa de ozono pollution                   polución, contaminación

4	The environment El medio ambiente
	sewage                              aguas residuales sewage works/plant      estación depuradora toxic waste                           residuos tóxicos waste separation (UK)         separación de residuos

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For further material related to climate change and education go to the following link at UNESCO

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development/sustainable-lifestyles/

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INTERVIEW-3
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Student -1:

How do I go about preparing the right choice of questions for the interview in this case?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

The easiest way of doing this and keeping focus is to write down: who, what, why, where, how, and when around the topic in a quadrant system and subsequently brainstorm further questions and answers using these prompts to construct the right questions for your interview.

To make the hosts comfortable, you should talk to them for a short while before filming the footage or scene. Some local people tend to feel a bit jittery and threatened by the presence of cameras, so don’t forget this when you’re about to film your interview.

Student -2:

Do I need to script the documentary like that of a story in a feature film?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

Well I guess so; every life has a story so says the experts. If there is no story, there is no life. Stories usually provide a powerful context to channel the issue you want to get across to the audience. Assuming pollution from a factory plant in the Alcudía Valley is causing mutation in butterflies in your area, how would you convey this in a documentary to your audience? To do this, consider the following aspects of your documentary just like a film: Your protagonist or hero should have a specific profile; he could be an autistic person, a mother, a doctor, etc. He is also the hero who fights the conflicting forces of evil or fights to discover the right medication against a rare disease- for example pompei illness as depicted in the film: Extraordinary Measures (Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser  and Keri Russell).

Student -3:

Can you tell us anything about the setting for a documentary?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

The setting could be anywhere in the environment. It could be interior or exterior. You could be in Iceland- driving in the snow examining geothermal vents or in a tropical jungle. It might be national or international location. You could also be dealing with a marine documentary, so your setting will definitely be around the coast or in the sea.

Student -4:

How do you blend your characters in order to create a structured script?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

Character is a wide concept in documentary scriptwriting; it embodies the idea of people, animals, water creatures or even an object that can play a major role in the script. For example butterflies hopping from one orchid flower to another and the environmental situation in which they are immersed. A volcanic irruption and its immediate effect on the local villages; a tsunami and its aftermath consequences; these are other good examples to illustrate my point here.

Student -1:

Is the time frame important when filming a documentary? I mean, does it necessarily have to be in a specific season or time of the year?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

The time frame will largely depend on the characters and the choice of setting you go for. For example, spring in the Alcudía valley in Spain is quite different from summer where temperatures might soar to 38 degrees by noon so you need to anticipate this factor as well before filming your footage.

Student -2:

Let’s talk about a possible hero in the script; I agree that the antagonist in a film brings out the achievement of the hero, but do we really need an antagonist in a documentary film?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

The antagonist is an effective tool to channel the conflicting evil force or forces trying to destroy or stop the protagonist from achieving his or her goal. The antagonist is the cause of imbalance and disharmony whereas the protagonist seeks to bring about balance or harmony in the story, though ultimately this balance might be temporarily. Apparently, disequilibrium is always loitering just round the corner

Student -3:

Can the protagonist in a documentary experience self-conflict rather than an open conflict with the antagonist?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

The conflict in a script is obviously the drama or problem that drives the tension and propels the film from one scene to the next. For example: The protagonist might be in two-minds as to what to do to resolve a controversial issue. Which is more important, which is his top priority (right now and right here), the environment or the economic benefit brought in by the activity in question? These conflicting forces raging in him or her usually end up in a tormenting situation and this can create a very powerful context to move the story along the right path.

Student -4:

What are some of the best themes to use or explore in a documentary for a novice?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

The theme constitutes the core message of your documentary –It might deal with the transformation of your main character. It might also deal with the idea of the good against the evil, evil force against non-evil force, the rich against the poor, justice against injustice or the weak against the strong. Then again, it could uncover some inconvenient truth, the discovery of a new scientific truth or a pharmaceutical breakthrough such as a cure for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, AIDS or a rare disease.

Student -1:

Could you give us a practical example to illustrate all these parts of a script structured together?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie:

Sure, I can try. Let’s consider the project I have been working on for some time. It deals with a group of hikers who usually do the same route. To their surprise, they realized that the white butterflies (on their hiking trail) had changed colour to brownish ones. What could possibly have caused that? They decided to investigate. Where would their investigation lead them? Once you have the above storyline for your documentary, the next step is to start jotting down specifics about the other parts that we’ve discussed above. If properly done, your sketch could look like the following example:

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DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

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VOCABULARY AND SCRIPTWRITING

Mastering the right vocabulary and language is a prerequisite for students at QELI who are interested in documentary scriptwriting. Study the following quadrant list of vocabulary related to the environment.

