Last Hours (Documentary)

Published On: January 10, 2014
663 words
Views: 1759

“Last Hours” is the first in a series of short films that explore the perils of climate change and the solutions to avert climate disaster.

Each subsequent film will highlight fact-based challenges facing the human race, and offer solutions to ameliorate these crises. The initial short film series will culminate in a feature film to be presented prior to COP21, the 2015 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris.

An asset for the climate change movement, “Last Hours” will be disseminated globally to awaken modern culture worldwide about the various dangers associated with climate change.

“Last Hours” describes a science-based climate scenario where a tipping point to runaway climate change is triggered by massive releases of frozen methane. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, has already started to percolate into the open seas and atmosphere from methane hydrate deposits beneath melting arctic ice, from the warming northern-hemisphere tundra, and from worldwide continental-shelf undersea methane clathrate pools.

Burning fossil fuels release carbon that, principally through greenhouse effect, heat the atmosphere and the seas. This is happening most rapidly at the polar extremes, and this heating has already begun the process of releasing methane. If we do not begin to significantly curtail the use of carbon-based fossil fuels, this freed methane threatens to radically accelerate the speed of global warming, potentially producing a disaster beyond the ability of the human species to adapt.

This first video is designed to awaken people to the fact that the earth has experienced five major extinctions in the deep geologic past — times when more than half of all life on earth vanished — and that we are now entering a sixth extinction. Industrial civilization with its production of greenhouse gases has the ability to trigger a mass extinction; in the extreme, it could threaten not just human civilization, but the very existence of human life on this planet.

The world community and global citizens urgently need to chart a path forward that greatly reduces green house gas emissions. To take action and follow the pathway to solutions to the climate crisis, you can explore this website and you can also sign-up for future updates. Thank you.

“Last Hours” is presented and narrated by Thom Hartmann and directed by Leila Conners. Executive Producers are George DiCaprio and Earl Katz. Last Hours is produced by Mathew Schmid of Tree Media Foundation, and was written by Thom Hartmann, Sam Sacks, and Leila Conners. Music is composed and performed by Francesco Lupica.

Peter Sinclair notes: Thom Hartmann has produced a pretty scary, but rather accurate, piece here.

I’ve been thinking about the fine line between creating a sense of urgency vs a sense of hopelessness. There a natural urge among some folks to cut right to the “hopeless” phase, without actually wanting to do something about the problem.

There’s a lot of internet chatter about imminent doom for human civilization.  And yes, I’m talking about you, Guy MacPherson.
This is, first of all, incorrect. Secondly, not helpful.
Even the worst case scenarios in the fossil record played out over millennia, and  the experts I’ve talked to are pretty clear that no one, or at least very few, are expecting any kind of catastrophic single event in the coming few decades.
Important to remember that projected climate change impacts are a bell curve, as Stephen Schneider used to say, with “good for you” at one end, and “end of the world” on the other.  Both those extremes are the most unlikely scenarios – but there’s a whole lot of that curve on this side of “end of the world” that we would still very much not like to see happen.

Planet Earth is going to take a hit in the coming century. It falls mainly to the generation of human beings currently alive to decide if that’s going to be a 5 percent hit, a 50 percent hit, or a 90 percent hit. URL

 

About the Author: CLIMATE STATE

CLIMATE STATE
CLIMATE STATE covers the broad spectrum of climate change, and the solutions, with the focus on the sciences. Climate State – we endorse data, facts, empirical evidence.
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    Vaughn Haynes
    Vaughn Haynes
    October 9, 2013 11:49 PM

    Interesting. kinda frightening if correct

    Holly Gettys
    Holly Gettys
    October 10, 2013 3:59 PM

    Have we struck the match & ignited the inferno? Do we have time to
    mitigate and correct our course?

    Youssef Bahammi
    Youssef Bahammi
    October 10, 2013 6:41 PM

    Science is science.
    Last Hours

    Fritz Kreiss
    Fritz Kreiss
    October 10, 2013 6:50 PM

    ‘ “Last Hours” describes a science-based climate scenario where a tipping
    point to runaway climate change is triggered by massive releases of frozen
    methane. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, has already started to
    percolate into the open seas and atmosphere from methane hydrate deposits
    beneath melting arctic ice, from the warming northern-hemisphere tundra,
    and from worldwide continental-shelf undersea methane clathrate pools.

    Burning fossil fuels release carbon that, principally through greenhouse
    effect, heat the atmosphere and the seas. This is happening most rapidly at
    the polar extremes, and this heating has already begun the process of
    releasing methane. If we do not begin to significantly curtail the use of
    carbon-based fossil fuels, this freed methane threatens to radically
    accelerate the speed of global warming, potentially producing a disaster
    beyond the ability of the human species to adapt.

