• wallacejnichols
• Aug. 13, 2006
• • TV | Radio | Film

[Note: Eleveth Hour will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007]

11th Hour is Leo DiCaprio’s new feature length documentary that will examine the state of the global environment. It should be coming out this fall--look for it. At the end of our wide-ranging interview for the film (which took place in Leo's garage), I was asked about my thoughts on the future and if I had a message for people. I thought of my daughters, this is what I said:

WALLACE J. NICHOLS: (2:14:04)

"The time that I’ve spent working on ocean research and ocean conservation, I’ve seen some things that have broken my heart, frankly.

Things, animals that I loved and places that I loved that have been killed and destroyed in front of me. And it’s really challenging to come back from that the next day with your batteries charged and a positive attitude.

But we have to.

We have to dig in and find a place where we can stay positive and not become just raging, angry freaks.

And come back with the strength and passion, and maybe a little bit of rage, sacred rage, focused on solving these problems. Otherwise we’re not going to make it. The forces that are in line to continue to wreck the things we love, they’re going to keep coming back. They’re motivated and well funded. So we’ve got to be motivated, and if not well funded, make up for it in some way.

But I have two young daughters who are falling in love with the ocean. And it is really, really hard to walk with them as they fall in love with nature knowing that they’re going to have their hearts broken in the way that I have. And I think about that every time we go out to see salmon spawning or release a sea turtle or just walk on the beach.

And as my daughter falls more in love with nature, I think about the heartbreak that’s coming for her. And it makes me sad. However, I’m not going to do anything differently. I want her to fall deeper and deeper in love with nature.

And then when the time is right, to let that rage go in the right direction--when somebody or something breaks her heart and destroys the thing that she loves.

So I hope that more and more young people will fall more and more in love with nature, so that when they’re adults they can focus their rage in the right direction.

Because somebody’s destroying the things that they love. And that’s what it’s going to take."