Michael White assesses a film documenting the exploitation of Antarctica's pristine Ross Sea.
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White, M. Environment: Piscine plunder. Nature 498, 36 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/498036a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/498036a
Kevin Matthews
Rather a pointless criticism, at best:
"However, similar certification practices are common in many industries."
And in which industries, with similar certification practices, does the process effectively ensure sustainability?
Yes, industry-controlled greenwashing "certification" is a widespread phenomenon. All the more reason it needs to be called out, by documentary filmmakers, reviewers, journalists, and other should-be guardians of truth, beauty, and the survival of the biosphere as we have known it.
It is a strange perspective, that on one hand embraces industry self-certification, and on the orher decries one film because it didn't immediately drive profound reform of an entrenched and lucrative extraction industry.
If you'd like to see the problem solved... How about stop being a part of it?
Michael White
Peter Young contacted me to indicate that my review contained an error regarding the timing of the 2012 CCAMLR meeting. Below is Young's comment, posted on his behalf:
As the director of The Last Ocean I need to respond to one of the main criticisms aimed at this film. The reason the November 2012 CCAMLR meeting was not included in the film was because the documentary was completed in July 2012, four months before that meeting took place. I made the decision to release The Last Ocean in New Zealand prior to that critical meeting so that it had the greatest possible chance of influencing New Zealand's position on the Ross Sea fishery and Marine Protected Area proposal. I went to great effort to ensure the ending of the film did NOT hinge on any meeting, preferring to pose the question – does humanity have the ability to protect this remarkable corner of the Earth that is a part of our global commons. With CCAMLR's special meeting to discuss MPA's in the Southern Ocean scheduled for mid-July in Bremerhaven, Germany, history itself will write the end of this film.
Michael White
I regret that I erred in my discussion of the CCAMLR meeting. But I should also say that the film created the impression — at least to me — that the meeting was ongoing during the course of filming.