There is a topic that we know little about even if we think we have become experts on climate change and that is the plight and ingenuity of the Native American people. While this is not a clear cut black and white issue where white man verses the noble Indian because the story appears more complicated. Not all Indians care about the earth and they too suffer from greed and not all white people support the fossil fuel industry and live hedonistic lifestyles (I don't) and many of my friends and colleagues are extremely conscientious of the earth upon which they walk.
The DVD Power Paths produced by Bo Boudart and Christopher Philipp and narrated by Peter Coyote, delves into a deeper story and one that is so complex that it causes heads to spin. And the question at the center of this story revolves around renewable energy verses coal power plants and other destructive energy producers located on Native American land. We go beyond economics though that plays a huge role given the fact that many Native Americans live way below the poverty line, don't have running water or electricity despite the power towers and lines crisscrossing their reservation land. And it's not so much about the corruption of government though that plays a role here too with the oil and coal giants playing a wicked game of manipulation and deceit (which leaves me wondering why the Native Americans keep falling for these traps). However, the tables have turned due in part to Native American activists and community protests to reclaim their energy future, which for many tribes in the US, focuses upon solar and wind power. And we hear plenty of good news in this DVD produced four years ago, in 2009.
Filled with interviews with representatives from both sides of the debate among the tribes, Senator Harry Reid (who lives miles away from the Mojave Coal Power Plant), Winona Duke, and community activists from the tribes and environmental groups, the filmmakers produced an engaging documentary for those of us who thought we already knew everything about the energy battle and climate change. Guess again.
http://www.powerpaths.tv (associated with PBS)
However, no one discusses volunteer simplicity and Transition Towns as options assuming that most humans will continue to live hedonistic lifestyles and engage in over consumption. That to me seems like a negative, even fearful assumption--that humans can't and won't make the necessary sacrifices or even that the natural world won't kick in and bring balance to the planet by depopulating the earth of humans. Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy is only half the battle. The other half is to learn how to live in alignment with the natural world because to not do so robs us of our souls and a sense of groundedness.
But then this DVD focuses on scientists and technology and not the human spirit. Many scientists treat other humans as if they are robots only capable of conditioned responses. Other aspects not mentioned in the NOVA episode include a growing interests in bicycles and public transportation, sustainable cities around the world that go beyond placing solar panels on their roofs. There's not talk about growing and producing local food for communities, permaculture and topics these scientists would consider fringe. And perhaps they don't agree with Margaret Mead that every bit helps and that a small group of people make a difference. Well, why would they when these scientists and inventors, Bill Gates among them, come across as arrogant and fearful.
If I had to choose a power path, I would side with the Native American quest for renewable energy and connecting to the earth. Let's get out of our arrogant egos for once and consider the great web of life.
http://www.pbs.org