The 11^th Hour documentary, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, shows us many aspects of what humans have caused to the environment today. The 11^th hour refers to the last hour of the day; it illustrates the short period of time that the world have to deal with the damages caused on Earth. Deforestation and over-consumption are some of the issues presented in the movie. Now, the humans have to find a way to fix those problems as if it is the last chance.

Deforestation is an issue that has to be addressed as soon as possible. Today, most part of the rainforests that the world had is gone. Developing countries find themselves in a poor situation, and then turn their rainforest into properties. The best solution they encounter to earn money is to sell these properties – the forests – to corporations. The corporations take control of these places, and deforest entire camps in order to make their businesses.  As an example, a large portion of the Amazon rainforest suffered with deforestation by large companies. The lack of protective policies creates this vicious cycle of deforestation, putting the world’s source of rainwater at stake (DiCaprio & Peterson, 2008).

Over consumption is also discussed in the 11^th Hour documentary. Today people are used to buy without thinking if they really need. The impulse of shopping is a dominant factor within many communities of different nationalities. The big corporations are invading the TVs, internet, and people’s lives with commercials and advertisements influencing in the behavioral interaction among humans and the commerce. This over-consumption is leading to an extreme use of what is called natural resources, since there is more demand than supply in nature. The corporations, the factories, the government, and the citizens are using more resources than actually exists.

In sum, the need of action has gone now to the limit of time. The planet has arrived to the 11^th hour of life, and it is unable to support further human activities without being repaired first. The deforestation has to end, as well as the over-consumption needs to be reconsidered. If people cannot see the damages that are being caused, than the planet will survive, but the population will not.

For more information, or if you want to watch the documentary, check below:

DiCaprio, L. (Producer), & Peterson, L. C. (Writer/Director). (2008). The 11th hour [DVD]. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Entertainment.