no fracking way
October 6, 2012 4:43 PM Subscribe
Josh Fox, director of the documentary Gasland (previously, 2), took his fight to New York with an emergency short film The Sky is Pink [vimeo] with favourable results, for now.
Gasland 2 was due out before November 6th. Time is running out.
Gasland 2 was due out before November 6th. Time is running out.
6m59s: So long as there's a debate, there's an argument for staving off regulation
This is pretty much the core of any of this. It applies to fracking, to global warming, historically to cigarettes...
The thing is, unlike with cigarettes, when it comes to fracking polluting water supplies or whether or not human activity is contributing to global warming, by the time we have PROOF, it will be too late.
Unlike with global warming, where it is already too late (IMO, based on research), fracking can be stopped and harm mitigated.
Ultimately the question is, when action has possible but unproven harm, should action be taken until harm is proven? My position is no, which seems like a classically conservative position. Odd that actual conservatives seem to believe the opposite, and that the progressive mindset about these things means wanting to conserve the current state of things until it's proven that action won't be harmful.
posted by hippybear at 5:43 PM on October 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is pretty much the core of any of this. It applies to fracking, to global warming, historically to cigarettes...
The thing is, unlike with cigarettes, when it comes to fracking polluting water supplies or whether or not human activity is contributing to global warming, by the time we have PROOF, it will be too late.
Unlike with global warming, where it is already too late (IMO, based on research), fracking can be stopped and harm mitigated.
Ultimately the question is, when action has possible but unproven harm, should action be taken until harm is proven? My position is no, which seems like a classically conservative position. Odd that actual conservatives seem to believe the opposite, and that the progressive mindset about these things means wanting to conserve the current state of things until it's proven that action won't be harmful.
posted by hippybear at 5:43 PM on October 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is pretty much the core of any of this. It applies to fracking, to global warming, historically to cigarettes...
This reminded me of a documentary someone did on Fox News years ago where they would report on some thing like global warming, fracking, intelligent design, etc and would then say "Some say..." and give the view Fox News was trying to promote (and had a clever montage of talking heads on Fox News saying "some say") to make it into debate and keeping the fact-based view from winning.
posted by birdherder at 5:56 PM on October 6, 2012
This reminded me of a documentary someone did on Fox News years ago where they would report on some thing like global warming, fracking, intelligent design, etc and would then say "Some say..." and give the view Fox News was trying to promote (and had a clever montage of talking heads on Fox News saying "some say") to make it into debate and keeping the fact-based view from winning.
posted by birdherder at 5:56 PM on October 6, 2012
If we give this movie an award, it will negate the fact that we consumers are ultimately responsible for the damage done developing energy, at least it will make us feel better. Right?
posted by kenaldo at 6:21 PM on October 6, 2012
posted by kenaldo at 6:21 PM on October 6, 2012
So the rich are cylons?
posted by srboisvert at 7:31 PM on October 6, 2012
posted by srboisvert at 7:31 PM on October 6, 2012
Or some of Johnny Dangerously's crew?
posted by srboisvert at 7:32 PM on October 6, 2012
posted by srboisvert at 7:32 PM on October 6, 2012
Fox got arrested for trying to film a House Science Committee hearing on fracking not too long ago.
Speaking of getting arrested: Texas grandmother arrested for trespassing on her own land to protest Keystone
posted by homunculus at 8:52 PM on October 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
Speaking of getting arrested: Texas grandmother arrested for trespassing on her own land to protest Keystone
posted by homunculus at 8:52 PM on October 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is pretty much the core of any of this. It applies to fracking, to global warming, historically to cigarettes...
Came in to connect the dots to evolution, saw birdherder beat me to it.
Teach the controversy!
...should be Fox News' new motto.
So I decided to try to track down the "videocast" of the fracking hearing in the House Science Committee.
Took me 10 mins just to find it's archived on http://science.house.gov/ after searching through news articles about the arrest. You would think somebody could just link directly to the damn video.
On the site now, browsing through it. Like all the other ccongressional committee sites, it's been taken over and turned into a shrill political blog for the majority. "EPA Continues to Evade Oversight of Alaskan Watershed Assessment", "Chairman Brooks Requests Review of Regulatory Impediments to U.S. Research Universities", "Two Polar Satellite Reports Echo Committee Concerns about Future of Weather Forecasting".
It's so great to see the GOP is so concerned about the Alaskan Watershed, U.S. Research Universities and weather forecasting now. Oh, what's that? It's just about attacking the EPA, reducing regulations, and attacking climate change by focusing resources on short-term weather forecasting?