1	The environment                       El medio ambiente
	wind power energía eólica wind mill Molino de viento nuclear energy                                  energia nuclear radioactive waste                       residuos radiactivos hydroelectric power                          energía hidroelectrica fossile fuel energy                            energía de origin fosil

2	The environment            El medio ambiente
	radioactive substance sustancia radiactiva radioactivity                      radiactividad nuclear radiation             radiación nuclear ozone depletion                      agotamiento del ozono

3	The environment             El medio ambiente
	endangered species       especies en peligro de extinción organic farming                     agricultura ecologica organic farm                      granja ecologico organic                                  organico biodegradable                       biodegradable

4	The environment           El medio ambiente
	to become extinct           extinguirse to conserve conservar to contaminate contaminar to die out extinguirse to pollute                         contaminar

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INTERVIEW-4, APPLICATION PROJECT-1

QUADRANT ENVIRONMENT LANGUAGE LEARNING PROJECT-1

Characters (All sort of characters): Hikers, trekkers, a group of senior citizens, nature lovers and town environmentalists whose lifestyle is threatened by this open-pit mining activity. Among the hikers are: four adolescents who will play a significant role in the unfolding of the sketch; security guards at the nearby mines; company directors, doctors and lab technicians. There is also a local school teacher and her environmental project; a local politician from the department of the environment; scientists from the environmental protection agency, etc.

1	HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE Protagonists or heroes
	Two autistic adolescents who have discovered an unseen effect of pollution from the local mining site (This is a collateral damage to the environment unknown to the company). Their ultimate goal is to protect the environment (the butterflies, the birds and wild flowers) and to restore the health of the fauna and flora.

2	HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE Setting or locations
	The open carbon mine, thermal tower and office block- all of these about 12 km from the town. Apparently, there’s no damage to the town’s people or the environment. However, the evidence of the butterflies proves otherwise.

3	HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE Timeframe: The four seasons
	A retrospective view of the towns and the mining company, enjoying a harmonious coexistence until now- spring- 2013. Possibly ends with what will happen in spring- 2014. Everything takes place on four occasions (Spring- summer- autumn- winter- and spring again). The ending should also be marked by the resolution of the final conflict.

4

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE Antagonists

These would refer to some mining safety guards who are keeping the inconvenient truth from the company directors for fear of losing their jobs. Should they report a toxic leak of gases into the valley atmosphere or keep it secret? Perhaps the antagonist could also be the pollution or a natural disaster as separate entities and its impact on the butterflies, the birds and wild flowers in the Alcudía Valley.

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VOCABLARY-4 AND USEFUL PHRASES-1

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ENGLISH-1

Environmental issues,

Natural environmental disasters  

National Biological Survey

Species habitat

SPANISH-1

Temas de medio ambiente,

Desastres medio-ambientales naturales

Estudio Biológico Nacional

Hábitat de especies

2  ENGLISH	SPANISH
Biodiversity Natural resources Desert Desertification	Biodiversidad recursos naturales desierto Desertificación

3 ENGLISH	SPANISH
Drought Severe drought Earthquake Petrol fumes	sequía La sequía  grave terremoto Los vapores y gases de gasolina

4 ENGLISH	SPANISH
Oil slick To recycle waste Used up natural resources Volcanic irruption	marea negra Para reciclar los residuos Agotamiento de los recursos naturales irrupción volcánica

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INTERVIEW-5

QUADRANT ENVIRONMENT LANGUAGE LEARNING PROJECT-1

This is the continuation from: INTERVIEW-4

INTERVIEW-5

QUADRANT ENVIRONMENT LANGUAGE LEARNING PROJECT-1

Characters: As I said before the characters will be mainly- hikers, trekkers, a group of senior citizens, nature lovers and town environmentalists whose lifestyle is threatened by this open-pit mining activity. Among the hikers are: four adolescents who will play a significant role in the unfolding of the sketch. Now let’s examine the other aspects of the script affecting the Alcudía Valley:

1

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE Conflict or clashes

(Epigenetics- the DNA change of the butterflies) Two students make increasing discoveries which reveal that butterflies are changing colours to adapt to the new eco-system but those that cannot cope genetically are dying out from the pollution (Natural selection is discretely operating here, why?). The mining officials, who are much more focused on profits, counter-attack the claim of the hikers because they are sure they have taken all the necessary industrial precautions to prevent any leak of toxic gases into the environment. The problem is, they can’t be sure since carbon dioxide is odourless and difficult to detect. Who is right? The script is picking up steam and getting exciting. What’s going to happen next?

