Poison Fire

Poison Fire

2008, Environment  -   55 Comments
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Ratings: 8.55/10 from 324 users.

The Niger Delta is an environmental disaster zone after fifty years of oil exploitation. One and a half million tons of crude oil has been spilled into the creeks, farms and forests, the equivalent to 50 Exxon Valdez disasters, one per year.

Natural gas contained in the crude oil is not being collected, but burnt off in gas flares, burning day and night for decades.

The flaring produces as much greenhouse gases as 18 million cars and emits toxic and carcinogenic substances in the midst of densely populated areas. Corruption is rampant, the security situation is dire, people are dying. But the oil keeps flowing.

Poison Fire follows a team of local activists as they gather video testimonies from communities on the impact of oils spills and gas flaring.

We see creeks full of crude oil, devastated mangrove forests, wellheads that has been leaking gas and oil for months. We meet people whose survival is acutely threatened by the loss of farmland, fishing and drinking water and the health hazards of gas flaring.

We also meet meet with Jonah Gbemre, who took Shell to court over the gas flaring in his village and won a surprise victory in the court.

Ifie Lott travels to the Netherlands to attend Shell's Annual General Meeting. She wants to ask a simple question: Is Shell going to obey the court order and stop flaring?

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Chris
Chris
5 years ago

You poor have no hope. What with your hopeless corrupt government , and the likes of Shell destroying your land, who is going to solve this massive issue. I suspect this is only the tip of the iceberg across Africa, as greed and corruption by the few and powerful , benefit at the expense of the masses. I normally don't care much about the corruption of Africa because its so endemic , but I felt a bit sorry for these people and the environment.

Leo
Leo
6 years ago

Shell needs to be held responsible. Where is the media?
Why isn't the Canadian govt. allowing them to mine oil here.
Accountability for killing people for money.

NonEventHorizon
NonEventHorizon
6 years ago

If you really want to do something about this then boycott Shell at their petrol pumps, do some research into large buyers of their products and organise boycotts of their products also - write to them and tell them you are boycotting them because of their use of Shell products, petition companies that sell Shell products to remove them from their shelves ... do something!

No one in Nigeria wants fawning, dripping, sympathy, they want our action.

Jinting
Jinting
6 years ago

So, how is this problem going on nowdays?

DustUp
DustUp
7 years ago

What carbon neutral fuel could replace it all until a Nikola Tesla type fuel less generator is developed? Ethanol. See alcohol can be a gas dot c om for an education.

DustUp
DustUp
7 years ago

Some white men ARE bad. Just like EVERY race including yours. What were the natives tribes doing to each other pre white scum? What did the Blacks do to each other and still are in Africa? When the blacks came to power in Ruwanda did they make things better?

The worst of the worst are attorneys of any stripe. They converted a useful means of completing a project such as a road, into the modern day Corporation which far too many white and now other colors hide behind as an excuse to screw others to put more dough in their trousers. Now you have them protecting the Corpse causing entities as well as those in govt many of whom are also attorneys. The sad and sorry tale of most everything bad is that we let them. Bad on us.

In this day and age, there is absolutely no reason to dig up coal or oil or natural gas or uranium for energy. So why do we? Poor govt education controlled by those who also own the media, the banks, and the oil companies among others.

Yeshahy
Yeshahy
7 years ago

When the pale-skin.redneck.edomites either get exterminated off the planet or they fail to be in charge of everything. Then and only then can anything be better. Exploit, rape, pillage, oppress,kill off. The whores of modern day Babylon will do anything for money. The scariest words are 'white.man' ask any Native Person.

Kip Keino
Kip Keino
8 years ago

Obfuscate. That's a word that all Shell execs should have spray painted on their kitchen walls in 1 ft. high red letters. It means to deliberately confuse or hide an issue. That's exactly what Shell execs are doing in this sad situation. Shame!

Guest
Guest
8 years ago

Plastics baby.... The first worlds demand them. The consumers demand them. From packaging to technologies. We can't go with out them. You want to improve these peoples lives? Stop creating demand for these goods.

To be honest though, I'm not willing. Is it heartless? Maybe. But it's better than convincing myself that other people are responsible for the problem and a few good words absolves me of wrong doing.

The truth is, I enjoy my computer. I enjoy my food being packaged for freshness. I enjoy my phones. Plastics have replaced a lot of other materials to make goods more affordable. Goods that I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. Even those of us in the lower echelons of first world societies reap the huge benefits. I can't imagine how much poorer my quality of life would be if I didn't have access to cheap plastic goods.