Sigh. Alright, dejected but moving on.
Finally find the stream. Nice. It's a proprietary Microsoft Media Server stream. No, not a MMS stream redirecting to RTSP, like Microsoft moved to in 2003, almost a decade ago. But a good old-fashioned proprietary WMV/WMA stream, full 320x240 resolution. Probably unviewable on most of the mobile devices out there right now.
Your country's House Science Committee people, streaming into the future.
I'm going to try to watch this hearing now. I'll look at it as a "retro" thing, pump up the nostalgia receptors a bit. Only thing keeping me sane now.
posted by formless at 11:02 PM on October 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
Came in to connect the dots to evolution, saw birdherder beat me to it.
Teach the controversy!
...should be Fox News' new motto.
So I decided to try to track down the "videocast" of the fracking hearing in the House Science Committee.
Took me 10 mins just to find it's archived on http://science.house.gov/ after searching through news articles about the arrest. You would think somebody could just link directly to the damn video.
On the site now, browsing through it. Like all the other ccongressional committee sites, it's been taken over and turned into a shrill political blog for the majority. "EPA Continues to Evade Oversight of Alaskan Watershed Assessment", "Chairman Brooks Requests Review of Regulatory Impediments to U.S. Research Universities", "Two Polar Satellite Reports Echo Committee Concerns about Future of Weather Forecasting".
It's so great to see the GOP is so concerned about the Alaskan Watershed, U.S. Research Universities and weather forecasting now. Oh, what's that? It's just about attacking the EPA, reducing regulations, and attacking climate change by focusing resources on short-term weather forecasting?
Sigh. Alright, dejected but moving on.
Finally find the stream. Nice. It's a proprietary Microsoft Media Server stream. No, not a MMS stream redirecting to RTSP, like Microsoft moved to in 2003, almost a decade ago. But a good old-fashioned proprietary WMV/WMA stream, full 320x240 resolution. Probably unviewable on most of the mobile devices out there right now.
Your country's House Science Committee people, streaming into the future.
I'm going to try to watch this hearing now. I'll look at it as a "retro" thing, pump up the nostalgia receptors a bit. Only thing keeping me sane now.
posted by formless at 11:02 PM on October 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
If we give this movie an award, it will negate the fact that we consumers are ultimately responsible for the damage done developing energy, at least it will make us feel better. Right?
We consumers are not ultimately responsible for the ways energy companies develop energy. We consumers cannot actually force the energy companies to do anything! They could, in theory, say, "sorry—we can't supply you with cheap energy without doing very harmful things, we'll have to up prices." We consumers could not, faced with that decision on the part of energy companies, make them start fracking or whatever.
Someone could start up a new energy company and try to win our custom, of course, but I fail to see how that's our responsibility.
Those of us consumers who happen to live in areas where commuting not by car is basically infeasible also are unlikely to have been responsible for the history of planning and infrastructure development in those areas, so, you know, I'm not even seeing it there.
This is not a thing about individuals, even individual consumers.
posted by kenko at 12:26 AM on October 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
We consumers are not ultimately responsible for the ways energy companies develop energy. We consumers cannot actually force the energy companies to do anything! They could, in theory, say, "sorry—we can't supply you with cheap energy without doing very harmful things, we'll have to up prices." We consumers could not, faced with that decision on the part of energy companies, make them start fracking or whatever.
Someone could start up a new energy company and try to win our custom, of course, but I fail to see how that's our responsibility.
Those of us consumers who happen to live in areas where commuting not by car is basically infeasible also are unlikely to have been responsible for the history of planning and infrastructure development in those areas, so, you know, I'm not even seeing it there.
This is not a thing about individuals, even individual consumers.
posted by kenko at 12:26 AM on October 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Thanks for that link. Also congratulations on your first fpp (in 13 years, no less!).
posted by hat_eater at 1:14 AM on October 7, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by hat_eater at 1:14 AM on October 7, 2012 [2 favorites]
Carbon Democracy A Talk by Timothy Mitchell, Columbia University
posted by de at 2:02 PM on October 7, 2012
posted by de at 2:02 PM on October 7, 2012
Florida To Get Flaming Tap Water, Officially Become Hell
posted by homunculus at 11:54 AM on October 12, 2012
posted by homunculus at 11:54 AM on October 12, 2012
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posted by jbickers at 5:34 PM on October 6, 2012 [5 favorites]