    This first video is designed to awaken people to the fact that the earth
    has experienced five major extinctions in the deep geologic past — times
    when more than half of all life on earth vanished — and that we are now
    entering a sixth extinction. Industrial civilization with its production of
    greenhouse gases has the ability to trigger a mass extinction; in the
    extreme, it could threaten not just human civilization, but the very
    existence of human life on this planet. ‘

    Dorr Asset Management
    Dorr Asset Management
    October 10, 2013 10:14 PM

    We cannot ignore the overwhelming evidence that shows we impacting our
    environment in negative ways. http://ow.ly/pHuTd

    Lone Wolf
    Lone Wolf
    October 11, 2013 4:24 AM
    Brad Schrunk
    Brad Schrunk
    October 12, 2013 2:46 PM

    Have another beer please. Can’t understand a foolish believe system as
    that. I suppose the world is flat and we are tortured by witches. Please
    use your brain.

    necowboy
    necowboy
    October 13, 2013 12:34 PM

    It goes on constantly. Isn’t that great! We are amazingly adaptive.

    RancheroBFT
    RancheroBFT
    October 14, 2013 2:41 AM

    You don’t need a degree to figure out that we’re being lied to about
    Climate Change. And even if Climate Change was nearly as dramatic as it is
    being presented all the time, it certainly gives no one the right to impose
    regulation on me based on this or tax the shit outta me to make me a good
    climate slave. If you’re female, please realize that it is thanks to
    industrialization, that you are not being oppressed and treated as equal.
    So if anything you should root for more industrialization.

    hyhhy
    hyhhy
    October 14, 2013 11:50 AM

    “So why should we risk these catastrophic events?” Because the power
    released by burning fossil fuels, the economic activity whose side effect
    is deforestation, etc., is very USEFUL to many people and institutions.

    33Crazydude
    33Crazydude
    October 14, 2013 1:18 PM

    It doesn’t appear our kids are going to have a pleasant future if we carry
    on with our continued path of ecological destruction. You don’t have to
    agree with everything in this documentary, but if we keep ignoring the
    scientists and carry on, I worry about the long term consequences.

    TheShockmister
    TheShockmister
    October 14, 2013 9:35 PM

    Bull Shit.

    John Tripp
    John Tripp
    October 15, 2013 5:13 AM

    An energy revolution is coming, you can make millions from the shift to
    clean energy. Stop denying on get on board now while you can. In ten years,
    clean energy will be what google is to the internet. It’s going to happen
    with or without you.

    John Tripp
    John Tripp
    October 15, 2013 5:18 AM

    Google drunken trees. Then report back to head quarters.

    Bjarki2330
    Bjarki2330
    October 15, 2013 7:49 PM

    Also, a fun fact: The Ice Age isn’t even fully over, and life will
    adapt…unless something fucked up happens, which is highly unlikely.

    atvinnumadur
    atvinnumadur
    October 15, 2013 9:10 PM

    how the hell do they know how many times this has happened? and when its
    what? 450 million years ago…

    TLCTugger
    TLCTugger
    October 15, 2013 9:16 PM

    ^^ life will adapt ^^ How insane! Do you know what adaptation means? It
    means death for those specimens not adatped. It’s simple. We could usher an
    age of misery or we could take simple steps to reduce our impact on ecology
    and biodiversity. It starts with smaller family size. EVERY habitat problem
    has a number of humans as a factor.

    KidTwisted78
    KidTwisted78
    October 16, 2013 4:12 AM

    Damn … I was hoping the human race would die out a lot sooner than this
    is predicting. The world is filling up so quickly with ignorant, self
    absorbed fucktards that the sooner it happens the better in my opinion :)

    MrCoffeeFiend
    MrCoffeeFiend
    October 18, 2013 1:24 AM

    Go read a book.

    Brad Neustaedter
    Brad Neustaedter
    October 18, 2013 8:32 AM

    And before I go to bed, some cheerful news.

    Also, a handy website that summarizes our situation:

    http://planetextinction.com/

    Permafry42
    Permafry42
    October 19, 2013 6:27 AM

    I believe in climate change, but people have used that particular argument,
    the ontological argument, to justify so many things, including cults and
    dictatorships.

