DW Documentary published a short documentary about the use of a type of pesticide, neonicotinoids, which are now seen as the main cause of damage to ecosystems and death of bee colonies. The video shows the truly horrendous practices of Bayer Group, which sells these pesticides, in manipulating research and policy.
For more than two decades, experts have been warning of the negative effects of neonicotinoids, with a whole range of studies published on the subject. It would appear that the industry, aided by the authorities, managed to successfully delay any ban on these substances for years. Studies show that neonicotinoids not only kill pests, but also bees and other beneficial insects.
See the video on Youtube here.
DW Documentary made available the fantastic documentary “Soyalism”. I can recommend it if you are interested in the otherwise hidden and dark side of industrial food production. See the full documentary here. Or watch it on Youtube.
Industrial agriculture is increasingly dominating the world market. It’s forcing small farmers to quit and taking over vast swathes of land. This documentary shows how destructive the lucrative agribusiness is.
DW Documentary about skiing during times of climate change at a low altitude ski station in Germany, Winterberg.
Fisnished watching a documentary from DW Documentary, “The Big Bang that created today’s world”. The two part documentary gives an overview of important events in 1989 that still shape our world today. See the video part 1 and part 2 on Youtube.
1979 was a year that still shapes our world even today. That was when three fundamental forces - the collapse of communism, neoliberalism, and politicized and radicalized religion, fused into a single potent force.
Via Wikipedia I learned that on the 24th of January 1848 James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California, leading to the California Gold Rush. I decided to learn more about those years through the documentary “The West Episode 03: The Speck Of The Future 1848 - 1856”. Absolutely insane how this event spawned a migration of some many people from all over the world to California, with far-reaching effects on the wealth of this state and devastating effects on nature and original inhabitants.
Bijzondere reportage te zien op VPRO Tegenlicht, “Worstelingen van de Groenmens”. Erg herkenbaar ook bij mensen die ik soms tegenkom en hun conflicten over vliegen, recyclage, etc.. Zelf denk ik dat er soms te veel nadruk ligt op dat soort keuzes die we maken in ons consumeren of “consuminderen”. Maar gaat het denk ik uiteindelijk voornamelijk over hoe we onze levenswijze drastisch kunnen herzien met een herwaardering van deugden die niet berusten op consumeren en individuele welstand.
Ons consumptiegedrag moet op de schop. We weten immers welke schade en ellende we veroorzaken aan het klimaat met het eten van vlees, het kopen van luxegoederen en citytrips. Hoe krijgen we de broodnodige gedragsverandering voor elkaar zonder veel comfortverlies? Over de dagelijkse dilemma’s en hoofdbrekens van de Groenmens.
VPRO Tegenlicht heeft een mooie documenaire over Paul Kingsnorth, voormalig milieu activist en nu schrijver. In de aflevering zien we hoe hij samen met zijn gezin leeft op een afgelegen plek in Ierland, op een zo goed mogelijk zelfvoorzienende manier. De documentaire geeft een goed beeld van zijn disillusie met huidige groene bewegingen en met technologische oplossingen die worden voorgesteld als oplossingen voor de klimaatverandering. Hij pleit eerder voor een zoektocht naar een verbondenheid en duurzame relatie van mensen met de wereld.
Last Sunday I saw a great documentary in the “Tegenlicht” series from the Dutch VPRO television station. The title of this episode is “Mijn Bullshitbaan” and it gives an overview of the work of the anthropologist David Graeber on “bullshit jobs” through interview segments with him and examples from the experience of different people in the Netherlands. I could relate to quite a few things from my own professional career. Have a look at the full episode here.
What a wonderful short excerpt from BBC documentary about Venice from 1969. I learned something new as well about the creation of “ghettos” in Venice: “physically isolating a society of people [Jewish refugees] that it simultaneously despised and needed”. It also has some nice images of daily and more quiet life in Venice in winter that since then most likely has disappeared. Have a look at the BBC Archive footage on Twitter.