"Do The Math" Movie Review

In the short documentary Do The Math, Bill McKibben looks at what the problem is - and gives a possible solution. It's based on 3 simple numbers.

2°C - All nations agree that's the most warming the earth can handle.
565 - The gigatonnes of carbon that would cause 2°C of warming.
2,765 - The gigatonnes of carbon that companies intend to burn.


It's easy to see why Bill McKibben says "These companies are outlaws. Not against the laws of the state ... but the laws of physics. If they carry out their business plan, the planet tanks."

As if this weren't bad enough, Exxon alone is spending $100 million a day looking for more carbon to burn. Clearly this is the first thing that should stop. "When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging".

"We're no longer at the point of trying to stop global warming. Too late for that. We're at the point of trying to keep it from becoming a complete and utter calamity."

While this movie is about 3 simple numbers, a bunch of other numbers also grabbed my attention:

$137 billion - one year of profit for the top 5 oil companies
$375 million - daily profit of the top 5 oil companies
$6.6 million/day in federal tax breaks
$440,000/day lobbying the US congress
$100,000 - daily salary of the Exxon CEO

It's easy to see what would motivate these companies to do what they're doing, despite the consequences for humanity.

So what's the solution? If fossil fuel companies only care about money, then that's the tool for change. One option is 'divestment' - pulling out of investments in fossil fuels and asking organisations to do likewise. "Take that money away from the problem makers - give it to the problem solvers".

"There is nothing radical about what we're talking about. All we are asking for is a planet that works the way it did when we were born."

Even though this may also have the financial benefit of avoiding the carbon bubble, the movie focussed mainly on the ethical and moral motivation. As Bill McKibben is fond of saying "If it's wrong to wreck the climate, it's wrong to profit from that wreckage".

"..the epic struggle of this century, and we're going to meet it. If we don't, we won't have a 22nd century."

Here's the full movie:



From an Australian perspective, it was also interesting to see America realising that pricing carbon would make a lot of sense. Ordinary citizens can't just litter. Small businesses have to pay to have their garbage removed. It just makes sense that fossil fuel companies should pay for the pollution they create.

"Nobody should be allowed pollute for free. If you get a $25 fine for littering, you'll pay more than all of the fossil fuel companies have ever paid for 150 years."

Bottom of the Class

I enjoyed seeing a cartoon about Bill McKibben today. It seems he's getting noticed - including an article in The Monthly.


The cartoonist drew the Queensland Premier as the schoolkid not grasping the concept - but it could equally have been a fossil fuel CEO. It's like the old saying,

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it"

Or in Bill's words, "stuck in a bizarre state of denial, the kind where you acknowledge that you have a problem, but not that you need to do anything about it."

In an interview with The Conversation, he talked about his campaign for divestment of fossil fuel shares. It's based on moral grounds (fossil fuels are predicted to claim 100 million lives by 2030), but it also makes financial sense to get out of the carbon bubble before it bursts.

Asked about the chances of Australia divesting from coal, Bill responded:

My sense is that Australians overestimate the amount of their economy based on coal. Because it generates outsize returns for a few people, they are able to use it to their political ends.

But I am pretty sure that a country as blessed with the resources of sun and wind and 21st century fuels doesn’t need to stay completely wedded to 18th century technology. A country as affluent and educated as Australia could figure out something else to do with its people rather than just keep digging up black rocks and burning them.

Think. Eat. Save.

It's World Environment Day and this year's focus is on Food Waste. What better time to show this animation on Food Waste in Australia?



Around the world, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year. Meanwhile, a billion people go to bed hungry each night, and 20,000 children die of hunger each day.

Aside from humanitarian side, and the financial cost of all that wasted food, there's also the greenhouse emissions. Globally 30% of greenhouse emissions are from food production. If we waste less, we could also pollute less.

Faith vs Fossil Fuels

While re-watching Bill McKibben's Do the Math movie online, one of youtube's 'related videos' was Bill McKibben's address to faith communities.



A religious man himself, Bill McKibben observes that

Faith communities are the place we go to think about ourselves as a people. To think about eternity in some sense. To think about all those who will come after.

He encourages faith communities to do as the NSW Uniting Church has done, and divest from fossil fuel companies. He describes this as

A strong swift way to register our discontent with those forces, those powers and principalities, that are doing everything they can to undermine everything good on this sweet earth

For the polluting of the atmosphere, and "subverting our democracy" to prevent anyone from stopping them, Bill McKibben describes the fossil fuel industry as the planetary equivalent of tobacco industry. As such, faith communities should withdraw on moral grounds.

I can't promise you that this will work, but even if I could promise you that it won't work - you should still participate in this. If it's wrong to wreck the climate, it's wrong to profit from that wreckage.

It is not ok to pay the pastor's retirement account or to fund the building project for the church by investing in companies that are running Genesis backward.

PS. For more of Bill McKibben on faith matters, see his article regarding the bizarre theology that it would hurt God's feelings if we didn't open his 'gift' of fossil fuels. (Yes there are actually people saying that kind of stuff!)

Australia's Biggest Wind Farm

Recently Victoria's Macarthur 140-turbine wind farm was officially opened. Providing enough power for 220,000 homes that means each turbine makes enough power for a town of 1500 homes (around 4000 people).