    John Kellden
    John Kellden
    October 22, 2013 7:08 AM

    *”**+Last Hours**”* is the first in a series of short films that explore
    the perils of climate change and the solutions to avert climate disaster.
    (10 mins) lasthours.org

    Nicodin Bogdan
    Nicodin Bogdan
    October 22, 2013 8:52 AM

    “Last Hours” is the first in a series of short films that explore the
    perils of climate change and the solutions to avert climate disaster. Each
    subsequent film will highlight fact-based challenges facing the human race,
    and offer solutions to ameliorate these crises. The initial short film
    series will culminate in a feature film to be presented prior to COP21, the
    2015 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris.

    An asset for the climate change movement, “Last Hours” will be disseminated
    globally to awaken modern culture worldwide about the various dangers
    associated with climate change.

    “Last Hours” describes a science-based climate scenario where a tipping
    point to runaway climate change is triggered by massive releases of frozen
    methane. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, has already started to
    percolate into the open seas and atmosphere from methane hydrate deposits
    beneath melting arctic ice, from the warming northern-hemisphere tundra,
    and from worldwide continental-shelf undersea methane clathrate pools.

    Burning fossil fuels release carbon that, principally through greenhouse
    effect, heat the atmosphere and the seas. This is happening most rapidly at
    the polar extremes, and this heating has already begun the process of
    releasing methane. If we do not begin to significantly curtail the use of
    carbon-based fossil fuels, this freed methane threatens to radically
    accelerate the speed of global warming, potentially producing a disaster
    beyond the ability of the human species to adapt.

    This first video is designed to awaken people to the fact that the earth
    has experienced five major extinctions in the deep geologic past — times
    when more than half of all life on earth vanished — and that we are now
    entering a sixth extinction. Industrial civilization with its production of
    greenhouse gases has the ability to trigger a mass extinction; in the
    extreme, it could threaten not just human civilization, but the very
    existence of human life on this planet.

    The world community and global citizens urgently need to chart a path
    forward that greatly reduces green house gas emissions.

    “Last Hours” is presented and narrated by Thom Hartmann and directed by
    Leila Conners. Executive Producers are George DiCaprio and Earl Katz. Last
    Hours is produced by Mathew Schmid of Tree Media Foundation, and was
    written by Thom Hartmann, Sam Sacks, and Leila Conners. Music is composed
    and performed by Francesco Lupica.

    http://lasthours.org/

    Last Hours

    Dan Wright
    Dan Wright
    October 22, 2013 10:34 AM

    “Last Hours” is the first in a series of short films that explore the
    perils of climate change and the solutions to avert climate disaster. Each
    subsequent film will highlight fact-based challenges facing the human race,
    and offer solutions to ameliorate these crises. The initial short film
    series will culminate in a feature film to be presented prior to COP21, the
    2015 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris.

    An asset for the climate change movement, “Last Hours” will be disseminated
    globally to awaken modern culture worldwide about the various dangers
    associated with climate change.

    “Last Hours” describes a science-based climate scenario where a tipping
    point to runaway climate change is triggered by massive releases of frozen
    methane. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, has already started to
    percolate into the open seas and atmosphere from methane hydrate deposits
    beneath melting arctic ice, from the warming northern-hemisphere tundra,
    and from worldwide continental-shelf undersea methane clathrate pools.

    Burning fossil fuels release carbon that, principally through greenhouse
    effect, heat the atmosphere and the seas. This is happening most rapidly at
    the polar extremes, and this heating has already begun the process of
    releasing methane. If we do not begin to significantly curtail the use of
    carbon-based fossil fuels, this freed methane threatens to radically
    accelerate the speed of global warming, potentially producing a disaster
    beyond the ability of the human species to adapt.

    This first video is designed to awaken people to the fact that the earth
    has experienced five major extinctions in the deep geologic past — times
    when more than half of all life on earth vanished — and that we are now
    entering a sixth extinction. Industrial civilization with its production of
    greenhouse gases has the ability to trigger a mass extinction; in the
    extreme, it could threaten not just human civilization, but the very
    existence of human life on this planet.

    The world community and global citizens urgently need to chart a path
    forward that greatly reduces green house gas emissions.

