The 11th Hour

The 11^th hour is a documentary about the current state of the planet and where it is headed if we don’t act fast. In the film there are many contributions from scientists, politicians, activists etc. They all discuss major environmental issues such as global warming, deforestation and the extinction of species.

An interesting and alarming discovery that i made whilst watching was that almost 70 countries in the world no longer have their original forests. The forests are being cut down at a very rapid rate as our population increases exponentially. Another insight i got from the film was that almost all scientists agree that there are negative effects happening to the planet. The major prevention for a global positive change is the world’s politicians, who do not all agree that there is a major issue.

This film is a real eye opener for designers especially, since we are responsible for what consumers buy and use. I think industrial designers will realise that there are many solutions to the environmental problems and that if we have a more sustainable approach to design, the world will change substantially. I think a lot of young designers will hear the facts from the film and begin to realise the importance of being sustainable and environmentally friendly. I think it may be a challenge to approach design in a new light, but it will be a rewarding and positive change.   

The most important message which is also one of the biggest misunderstandings in the world today is that we are part of nature and not separate in any way, this confusion is the biggest cause of destruction in the world.

There are many solutions in nature that can ease this effect; the biggest source of energy on the planet is the sun. The sun produces enough energy every single day to power every factory, home, car on earth thousands of times over. We need to start avoiding the use of fossil fuels and oil and look to nature for solutions to the big problems.

The biggest and most important message that i got from the film was that we need to shift our attitude and be aware of what’s happening, there are companies already that are designing more environmentally sustainable automobiles, houses and buildings. I think as Industrial Designers we need to slowly but surely change our mindset to a more positive one and take into consideration what nature has to offer and what we can learn from it.

Sunprit Singh

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