2

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE Theme or core message

The primary message or theme of the script is the transformation of the four autistic adolescents to a more matured and functional citizens in the Alcudía Valley area. Additionally, we could explore other themes here to enrich the documentary. For example, We could focus on the butterflies or birds in the region as species threatened by the industrial output. Hence, their offsprings are now depicting all sorts of weird colours to adapt and survive in this changing environment.

3

Student -4: Should I write out the script before shooting the footage?

As I mentioned elsewhere, quite often with documentaries, the script can’t really be written until after the footage has been shot and you start piecing the story together based on what you discovered with your camera in the Alcudía Valley. In the quadrant group, some of you could be working on the script while others are carrying out the field work. We could arrange to meet once a week at the café in Dehesa Boyal, let me know if that will suit you all?

4	HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE
	At any rate, once our project base is established, writing a short storyline at the beginning can be an important guide to keep us from straying especially when we are flooded with a lot of footage causing chaos and confusion to all the team.

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INTERVIEW-6

Student-1

As an interviewer, how do I know the right questions to ask each person?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie

This is actually all about asking good interview questions to bring your subject out. Initially, you need a long list of both experts and ordinary citizens with a stake in the issue you’re investigating. Next, you need to have your list of wh-questions prepared so that you get compelling responses that will support the storyline of the footage you’ve filmed before.  

Student-2

I suppose the questions would vary according to the person being interviewed, wouldn’t it?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie

You suppose right, here are some advice that will work whether your interview subject is a scientist telling you about pollution or a group of autistic teenagers showing you the impact of pollution on the environment. All the same, you should bear in mind that the foundation of a good interview is having a “Quadrant Plan” with which to proceed.

Quadrant-1

The problem and the setting,

The problem and the protagonists

Quadrant-2

The problem and the antagonists

The problem and possible solutions

Quadrant-3

The impediments for a solution: conflict of interests

How to overcome these challenges

Quadrant-4

How do fear, confidence and complacency intervene in the resolution?

Finally, is there a personal discovery?

With this format, even if you stray during the interview, it’s a lot easier to find your way back.

Student-3

Which is better asking specific questions or inviting the person to tell their story?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie

It’s a combination of both actually; you ought to start with specific questions and occasionally follow them up with questions which invite the speaker to tell us their experience. The secret to asking revealing questions is to ask about the subject’s “feelings and emotions” while giving you more details about what happened.

These details would enrich the visual material – stuff we wouldn’t know unless they told us.

There’s a big difference between the sewage drainage system was destroyed by lightning or, “We released CO2 unintentionally into the atmosphere for a short period of time. Anyway, here are a few possible questions you could use in your interviews.

Student-4
What if the speaker strays off the subject?

Hector Lawrance Kuofie

It doesn’t matter that much, let the person stray or stay on course. You could always edit the take later. Pay attention to their emotions as the story unfolds and when you see new information appear that deserves attention, shift gears and refocus your questions on the core of the story.

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LIST OF STUDENT-1

The group has produced the following set of questions for the Alcudiá Valley interview, which of these would be the most relevant ones?

1

1- Were you there when it happened? Who else was there? Do you remember exactly what happened? Please, tell us what happened. Take your time, there’s no hurry ok? 2- Were you involved in this? What was your involvement in this and why? Were you following directions from your boss? Did you have any doubts at that time? Who is to be blamed for this damage to the environment? 3- Did you make any mistakes? What mistakes did you make that could have affected the system’s operation? Did you try to fix the damage then? What technique did you apply? Why? 4- Did you consider the effect pollution have on our daily lives? What have you learned that others should know about this issue? How do you feel about your role in this issue?

