Sydney mum Liz Courtney traded in her corporate life to direct documentary films. Here, Liz shares her exclusive behind-the-scenes story of her six part TV series The Tipping Points. Here’s part two, the Amazon Rainforest Risks. Be inspired…
Liz Courtney, director of The Tipping Points, and her crew venture to some of the most fragile regions in the world – all ecological tipping points, where the slightest environmental change could impact the entire globe and life as we know it. In episode one, Liz explored Greenland and in episode two, Liz and her team explore the Amazon Rainforest Risks. Follow Liz’s behind-the-scenes journey as she filmed and directed The Tipping Points each week on www.thecarousel.com and tune in to watch the show on Sunday nights at 8:30pm from March 26, on Channel 34 (NITV/SBS).
Episode 2: Amazon Rainforest Risks
“In episode 2 of The Tipping Points, we set off on an expedition across the vast Amazon Rainforest to explore the mega droughts and tree deaths occurring. Not only do these changes threaten the Amazon’s very survival, but they also have a massive impact on the planet’s C02 levels. I never really understood the great service trees and rainforests provide – they are a virtual storage unit for CO2, which they take in and store in their trunks and branches. The Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforest storage vault for CO2 on the planet, accounting for around 10% of the CO2 stored in forests around the world.”
Why is this Amazon Rainforest a tipping point?
“Of all the CO2 we emit each year, 40% is stored in the atmosphere, 30% is stored in the oceans and 30% is stored in forests – the Amazon is the largest forest and a vital storage vault for the planet.”
How does filming in minus 20 degrees Celsius compare to filming in 35 degrees Celsius?
“The Amazon rainforest was extremely hot, humid and very hard on the camera gear and the crew to work in day after day – it was much easier to work in cooler climates! At night, we’d try to keep our equipment in cool places while we transferred drives, backed up data and made field notes – the night never ended at sunset!”
What’s the Amazon rainforest really like?
“Magical is the only word to describe the Amazon Jungle. It is so pristine and lush – tall canopies reach above you to the skyline, and the hot, moist air hits your face. Over two-thirds of all the biodiversity of the planet resides in the Amazon, which is an amazing fact.”
Where did you film this episode?
“We flew into Belem, on the North Coast of Brazil, and then travelled by boat up the River Amazon overnight to Breves in a tiny cabin you could swing a cat in! We thought the boat was registered to carry 350 passengers – but I stopped counting at 500! It was very crowded and most people spent the night swinging in their hammocks. It was quite a sight to see – some had boom boxes resting in their hammocks, and every corner of the ferry had a TV set blaring the entire night. Strangely though, between the boom boxes and TV sets, they all seemed to sleep.”
“When morning came and we transferred to a special charter boat to and headed further into the rainforest – to the real untouched jungle. By now, we’d clocked up more than 30 hours of travel on the river. As we progressed, the river became narrower, little huts started to appear from time to time along the banks and canoes passed us. As the day passed, we alternated between filming, swinging in our hammocks and enjoying the spectacular sunset. We finally arrived at the Caxiuana Research Centre in the far North East of the Amazon after 36 hours of traveling – it was 11pm and it was really exciting to finally arrive!”
Where did you stay?
“We were guests of Brazil’s Scientific Community. They have a very basic research centre in the middle of the jungle – brick walls but no windows or doors. I diligently put up my blue mosquito net in the room, which had no fly screens or doors, and looked around to see that everyone else had moved their mattresses out onto the landing. But I persisted and clamoured under my net and wafted off to the sounds of the jungle. I was exhausted, but it was very eerie – we were surrounded by howling monkeys all night and I had visions of waking up and finding them running around in the room!”
“At 6am I woke to the noise of the camp kitchen, which motivated me to head on down. It was an amazing sight to step outside and look across to see the edge of the rainforest. We were thousands of miles away from civilization, with the forest at our feet. Even more amazing was the adventure we had when we kitted-up and headed into the jungle for our first day of filming. ‘Magical’ is what The Amazon is. And if we want our children, and theirs’, to be able to visit this place, to discover the magic for themselves rather than reading about it in a book, then we have to do everything we can to save it.”
How is Climate Change threatening the Amazon Rainforest?
“The Climate system around the Amazon Rainforest is changing at a speed much faster than the predicted models. Usually the Amazon Rainforest has one mega drought per 100 years, but in the last 10 years it has been hit with two mega droughts, and in the first drought alone the forest lost over 3 trillion trees. The drying effects occurring on the forest is having a domino effect: the big trees are dying first, this opens up the canopy roof top, allowing more sun to hit the floor of the forest and dry it out. More violent electrical storms are hitting the dry forest floors and starting fires that burn quickly through the drying forest. The first to regrow after a fire are the Savannah grasses, and by doing this they create a carpet effects, locking out the re-establishment of trees and so the cycle form rainforest to savannah starts.
This is the exact theory that Prof Peter Cox, from Exeter University in the UK, writes about. Prof Peter Cox, and his work, are highly regarded in scientific circles. We had the privilege to travel with him across the Amazon rainforest and explore the dramatic changes being recorded.
Journalist Bernice Notenboom was joined by a number of leading international environmental scientists in each episode including Prof Peter Cox, Yadvinder Malhi (pictured) and Greg Asner who flies the only airborne laboratory across The Amazon Rainforest.
What can we do to help save the planet and prevent further climate change?
If we could work to reduce our personal carbon footprint by just 5% then collectively we could make a huge difference and start to turn the tide around. It takes a combination of a collective way of thinking and living that can become a new carbon footprint for all of us to aspire to, achieve and then live. Changing a carbon footprint could include:
- shopping locally, buying produce that’s grown locally.
- turning off all power plugs overnight.
- not leaving lights on during the day
- using low wattage globes
- walking to the shops when possible
- taking public transport where possible
- purchasing bikes and using them before a car to travel around the local area
- working on reducing your electricity bill by 5%
- recycling clothes with friends rather than always buying something new ( how many of us have things in our wardrobe we have not worn, impulse purchase, or been given and it’s the wrong size or colour)
- read the labels on clothes and avoid chemicals -synthetics that are full of chemicals take up to 30 years to breakdown in landfill
- wear clothes more often before you wash them
- explore solar power panels on your roof and start making your own power
- explore recycling grey water for the garden
- start a community Carbon Zero group and meet quarterly to explore ways you can reduce the carbon footprint in your area.
Take a leadership role in your family, with friends open the dialogue and explore new ideas and ways you can reduce your footprint by 5% and make a pledge to try for the next three months to make a difference. Put out the pledge on Facebook and see how many of your friends will join you on this quest.
Get involved
Tell us how you have tried to reduce your carbon footprint. It could be as simple as turning lights off at night, or limiting your tumble dryer use. Every little bit helps, so let’s start the discussion here and make a difference together.
For more information visit:
The Tipping Points or read about Liz’s behind-the-scenes journey with the film crew on the links below:
Compiled by Franki Hobson
