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From the polarnight of Uummannaq
Persistent Organic
Pollutants
 Persistent
Organic Pollutants are chemicals (most of them
pesticides) applied mainly in ftropics, like DDT for the
fight against Malaria, which comes into the biosphere
and travel to other parts in the world with a disastrous
effect. The positive effects of for example applying DDT
will be counteracted by many long term negative effects.
Due to use of other chemicals for
industrial purposes we have allowed huge releases of
chemicals in the atmosphere during the last decades. As
such, our atmosphere has become a global chemical
factory while nobody understands exactly what is
happening in that factory. But one thing is clear: There
are severe consequences for the Ozone layer. Ozone layer
issues are closely related to the use of certain
persistent organic pollutants.
The Poles
The negative effects are clearly visible at the Poles.
There we see the disastrous effects of the pollution by
POPs, nuclear waste and the enormous gas fields being
found and exploited. Especially POPs tend to travel to
the colder parts of the world and continue to be toxic.
Severely increased levels of persistent pesticides in
blood and tissues of Eskimos and defect anti-systems
with amphibians in larger geographical areas are
examples of the negative consequences of indiscriminate
application during the last decades. As yet nobody can
estimate the consequences for human health and the
environment on a
global scale.
 Films
take years to produce and I always select projects which
I find are of importance. When I met Jan Betlem early
2006 his story and motivation struck me. He is the only
expert in charge with finding sustainable solutions and
alternatives of POPs pesticides and in finding ways
often not yet existing - to deal with them. Known as "Toxic
Waste Hunter" he used to travel to various countries all
over the world to search for stockpiles of obsolete
pesticides.
We decided to wait for the best
opportunity to work together on a film about this. Now
is the right time to make the film, because 2008 will be
the beginning of the International Polar Year and the
upcoming event is a good moment to start distribution
and use of the film.
The Film
The film will start with scenes in the arctic where
people suffer from the effects of a vanishing ozone
layer and the effects of the POPs. We will also show in
other parts of the world - examples of the hunt for POPs
and the finding of solutions (like alternatives to POPs
chemicals applied in the health and agriculture sectors,
or alternative approaches to reduce the amounts of
chemicals used in these sectors).
POP hunter Jan Betlem travels all
over the world and meets local
people who are struggling against them, or hiding the
effects for political and / or economic reasons. He
tries to find these POPs everywhere, from Mali to
Georgia, and helps to organize safe transport and
storage or other good alternatives which are more
sustainable. His goal is to stimulate projects in which
people try to live without POP's, sometimes with
surprising results. But there is a lot to do and in many
countries they still import these POPs because they are
cheap, they have a sudden outbreak of malaria, and
because of other more obscure reasons.
In the film we'll follow the actual
journeys, with as yet unknown results. That way we see
how difficult and new the issue still is. And we come to
understand the political impact of trying to get these
methods to be accepted in different countries.
Portraits of People
In the film we follow three families in three different
regions for a longer time, as I often do in my
documentaries. They are very good examples of how people
live in nature and are dependent of their environment,
in the tropics as well as in the poles.
In following these families we show
the consequences for the Inuit, the detection and
cleaning in Eastern Europe and conflicts arising from
the search for alternatives in Mexico.
Use of the Film
During the filmmaking we gather information for a
website and a DVD which can be used in schools. A
shorter version of the film will be made for this
purpose. In that way we are able to reach more people in
different situations: action programmes in different
countries, and through ecological film festivals like
the ones I visited after making the film Taming the
Floods, on nature and water management in Poland. More
info about that film (including some scenes) on our
website www.drsfilm.nl
Premiere
The premiere is scheduled for August / September 2008
when UNEP is planning a boat trip from Greenland to the
area of Spitsbergen, with many religious and other world
leaders on board. Kofi Annan will give a video statement
and journalists from among others the New York Times and
the Financial Times are expected to attend the symposia
on board and report about it. It is the start for the
distribution of the film and the showing in all the
countries involved.
Go to DRS
Film
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