2

5--When did this problem begin and when did it end? What would you have done differently if you had had the right authority and why? 6- What was the greatest weakness in this whole affair that contributed to this disaster? What weaknesses in others also contributed to this disaster? What strengths in others could have made a difference and how? What was your greatest strength that made a difference in this disaster? 7- Was there a happy moment during this ordeal? What was the happiest moment of this entire event? (Were you relieved and why?) 8- What was the scariest moment? (Were you really frightened and why)

3

9- Do you have any regrets? What was the saddest or most disappointing moment? (Were you expecting a different outcome and why?) 9- Did you find anything ironic about this terrible disaster? Was a there a funny moment in this whole episode? What was the funniest moment and why? 10- What can be done to prevent this from happening again? Should people be punished for polluting the environment? Do you think public concern about pollution is increasing?

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CLIMATE CHANGE: 1THE DEBATE

Arguments against Environmentalism

ARGUMENTS AGAINST ENVIRONMENTALISTS

THE SEARCH FOR A BALANCE RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE
Student -1 As part of the research work, could we also discuss the core issues affecting the environmentalist at the moment? For instance, there are counter-movements in the EU, USA and other places who strongly believe that environmental and climate change is a hoax advocated by the ecologists. How far is this true? HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE We shall surely engage in mini-debates to clarify the claims of these sceptics now that our project base is established. We can discuss the issue of climate and environmental change; I mean the causes and the consequences and whether these are real or fabricated. We would meet every Saturday morning at the café in the public library in Puertollano (Spain). You can invite your friends to take part as well. This will actually help us gain a much better understanding of the ramifications of this global issue. All right, so see you all next Saturday! You’ll have the answer to your question then. Have a good day!

1

Student -1 As part of the research work, could we also discuss the core issues affecting the environmentalist at the moment? For instance, there are counter-movements in the EU, USA and other places who strongly believe that environmental and climate change is a hoax advocated by the ecologists. How far is this true?

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE We shall surely engage in mini-debates to clarify the claims of these sceptics now that our project base is established. We can discuss the issue of climate and environmental change; I mean the causes and the consequences and whether these are real or fabricated. We would meet every Saturday morning at the café in the public library in Puertollano (Spain). You can invite your friends to take part as well. This will actually help us gain a much better understanding of the ramifications of this global issue. All right, so see you all next Saturday! You’ll have the answer to your question then. Have a good day!

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FIRST SATURDAY IN THE LIBRARY

1

Student -1

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE To answer the previous question properly, let’s focus on the following questions first: Has the climate really changed? Are there enough evidence to prove that the climate is changing? Does this change have any impact on the environment? What are these proofs? Finding an unbiased answer to these questions is what the environmentalists are doing now? And this is what we are going to debate on.

2

Student -2 Is industrial exploitation of the environment immoral? For instance, would you consider fracturing as immoral?

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE Well, not exactly. The truth is, some activists of the environment strongly believe that we have a moral responsibility to value and protect our ecosystems and therefore any industrial exploitation such as fracturing is immoral. Perhaps, this is too extreme, I think. Actually, what moderate ecologists really oppose to is massive industrial exploitation of nature using harmful technology (Fracturing) to make human life more comfortable- disregarding the fate of the other creatures in the same environment. To illustrate this, picture yourself as a Na´vi in Pandora (James Cameron- AVATAR) and you are helplessly gazing at all those huge bulldozers ploughing their way through the virgin forest because of the metal Unobtainium, disregarding all those exotic creatures in that habitat)

Student -3
Is it true that in the future technology may be able to create a sustainable life, but by then, it will only be artificial life in an artificial world just like in Avatar?
HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE
Well, actually nobody can see that far. However, we need to find a compromised solution. That’s why, the real goal of the environmentalist movement is to show manufacturers that they can shift from outdated CO2 based technology to a more eco-friendly based manufacturing system. This would allow humans to coexist harmoniously with nature.
AS Darwin pointed out, human beings have evolved over millions of years through natural selection, adaptation and survival by enlarging and improving our brain functions and our creative abilities.
Since the time of Darwin, we have developed the habit of inventing technology and using it to progress, to adapt and survive much better in our somehow hostile environment.
This does not only show the difference between our comfortable lives of today and the short lives of our ancestors in Africa during the time of Lucy; but also portray the difference with other creatures on earth. It would be difficult to give this up. Don’t you think so? So what is the solution?

4

Student -4 I suppose dismantling the polluting industrial technology would eliminate the threat from agriculture and other manufacturing sectors, this way, we could protect the environment, but could we and should we do that? How could that possibly benefit humans too?