Now before you judge me for being honest, I'll ask you to look around your house. How many goods are made from plastics? Technology casings (T.V., Microwave)? Dishware? Shampoo bottles? Circuit boards? How about any furniture? Toys? Most of my house is plastic and I am willing to bet most of your house is too.

coryn
coryn
9 years ago

What a horrible tragedy...... In truth,in all honesty, what can one do but flee, to go, go anywhere, but how is that possible? How does one leave one's home, friends and lands, but what else is there? Just look at history, at what happened .... is happening.... to the AmerIndian, the populations that covered the Americas, once powerful nations reduced to 'reservations' by the foreign invaders, the English, the Dutch, the Spanish, the Germans. There is little justice in this world, but to fight is to lose, that is why I say people must flee the aggressors. What kind of resistance is there? Even sabotage against the aggressors might give some measure of satisfaction, but at what cost?

Daniel Bender
Daniel Bender
9 years ago

this is so &%$#'ed up! I am so mad at our inability to live properly.

Chris Ashcroft
Chris Ashcroft
9 years ago

They are waiting for an oil company to value doing the right thing over profits? Never going to happen.

Guest
Guest
11 years ago

Michael Healy, live what the Nigerians have been through and their destroyed livelihoods and we'll see if you can still consider a documentary on shell's strict regard for basic human rights

Voidcode
Voidcode
11 years ago

This is just a thougth...
But I can not understand why they choose to only sue.
Isted of think business opportunity..

They should try to make a deal with Shell to use/storage/sell the gas the in the own country...

smokey
smokey
11 years ago

To me this video shows a careless destruction of a gentle peoples environment beyond belief by Shell one of the richest oil companies in the world but completely bereft of conscience and rotten to the core making excuse after excuse in order to evade the responsibility of simply doing the right thing and cleaning up the mess they should have cleaned up as it occurred.People! unite dont buy any Shell product. the environmental pollution shown here is really everyones problem.

stepitup_onenotch
stepitup_onenotch
11 years ago

There are some comments below attesting to Shell's benevolence. If Shell is so benovolent then why are they still gas flaring in Nigeria?

Rick Derek Thorpey
Rick Derek Thorpey
11 years ago

A curse on big business! Let them all rot and suffer eternally.

phillip wong
phillip wong
11 years ago

Do the Chinese oil companies do **** like these? No... The west is cancer

Peter Christ
Peter Christ
11 years ago

Shell like all multinationals will suffer the wrath of the people, the utter bull**** displayed by people saying the communitees have refused the schools and jobs, seriously ! shove something sharp up your**** and go swim in a pool of vinegar you dumb bunnies, id**ts, "no words are powerfull enough to expose you stupidity" only a good smack in the back of your empty heads you ****heads!

Jewnose
Jewnose
11 years ago

As an eye witness shell has given the communities around those areas in Africa , schools for the children ,jobs for the communities, man and woman and just to mention if the communities do take jobs they don't allow their woman to take the jobs. Shell has offered hospitals, learning center etc. You name it what ever they have in the developed countries they offered.It is the raciest communities that don't take the offer's. It is the African Extremist/Raciest that say get Shells out because it is a White Mans company they have no idea what Shell is doing for undeveloped countries they need to stop raciest in Africa that is the issue.

James Guzman
James Guzman
11 years ago

As an eye witness shell has given the communities around those areas in Africa , schools for the children ,jobs for the communities, man and woman and just to mention if the communities do take jobs they don't allow their woman to take the jobs. Shell has offered hospitals, learning center etc. You name it what ever they have in the developed countries they offered.It is the raciest communities that don't take the offer's. It is the African Extremist/Raciest that say get Shells out because it is a White Mans company they have no idea what Shell is doing for undeveloped countries they need to stop raciest in Africa that is the issue.

cvas1986
cvas1986
11 years ago

Shell is also wanting to drill in the arctic... I pray that enough action is taken to not allow this to happen, and that the executives of Shell find it in their heart not to drill.

bud oracle
bud oracle
12 years ago

My heart goes out to them. I kicked my addiction to gasoline in 2004 and did it primarily to stay healthy and in the hope that the world might be abetter place. I hope other energy hogs understand how it frees everyone and give back so much. Even for us it will bring us closer together in our communities and make them healthier.