    “Last Hours” is presented and narrated by Thom Hartmann and directed by
    Leila Conners. Executive Producers are George DiCaprio and Earl Katz. Last
    Hours is produced by Mathew Schmid of Tree Media Foundation, and was
    written by Thom Hartmann, Sam Sacks, and Leila Conners. Music is composed
    and performed by Francesco Lupica.

    http://lasthours.org/

    Last Hours

    Mike Knowles
    Mike Knowles
    October 22, 2013 10:50 AM

    *”**+Last Hours**”* is the first in a series of short films that explore
    the perils of climate change and the solutions to avert climate disaster.
    (10 mins) lasthours.org

    graham mewburn
    graham mewburn
    October 23, 2013 9:04 AM

    LAST HOURS
    .
    A thought provoking documentary
    Last Hours

    MrLibertad78
    MrLibertad78
    October 24, 2013 4:33 PM

    Even propaganda on global warming. =_= All of our solar system and planet
    have warmed, the sun is the cause, so if you want to cool the earth, you
    need to cool the sun. this works per cycle, everything is natural, but when
    man decides to play with the ignorance of others, he sees a good way to
    make money by taxing the sheep, claiming that it is our fault. Not only is
    the warming has ceased from 15 years, but we begin the cycle of cooling, it
    is urgent to tax you, before you notice the scam. :P

    MrLibertad78
    MrLibertad78
    October 24, 2013 8:10 PM

    Of course, I have no calls people to pollute, but we must open our eyes
    and not be manipulated by governments, in French, the word “gouvernement”
    comes from two separate words, “gouverner” (govern) and “mentir” (lie), the
    words still have meaning :D

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 25, 2013 12:40 PM

    Many? Evidence please.

    MrLibertad78
    MrLibertad78
    October 25, 2013 12:56 PM

    you must search a bit, I have articles and interviews with climatologists
    French, but in English, it is more complicated, as I said, propaganda comes
    from the United States, then it does not help not, but as I see some people
    here prefer to note my comments in spam, it is simpler to believe
    everything we say, continue to believe, as September 11, 2001. traduisez
    cette interview, ce sera un bon début. h t t p : / / w w w . pensee-unique
    . fr/leroux.pdf

    Ceejae Devine
    Ceejae Devine
    October 25, 2013 7:47 PM

    Think you can’t DO ANYTHING to help the ENVIRONMENT?

    You can > VOTE for Democrats. Recycle. Stop buying stuff you don’t need.
    Travel less. Eat organic food.

    I am astounded we have to keep talking about some of this. Like recycling.
    I see so many recyclables in my local garbage. What has happened? Why isn’t
    everyone recycling everything or taking their own cups etc. to events? &
    the only way we are going to get the green energy changes our world needs
    is by policy change.

    Everyone oohs and ahhs when they see the beauty of our world, but then it
    seems like brains switch off when people have to DO anything to help it.
    THE PLANET NEEDS OUR HELP NOW.

    IMPORTANT > Last Hours Video by Thom Hartmann

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 26, 2013 5:24 PM

    It is indisputable that CO2 rises and temperature rises are linked, its
    happen before in the history of our planet, with no human action, take the
    Permian mass extinction for example. The question isn’t whether CO2 causes
    warming, its whether or not we’re the ones doing it, and, if you look at
    the CO2 levels in the atmosphere, and see when they started rapidly rising,
    you’ll notice it happened right around the time of the industrial
    revolution.

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 26, 2013 5:26 PM

    And, even if our contribution to the global temperature increases is
    minimal, shouldn’t we be doing all we can to keep them as low as possible?
    Not just for some hippy “safe the planet” type deal, but for our own sakes,
    for our children’s sakes, for our grandchildren, and all the future
    generations. I’d much prefer we do all we can to stop climate change, and
    find out it was nothing to be worried about after all, than to do nothing,
    and find out we’re the cause.

    MrLibertad78
    MrLibertad78
    October 26, 2013 5:37 PM

    Co² rise temperature -> totaly wrong ! h t t p : / / youtu . be /
    pWma5e3CVj0 first look reveals that the independent people, and then if you
    want to continue to debate, that will be a good foundation for the time you
    just throw the propaganda of governments, and I have other things to do
    than to answer.

    MrCoffeeFiend
    MrCoffeeFiend
    October 26, 2013 5:52 PM

    You discribe writ of law prefectly. If the carbon tax is too light then the
    industries just pass it on to the consumers. If you make it too high they
    shut down. There is no middle ground. So either you do nothing but raise
    prices or you cause a sudden shutdown brought on by writ of law. Both of
    those choices are bad.