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE It is undeniable that we owe our present lifestyle largely to the innovative technology from the past. It is also true that current farming methods together with genetically modified crops have allowed the present civilization to feed billions of people today. The problem is these technologies are now outdated and we need to upgrade them in order to slow down global warming. Can we upgrade them? You might ask, yes we can.

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CLIMATE CHANGE: 2 THE DEBATE (Arguments against Environmentalism)

ARGUMENTS AGAINST ENVIRONMENTALISTS

THE SEARCH FOR A BALANCE RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE

SATURDAY AT DEHESA BOYAL

Student -1

Most environmentalists strongly believe that capitalism is the driving force behind the environmental destruction, how far is this true? If so, what is the solution?

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE

Actually the driving force behind the environmental destruction is reckless use of technology and not exactly capitalism. Capitalism is only a means or to be more precise a system of production which allows the firms to produce and market their products in order to accumulate more wealth or capital. In the case of the EU countries it’s the accumulation of capital that drives the economic activity of the member states. They are constantly producing profits and (in theory) reinvesting this profit into the economy. (A good example is Inditex one of the thriving companies in Spain). The company adjusts its production to meet human needs and economic demands. Zara produce these items for their usefulness or utility.

Student.1
So we shouldn’t blame the capitalist system then?
HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE
The truth is, the problems of air pollution, river contamination and marine pollution are all due to the inability of whatever government is in power to adequately protect the environment as a result of these manufacturing activities. The capitalist need ensure that the technology they are using is updated one. In this sense, they should also be blamed.

2

Student -2 I suppose all the companies have certain guidelines to follow in their manufacturing procedures, haven’t they?

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE As a matter of fact they do. In all the EU countries environmental problems are viewed seriously or not in terms of how they affect the quality of human life by following those set guidelines. That’s why air quality, water quality, etc. are constantly monitored by government agencies. Not surprisingly, some environmental dangers are real and the industries implicated need to deal with them by inventing new technological solutions to make progress rather than dismantling their present technology and going backwards. The question is the willingness and the time factor involved. Would you like to go back to the early 1980’s without PC’s and smart phones? The battery system of these gadgets are minerals mined in Congo and elsewhere. Needless to say, they are causing some collateral environmental damage we didn’t anticipate. Could they come up with less controversial mineral? Apparently yes.

3	Student -3 Well, what about smog in our cities? In some cities (London, Liverpool, Gothenburg…) the visibility is sometimes less than 40 metres in winter.
	HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE I must admit smog in the environment is due to human activities and they are unhealthy for us, apparently they are not as dangerous as they seem according to the anti-environmentalists. The crucial question here is, do we have the technology to remedy this today?

4	Student -4 In other words, the environmental destruction as well as the greenhouse gases are technological problems and not a political one, do the ecologists see it this way as well?
	HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE You’ve got a point there. Once a technological problem crops up; (like fracking or oil spillage along the coast) it’s up to the politicians to legislate and implement the right course of action to follow. A capitalist would not- per se- dismantle his outdated equipment, would he?

CLIMATE 3: THE DEBATE

ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE ENVIRONMENTALIST THEORY

THE SEARCH FOR A BALANCED RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE

AS OUR ONLY ORGANIC SUPPORTING SYSTEM

SATURDAY: DAY-3

Student -1
What is the difference between true environmentalists and radical environmentalists?
HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE
The real difference resides in the fact that a true environmentalist seeks to improve life for all humans regardless of their ideology. They believe in the efficient use of technology and resources to achieve their goal. To reach that goal: it is obvious that maintaining clean environment as well as conserving and managing resources wisely are all crucial.
On the other hand, radical extremists like Deep Ecologists, consider non-interference in nature as their primary goal. Virgin nature is what they seek to protect not necessarily humanity. Their tactics are radical because they resort to all sorts of extreme means including using the courts, the EU central government and recent environmental laws to thwart technology and industrial progress.
A few years back, the radical ecologists managed to ban the use of DDT through the courts. Whereas the true environmentalists were seeking to ban or regulate DDT only for farm use. Their aim being to protect the food chain from being affected.
But the radicals insisted on a total ban including the use of DDT to control malaria. This legislation resulted in the loss of thousands of life the following year to malaria related diseases according to UNO. These unnecessary deaths could have been prevented, couldn’t they? The cognitive target in these interviews and debates is to educate the community that the environment is our only life support system and we should promote the use of green technology to encourage a sustainable lifestyle right in the primary schools.

