What Movies Have Really Changed Your Life?
We sometimes walk out of a cinema thinking that the movie we just watched really changed our outlook on something and that we'd carry that change with us for life, but more often than not, the change isn't lasting and we go back to our old ways. It's just easier that way.
But very rarely, there is a movie that actually does make us change our ways. These movies are few and far between however there is something in these movies that makes it so that we have no choice but to change our ways.
Have you watched a movie that completely changed your outlook on some aspect of your life? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
I'm an environmental scientist, so I've always had a passion for the environment and tend to live my life in a way that minimises my impact on the environment without impeding on the quality of my life too much. I am most certainly not a hippy, which is what many people think when they hear about my qualification.
I've always known that agriculture had a massive impact on the environment, and I've travelled extensively throughout rural Australia so have witnessed this damage first hand.
But it wasn't until I watched Cowspiracy that I viewed this issue at a Global scale, and it scared me. The information in this movie scared me enough to not only change my ways in a significant way but to seriously think about what I can do to combat the issue of climate change and deforestation.
There were some key points raised in this movie that were truly alarming to me. Below are some of the points raised in the movie. For simplicity purposes and to allow for fact checking I've taken these points from the Cowspiracy website, references for the points below are available there.
Agriculture and Greenhouse Emissions
Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation.
Agriculture and Water
Agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of US water consumption. In a world where access to fresh water is increasingly scarce in many countries
Agriculture and Land Clearing
- Livestock or land used to grow food for livestock occupies 1/3 of the earth’s ice-free land.
This is something that I have witnessed first hand in Australia. I have driven from the south coast of Western Australia to the northern cost of Western Australia, and from Perth to Melbourne. I have also travelled extensively through Queensland and the Northern Territory. The vast majority of land uses that I drove through was agriculture. It was alarming just how much of Australian land has been consumed by agriculture. - Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction.
- We are currently experiencing the "Largest mass extinction in 65 million years."
Agriculture and Food Production
- Worldwide, at least 50% of grain produced is fed to livestock.
- 82% of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals in preference of people, and the animals are eaten by western countries.
- We are currently growing enough food to feed 10 billion people however most of this food is being fed to livestock.
- Most importantly is the amount of land required to feed 1 person for 1 year based on your choice of diet:
- Vegan: 1/6th acre
- Vegetarian: 3x as much as a vegan
- Standard western diet: 18x as much as a vegan
Cowspiracy Wasn't a Flawless Movie
I'm not at all suggesting that this movie was flawless and a work of art. There were actually many flaws in this movie. And there were even some facts presented that were questionable in their accuracy. These facts were largely about the dangers of eating meat and dairy.
The movie actually turned into something heavily promoting the vegan or plant based diet. And while I fully support this diet, I don't think it is something we can demand of people. I also think there is some place for meat in our diet, just not in the quantities that we are currently consuming it in the western world.
To put it simply, we are currently consuming meat at a rate that is not sustainable for our planet and, if we want our global population to continue to grow, we cannot continue producing food in the way that we currently do.
We need to produce our food in a smarter way, and increasing the amount of plant based foods in our diet is the intelligent way to do this.
So how did this movie change my life?
I am a huge fan of practicing what I preach. I have drastically reduced the amount of meat I eat. I now only eat meat once or twice a week. I have also reduced the amount of dairy I consume and use dairy alternatives in things like coffee and tea. My wife is a massive cheese freak so convincing her to give this up would be an impossible task.
I've always been an avid supporter of environmental causes and volunteering in the environmental sector, so this didn't change. But the movie has definitely opened my eyes to this issue at a global scale rather than only focusing on my country, and it has driven me to work harder on my projects that will bring about a better future for our environment. I'll talk more about this in future posts.
So now it's your turn, what movies have changed you for the better?
