Catching the Sun
Mukesh Bastola
Mukesh Bastola
Genre: Documentary
Catching the Sun is a documentary directed by Shalini Kantayya. The central theme of the movie is promoting Solar Power over other sources of energy. The film compiles the plans and policies of different cities worldwide to depict the global race for clean energy. At the same time, it also reflects the difficulties faced by the activists, workers, and entrepreneurs while promoting Solar energy.
The film starts with the story of a Chevron Refinery blowup in Richmond, California, releasing a large amount of gas along with black fumes in the atmosphere that directly affected the surrounding. As a result, more than 15,000 people in the area were hospitalized. Moreover, to cover up the loss due to fire, the company hiked the gas price, which ultimately affected the local consumers. Relating this incident with the large national and multi-national corporations’, the documentary informs the audience of the tax subsidies granted to these mega-companies. Van Jones, a former environmental advisor of President Obama, explains how these large firms (especially oil giants) plan their counterattack on the green energy movement. He resigned from the Obama Administration after facing several media allegations of being a radical communist, black and undeserving (suspicions are there of giant organizations backing the allegation campaigns). Such is the accusation made to the activist and authorities who want to change the system.
Similarly, this visionary documentary also clarifies the benefits of the growing solar energy trend. As the film unfolds, the audience understands how the solar industry can benefit humans and nature. The panels harness energy from the sun, and it has zero carbon emission. At the same time, it also provides an opportunity for many workers to get trained and be a part of the installation team. So, it helps to tackle both climate change and unemployment.
With videos and footage of different cities globally, the audience knows what the various nations are doing to promote green energy. Germany's rapid transition from fossil fuels to clean energy can be an encouragement for different cities across the world. And, all these starts from the initiation of the local people. With the decreasing cost and increasing reliability, many households are attracted to the Solar energy plan. When many homes start this practice, it can reduce the dependence on giant companies and the government for electricity.
It is high time we reduce our dependence on oil and natural gas. It may not be as easy as we see in movies or listen to people talking, but it is not impossible.