As British Columbia grapples with pipeline and LNG plants approvals, the economics of extreme energy projects are coming under greater scrutiny- ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ provides a context for societal questions of very pressing concern to British Columbians: the rise of extreme energy, the end of economic growth, and a new way forward.
Narrated by Academy Award winner Emma Thompson, ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ is a groundbreaking documentary about the state of our energy system today, and the people we meet are uniquely positioned to watch this global crossroads unfold.
For example, the mayor of an Inuit village in Canada’s high Arctic who is concerned that seismic testing for oil in the ocean is blowing up the eardrums of the animals that the Inuit hunt to survive. Or the environmental lawyer who goes on a journey to areas that produce energy for the Tarsands of Alberta – he learns of the inputs of energy that have to be put into this resource - and the reasons why the second largest oil project in the world is economically unsustainable. To the Ends of the Earth brings forward the voices of those who not only denounce the rise of extreme energy, but also envision the new world that is taking shape in its stead: a post-growth economy.
Director David Lavalleé began this film as a labour of love three years ago. The inspiration for it came from his first award winning film, “White Water, Black Gold” (2010). While that film focused on the environmental impacts of the Tarsands, he began asking wider questions about the economic implications of extreme energy- the result- To the Ends of the Earth, which focuses on the global rise of extreme energy.
Lavallee had a great many adventures on the film production, including being charged by a polar bear on Baffin Island and being investigated but not charged by Canada’s National Security Anti-Terrorism Unit for flying a drone over a Kinder Morgan tank farm in Burnaby.
This event is open to the public. Victoria Events Centre