Is it too late to be a pessimist?

For the weekend, here is something interesting you can do – watch a film. It’s free for download from the Net.

French photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand's documentary Home is a collection of unique aerial footage from over 50 countries, showing how humans are mining the planet’s resources beyond the criteria of need. It offers a solution in moderation, intelligence and sharing.

Much like one of the astronauts recommended a trip to space for humans to overcome notions of borders and war, this film strikes the human conscience by providing hard evidence of disaster from greedy consumption. It takes you across the globe from the farmland of Australia to the cold unwelcoming plains of Siberia, from desert land to Antarctica, from poverty stricken Africa to the concrete jungles of skyscrapers and criss-crossing flyovers glittering at night!

Both the rich and poor are exploiting natural resources – one for a living, another for a lifestyle. But whether it is oil, or machinised agriculture, the clock is ticking. Can we slow down? Can we change? Or do we simply give up and carry on as usual?

Stark. Evocative. Silencing. The vivid colours of planet earth, from the blue and green and rust to the cruel brown gashes on the hill slope, it is a reminder of what we have and what we are doing.

It took 217 days of shooting in 54 countries, which added up to 488 hours of footage.

Interestingly, the emissions for the making of the movie were offset, by financing a project for Diffusion of anaerobic digesters in India!

Home was released free and worldwide to reach as many people as possible. To make this possible, the film was sponsored by PPR Group.

Message and visual delight apart, the movie has an equally appealing music score written by Armand Amar and recorded with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Percussion Ensemble.