11th Hour Quote Analysis

The unfortunate reality that we, as a global society, are currently facing is one that Huxley predicted and warned the human population about in 1948. This reality has been a major concern in the new millennium and is often discussed in documentaries such as the 11th Hour, directed by Naida and Leila Conners. A strong point that stood out to me in Huxley’s quote is, “spending the planet’s irreplaceable capital,” this was a common theme discussed in the classroom through not only the environmental unit, but also throughout the overpopulation unit. Humans, as a species, have a bad habit of constantly taking from the earth and rarely putting in any extra work in return for the resources taken. This is evident in the sad and alarming truth about our forests, “ninety-five percent of our old-growth forests are already gone” (Conner). A lack of attention to the resources that we use is also evident in the sea, with the number of big fish, such as tuna, depleted by ninety percent (Conner). At the end of the quote, when Huxley talks about living on the planet like a parasite, I believe that this

This program would tax the general population and businesses on their excess use of fossil fuels. The money generated from this tax has been consistently argued about were it should be spent, however, a well liked solution has begun to emerge; putting the money towards renewable energy research projects. This would begin to break the debt-based fossil fuel cycle by providing consumers with another alternative (Conners). A carbon tax would force factories, businesses and the general population to become aware of their actions, helping to “change destructive environmental behaviour” (Conners). With an expense placed on carbon emissions, there would be a drop in extreme consumption of fossil fuels, as a result, people and businesses would adjust to more sustainable methods of