    MrCoffeeFiend
    MrCoffeeFiend
    October 26, 2013 6:08 PM

    The Madeiran Large White went extinct because of the use of fertilizer and
    construction, not CO2. The Golden Toad went extinct in 1989. The Baiji
    Dolphin in 2007. So the “Mass extiction that has already begun” according
    to rprohbeck is just 2 in 18 years. Hardly massive. As to the 82% fish
    figure you tossed out. It is a meaningless made up number. Nobody can
    actually know something like that. What they have is computer code that
    churned out a number.

    mike strain
    mike strain
    October 26, 2013 10:50 PM

    it blows my mind that the comments under a video like this end up being
    more about weather climate change is real or caused by humans or lets blame
    government my favorite is concern for the economic impact of steps taken to
    curb climate change if its real and we do nothing we are all dead i think
    giving up some junk and money may be even suffering a little would seem
    better then continuing the way things are and taking the chance that we are
    all dead any ways

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 27, 2013 5:11 AM

    “Fertilizer and construction” = pollution. Not CO2 pollution, but still
    pollution. And, as far as I know, Climate Change has been around since the
    industrial revolution, it was hypothesized even back then. maybe not
    accurately, but the general idea was put forward. And you’re right, no one
    can know, because this is the first time anything like it has happened in
    the course of human history. Computer’s are the best chance of knowing what
    will happen.

    Joe Weis
    Joe Weis
    October 28, 2013 2:55 AM

    WHERE WERE YOU WHEN REPUBLICONS DESTROYED THE WORLD ?

    EYEMHEMPSTER
    EYEMHEMPSTER
    October 28, 2013 4:13 AM

    no buddy,,, corporations own your government , democrats as well ,,,

    Luis Fisch
    Luis Fisch
    October 28, 2013 6:12 PM

    This is a real & silent threat.

    Synergetic Press
    Synergetic Press
    October 28, 2013 8:57 PM

    Underground, underwater and below the ice.
    A time bomb is ticking.
    Scientists are seeing the evidence.
    Runaway climate change could be closer than we think.

    Doodle Maier
    Doodle Maier
    October 28, 2013 9:16 PM

    Underground, underwater and below the ice.
    A time bomb is ticking.
    Scientists are seeing the evidence.
    Runaway climate change could be closer than we think.

    kerxham
    kerxham
    October 29, 2013 5:47 AM

    I stopped watching when he said that climate change could end all life on
    earth. Don’t get me wrong, climate change is a real threat to humanity and
    many species but it wouldn’t mean the end of all life on earth. Life has
    survived way worse. Even if it’s only bacteria and other simple organisms,
    life on earth will go on. We are at a weird adolescent stage where we can
    destroy ourselves but not a planet.

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 29, 2013 10:28 AM

    Did you hear about the Permian mass extinction? Life almost didn’t survive
    that, and it was because of climate change.

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 29, 2013 10:28 AM

    Computers do the nasty calculations we don’t like. Take 1835720*901284932,
    I can’t say I’d enjoy doing that, if it needed to be done. Computers don’t
    do the thinking for us, we do the thinking, and, after telling to computers
    our thinking, they do the nasty calculations, which we could do, but, to
    save time, and effort, we don’t. I daresay that when checking your expenses
    on your credit card you don’t add it up in your head. (cont)

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 29, 2013 10:32 AM

    And you’re 100% correct, the climate has always changed, and always will
    change, but never this rapidly. Not once in human history have we seen
    400ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere. We can’t know what will happen based off
    calculations done off the top of our head, we need computers to crunch the
    numbers so we can analyse them and apply them to the world. And, as a side
    note, it is rather difficult to determine how species are dying, its mostly
    conjecture and hypothesis.

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 29, 2013 10:36 AM

    In Australia, we have privatised power (really stupid, I know), if the
    government where to slam the power industry with a massive carbon tax /
    carbon pricing scheme, it would instantly force the highest polluters out
    of business, and, if the money that was gathered from this tax / pricing
    scheme was used to support businesses, then they could survive. Pushing the
    most polluting power stations out of business and replacing them with gov.
    ones, with a gov. operated power distributor, that (cont)

    acomputer121
    acomputer121
    October 29, 2013 10:39 AM

    charged very little for power, majority of people would switch to them,
    making it harder for coal power plants to get any form of revenue, and
    making it easy for the government to buy back the power stations(not
    exactly like this). Then they replace them all with Nuclear / renewables,
    and could sell them back to private companies (if they really wanted to),
    and not allow the building of any coal stations. It would be very hard on
    people financially, but in the long run it would most likely help.

    MrCoffeeFiend
    MrCoffeeFiend
    October 29, 2013 2:19 PM

    Governments keep the ability to produce power higher then demand. Its this
    crazy idea that if something bad should happen we would like to still have
    power to deal with the catastrophy. The UK is going to have a bunch of coal
    fired plants shut down for good in 2014 for the reasons you stated. The
    result will be that the energy reserve will be lowered from the 20% they
    like to keep it at to 5%. They are expecting rolling blackouts when those
    renewables aren’t producing in full.

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