N
N
12 years ago

Very informative.

Ivan
Ivan
12 years ago

Hey everyone, guess what? The gas flaring was still going on as of November, 2010. That was the last time I saw the flare with my own eyes in Port Harcourt. It was a vertical pipe that could be seen from a distance of a mile away. The flame was burning constantly, day and night. It was actually in-line with Shell's Pipeline. At the time, I didn't know what I was seeing, or why it was burning all of the time. After seeing this documentary, I now know. Port Harcourt is in Rivers State, and next to Bayelsa State
This has NOTHING to do with skin color. It has everything to do with profit, like making crazy money every day. EVERYTHING! The amounts of money made are so vast and unimaginable, that it is beyond the comprehension of most people. If all of the profit that was made from one day of what was collected from the Shell Pipeline that has oil flowing from the first source, and was stacked in one place for you to see, you would not be able to count it all in a day, 24 hours. Even if it was in the largest denominations of Euros, Pounds, or Dollars. Forget about it if it were in Niara.
The level of pollution that existed in the City of Port Harcourt was very very great. Garbage was just about everywhere that you could see. The natural rivers were polluted to a point where you could see garbage floating, and piled up along either bank, as far as your eyes could see. The place smelled terrible. Most of the garbage was plastic products like plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic items that no one wanted. There were piles of garbage along the road side, at entrances to communities, behind stores and shopping centers, and in between communities along the road. Goats and chicken were eating from garbage piles. Restaurants were set up right near piles of garbage that served fresh goat and chicken meat. Yet, this city was nice and clean compared to the cities in Bayelsa State.

Chris Bryer
Chris Bryer
12 years ago

The only reason Shell is allowed to get away with this all these years is because they are affecting none white people. If this was killing white people it would be on the news in our courts until it was stopped. But that is not what will happen, what will happen is nothing til it bites whites in the ass. Now get this I am half white and black, my back ground is quite the mix. My mother had three jobs,and give me a wonderful life, however what I have watched all theses years makes me feel sad to have white blood in me. Greed is a sick way to lives. And white have it bad. Im not raciest, I'm just realistic. By B. Paul (A Mother and Grandmother)

David
David
12 years ago

Sam Adams, yeah, I'd rather be a caveman than a murderous fool blind to to the beauty, truth and wonder of life on Earth.

David
David
12 years ago

This is sad, so sad to see these lovely Nigerians suffering for our greed. This is 175 years after slavery was abolished at last in the USA. We still allow greed and liberty to treat the people and the land like a beast to be raped, plundered and destroyed. This documentary convicts Shell of manslaughter and Eco-terror. It convicts the human race of idiocy and vain weak frailty. The actual savages sit in corporate boardrooms. Even Marx wrote about the indigenous peoples as savages. How wrong he was about that.

Zach Fraser
Zach Fraser
12 years ago

you cant bottle up and sell quallity of life we will all pay for this

AkolyteShivaHaru
AkolyteShivaHaru
12 years ago

I wonder how much energy the fats in the human body can produce? Perhaps a renewable energy source would be to burn the rich to provide for the poor.

Herald
Herald
12 years ago

Nigeria is one of the most corrupt country in the world. I am not surprised that Shell is getting away with murder.

Mercenarry ForHire
Mercenarry ForHire
12 years ago

I Strongly agree janko.

Janko Svetlik
Janko Svetlik
12 years ago

If you want to do something, spread the word, educate your children, vote for "green" government just please don't flame on the net. Because nobody important cares about this forum and thousand of others untill they see the difference on their paycheck..

Teddy Mcd
Teddy Mcd
12 years ago

Rapacious, as in 'rapacious bastards' - comes to mind.

Guest
Guest
12 years ago

Brilliant little doc, just shocked at my own naivety sometimes. I know the oil companies think they have some sort of divine right to trample the planet and take what they like but when you get to see what that entails...
I wonder Jack_Burton if you mean what you say, I hope not. Is your cheap energy really worth the price those people are paying?

corporatwig
corporatwig
12 years ago

Hey! This is great!!!! Lets start doing this up in Alaska! Palin is game.

We could add huge increase in coal production and burning down here too!

Yeah, that's it, we'll get rid of all the complainers cause they can't take the heat in the kitchen and we'll have the country to our corporate selves, yeah!

Then we can start frackin like rock stars.