Though it's a lot of area, the land can still be used for sheep and cattle grazing as before - and the farmers receive payment for the use of their land (about $5,000 per MW). By my maths, that would mean farmers of this region would be receiving about $2.1 million each year, from the 420 MW wind farm.

For me this sounds like such a great story. Producing sizeable amounts of renewable energy and providing a second source of income for the farming community. In fact, sometimes, during tough farming years, windpower can save the farm.

PS. While this is the biggest wind farm in Australia (hopefully a record that is soon beaten) the world's biggest is much larger - 1064 MW in India.

Chasing Ice

Chasing Ice is an extreme documentary, by a guy who decided to photograph climate change as it happens. In unbelievable locations, he sets up cameras to do time-lapse photography as the landscapes disappear.

In the trailer, he remarks that this landscape may never be seen again in human civilisation, but that it's captured "here" (as he holds up his camera memory card).



Even if the movie never makes it to Australia, the trailer alone has some stunning scenes.

See the Chasing Ice website for details on screenings and releases.

The Most Ridiculous Thing At Work

We've all seen ridiculous things at work. One of them is energy wastage. It's funny when we see other things being as obviously wasted as energy is.



This ad is the sequel to the Most Ridiculous Thing (home version) in the Powersmart campaign in Canada. I love the tag line:

The most ridiculous thing about wasting power is that for some reason we don't think it is ridiculous.

Low-price Energy Meters at Aldi

One step to saving energy at home is to know where your electricity is going. From Saturday (while stocks last) Aldi have these energy meters for $14.99.


To me that sounds like a good price, I got mine for $30 a few years ago, and (from the picture) this one looks to have much the same functions.

If you get one, here's how to convert the reading (in Watts) into a more meaningful number, like financial cost.

Dollars per year = Watts x hours of use per week x 0.052 x 0.25378
The last number is the price of electricity in dollars, which may differ depending on where you live.

PS. The Aldi sale appears to be an energy theme - there are also LED bulbs available again.

Do The Math movie launches internationally

Tonight is the official international launch of the new documentary movie Do the Math. It will screen at a variety of venues around town. Find a screening near you. Here's the trailer for the film.



Next month, the star of the film, Bill KcKibben will be on tour in Australia.

UPDATE: The screenings are over, but the movie is still available online.

What 400 means

This is probably a more concise explanation (than my earlier one) of the effects of carbon dioxide levels reaching 400.


Thanks, Climate Reality Project.

Big Fuel Discount! (not for you)

You might be happy with the 4-cents-off-petrol voucher you get from the supermarket. But that's nothing compared to the discount mining companies get. While you pay full price for your fuel, mining companies can claim back 32 cents per litre from the government!


Mining companies use a lot of fuel. That creates a lot of greenhouse emissions - and there's little incentive for them to be more efficient, because their fuel is so heavily subsidised.

To make things worse, the taxes on us have to be higher - to make up for the fuel tax not paid for by the mining companies.

This photo was going around facebook, as part of a campaign to get this perverse subsidy removed in this year's federal budget (announced tonight).


Related Posts: 2 Billion Dollars - Why you pay more

A Sad First for Humanity.

This week the level of carbon dioxide in the air reached 400. [Check out the live charts]

How significant is that? Well it's never been this high in all of human history. In fact, it's only been in the last 50 years that it has got much above 300.


What does all this mean? What can we compare it to?

270-280 was the level before the industrialised age.

299 is the highest archeological (ice core) reading - this occured about 330,000 years ago. (Again, before humans)

350 is the upper limit of what is considered at all safe. (And the reason 350.org chose that name)

400 is where we are now, and that is predicted to be 450 by 2037.

So how bad is 400?

As I mentioned earlier, levels have been around 400 before. More than 3 million years ago. That world was 3-4°C warmer (almost 10 degrees warmer near the poles) and sea level was 5-40 metres higher than now.

I think it's time we got serious about eliminating carbon emissions.

[Related link: 400 vs 350 in one picture]

How to Insulate Your Home

With winter coming on in Australia, many people are thinking about keeping warm and saving money. So the ATA has put together this webinar on insulation.


Sustainable building specialist Tony Isaacs discusses the different types of insulation, and give recommendations for different climates and house types. The ATA also has other webinars, such as lighting and energy efficiency.

The ATA also run an event called Speed Date a Sustainable Designer. It's for people building or renovating a home, and provides the chances to have some 15 minutes "dates" with some of Australia’s best green designers.

The Most Ridiculous Thing

The Canadians have this great ad. I like the tag line:

The most ridiculous thing about wasting power is that for some reason we don't think it is ridiculous.

It's part of the campaing for Powersmart, and it's one of those ads that's funny because it's true. We wouldn't waste other things the way we waste energy.

For instance, old-style lightbulbs use 5 times the energy of CFL spiral-style bulbs. It's hard to think of anything else where we would buy 5 times as many as we need.

UPDATE: See the sequel ad - the workplace version.

Christian Climate Change Action Kit

For people and churches looking to put their faith into action, there is the Christian Climate Change Action Kit. Its a practical and spiritual guide for Christians taking action on climate change.


The kit has been designed to help people understand the connection between the faith and action on climate change - and to take steps in church life, personal life and community life, to reduce our negative impact on creation.

The guide also explains the science, and morality of acting on climate change - and gives plenty of spiritual resources (including prayers and sermon ideas) as well as practical ones.

You can download the kit now.