2

Student -2 Recently, I read an article in which anti-environmentalists claim that radical ecologists is all about ultimate destruction of the social and industrial progress as you have just said. They cited many cases of court rulings about the polar bear, electric cars, wind farms, nuclear waste, etc. Who is right?

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE Well, they have got a point there. Actually, the first thing the radicals did when the government declared the polar bear as endangered species was to use that ruling in court to block construction of new power plants in the area. Some of the ecologists have forgotten that the electric cars and other green vehicles can only become a reality if we have these power plants, wind farms and solar farms to provide them with inexhaustible source of electricity. I still believe that confrontation won’t solve the problem. Ultimately, it is finding a balance that can resolve the issue of the power plants and the polar bear. I know that some radicals were in court to block new wind farms from being installed on the grounds that birds might hit the blades. They also argued cogently against new solar farms because of the noise and the chances of altering the habits of reptiles in the area. All this won’t be that negative if we can strike a balance. How could we have electric cars if we remove hydro-electric dams because of salmon or other fish breeding habits? How could we have clean electric trains and other public transport if we don’t have the means to supply cheap electricity to power them in the first place? To be or not be, that’s the question here, don’t you think so?

3

Student -3 Would a rise in temperature cause many more fires in the summer as we are witnessing nowadays? Radical ecologists insist this is the trend right now in most parts of America, Europe and Australia every summer. Is this true?

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE I’m sure there’s some truth in their claim. Climate scientist should pull their resources together to support or refute this accusation. That’s the only way that we could bring about agreement on both sides of the issue. Scientist said that a rise in overall global temperature will only raise water levels by 23 inches. Could this be the source of the massive amount of rain associated with the temperature change? If so, this would cause flooding, and not just for people in coastal communities as we saw in the (February 2014) flood in the EU countries- especially in the UK. Another side effect would be increased erosion along the coast as well as inlands. It is also believed that the additional rise in temperature would also lead to further desertification in Africa and else where. Some experts insist that a rise in temperature is the root cause of the droughts we have recently experienced in Africa and elsewhere. It might even be the primary cause of the annual California wildfires. All said, it’s obvious that the earth as a living organism has an input-output system which regulates it, stretched too far would always cause all sorts of imbalances such as wildfires- in southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, Greece, France, etc), floods, extreme winter blizzards and other climate related catastrophes as we’ve been witnessing since the year 2000- AD.

4

Student -4 Another anti-environmentalist article pointed out that any ecological group that calls itself environmentalist automatically gets political support from the socially-left minded people. If the ecologist agenda were adopted worldwide, humanity would be reduced to misery, starvation and less population. Could this be the hidden agenda of the radical ecologists? They go on to accuse the ecologists of seeking only to protect virgin forests and other areas from any development. Hence, ecologists consider any encroachment as immoral. How convincing is their argument?

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE As I mentioned above, this issue is all about balance. Yes, we must preserve human freedom and encourage innovations in technology that will result in the betterment of all mankind but we must also protect this living earth that we evolved on and as a part of. We need the earth as a well balanced supporting system. It is a delicate balance that allows us to be here and we must be aware of that and transmit this knowledge to the next generations. It all comes down to adopting a sustainable lifestyle, don’t you agree with me?

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RESOURCES AND LINKS
DOCUMENTARY FILM RESOURCES
*********************************************************************************FRFFRONTLINE DOCUMENTARIES- ABC NEWS TOP
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/a-class-divided/

BBC DOCUMENTARIES TOP
http://freeonlinedocumentary.com/tag/bbc-documentary/

BBC ONE DOCUMENTARY
http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8310000/8310825.stm

BBC DOCUMENTARIES- BIOGRAPHY
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/


YONKIS: TV SERIES
http://www.seriesyonkis.com/

ACADEMIC  DOCUMENTARY FILMS
http://www.documentary-film.net/search/video-listings.php?e=277

BBC: THE SECRETS OF LIFE: CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE ORIGIN OF LIFE
http://www.documentary-film.net/search/watch.php?&ref=277

100 BEST DOCUMENTARIES
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2010/01/100-best-free-science-documentaries-online/

GOOGLE VIDEOS: FILM ARCHIVES
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=469537997522665739&hl=en#

HOW TO MAKE A DOCUMENTARY

http://www.ehow.com/how_2002129_make-a-documentary.html


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INSPIRING CRITICAL THINKING

AND COGNITIVE GROWTH

HECTOR LAWRANCE KUOFIE

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