We’re a hungry species.

Do progress and a healthy economy equal consumption and yet more consumption?

My main man Lester Brown, Alexandra Cousteau, James Kunstler (of The Long Emergency), Richard Heinberg, Edward O. Wilson, Jim White agree: we need to look ahead.

This isn’t about saving our planet—it’s about saving ourselves.

Life on planet Earth is at a crossroads, with multiple environmental crises bearing down upon us simultaneously: climate change, resource depletion, oil supply decline, ocean pollution, overpopulation, species extinction, and more. The Great Squeeze inventories and connects all of them, showing how short-sighted human behavior and decisions have resulted in a situation that threatens our lives and planet.

The film travels back in time to take us on a journey through history when past civilizations made the same mistakes — growing too fast, depleting their natural resources and ultimately collapsing. The Anasazi society, the Mayan civilization and the Easter Island culture all provide graphic examples of peoples violating principles of sustainability and exceeding the carrying capacity of their environment. The veil of mystery surrounding the disappearance of these once-thriving cultures is peeled back to offer insights into our own modern social order seemingly bent on a similar path of self-destruction.

Instead of the usual band-aid approaches, The Great Squeeze challenges us to learn from history and transition towards a more sustainable economy that values our environment. By changing our levels of consumption, deploying new technologies, and reordering social priorities, we can still live well.

Renowned scientists, thinkers and authors, including Richard Heinberg, Edward O. Wilson, Lester Brown, Alexandra Cousteau, Jim White, Howard Kunstler and others, provide perspective and insights on our current state of affairs and how we can change course.

The Great Squeeze was selected for screening in Copenhagen during the UN Climate Change Conference, and at 14 film festivals around the world, where it won several awards, including Best Feature, Colorado Environmental Film Festival.

Available from: http://www.videoproject.com