Gaia Prototype

After falling asleep one night, you awake to find a strange being approaching you. Her form is that of a woman, but she glows with light. She speaks to you, telepathically. “I am the spirit of nature, the environment, and all life on earth. I am the one who the poets of yore have called Mother Nature and have sought out. I have gone by many names over many centuries. You can call me Gaia.” [[Continue->Introduction 2]]

I have appeared because the planet is at a turning point, and humanity with it. I have chosen one out of the eight billion people of this planet at random to converse with me as a representative of humanity. That would be you. [[Continue->Introduction 3]]

However, I’m not here to tell you what humanity should or shouldn’t do. That is not my place. Even if humanity drives itself to extinction, life on earth will survive. My purpose here is simply to show the effects of humanity’s actions on the natural world. Not to debate whether these effects are good or bad. [[Continue->Introduction 4]]

The knowledge I will impart on you, humanity’s representative, will be of key importance in your job of deciding humanity's future. I will show you different scenarios. Each of these scenarios depicts an ongoing human activity, the people involved in the activity, and the effects the activity has on both the people involved as well as the natural environment. During this time you are free to ask questions of both me and the people involved in the activity. After you have finished your inquiries, you will have a choice as humanity’s representative as to whether or not the activity should continue. After all three scenarios, I will show you the future that you, as humanity’s representative, have chosen. Let us begin. [[Continue->Scenario 1]]

A bright light engulfs you.You open your eyes to see that you are standing in the middle of a large field surrounded by jungle. The calls of various birds can be heard and the heat is stifling. Insects buzz wildly around you, joining the din of noises that makes up the scene. You suddenly notice objects in the middle of the field. A closer look reveals a vast array of metal pipes stretching like snakes through the field and into the forest beyond. A worker is attending one of the pipes, grunting as he works. Near the edge of the forest you notice another fique. A small boy, barely clothed, looking with curiosity at the man. Suddenly you hear Gaia’s voice in your head. “This is an Oil Pipeline in the Amazon Rainforest. You are to decide if this pipeline continues to exist. As promised, you may talk to anyone you see here or myself before making your decision. What will you do?” [[Talk to the Oil Worker->Scenario 1A]] [[Talk to the Boy->Scenario 1B]] [[Talk to Gaia->Scenario 1C]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[= (text-style:"bold",)[(text-colour:green)[Gaia Prototype]] [[Introduction->Introduction]] [[Scenario 1->Scenario 1]] Scenario 2 Scenario 3 [[Credits->Credits]]

You go over and talk to the Oil Worker. He looks up, startled. “Huh, where did you come from? You got business with me or something?” [[Ask him about the pipeline->Scenario 1AA]] [[Ask him about his company->Scenario 1AB]] [[Ask him about himself->Scenario 1AC]] [[Leave him alone->Scenario 1]]

You go over and approach the child, he is startled at first, but then beckons you to come with him. [[Go with him.-> Scenario 1BA]] [[Don’t go with him->Scenario 1]]

I can inform you about the effects the oil mine is having on the natural environment in order to give you a better understanding of the current situation. [[“Please do”->Scenario 1CA1]] [[Talk to someone else.->Scenario 1]]

This is an oil pipeline running from a mine not far from here all the way to a refinery in the north. I’m just doing some basic maintenance and repairs. [[Ask him something else->Scenario 1A]]

My company? Why I'm a proud worker of the Petrostar company, one of the biggest oil companies in the Amazon. If you’d like, I could take you to meet with our CEO, Oliver Star himself! He’ll tell you everything you want to know about Petrostar. [[Ask him to bring you to his boss->Scenario 1AD]] [[Ask him something else->Scenario 1A]]

My name’s Joe, I’m just your average worker here doing my best to make a living out here in the rainforest. Hopefully there'll be food on the table tonight… [[Ask him something else->Scenario 1A]]

You are taken to a large office building in the middle of the oil mine. There you see a man in a business suit waiting for you on the top floor. “My name is Oliver Star,” the man says. “I’m the head of the Petrostar company currently mining for oil here. I’m an open book, please ask me anything about the mine or Petrostar in general.” [[Ask him what the oil is used for->Scenario 1ADA]] [[Ask him if he is aware of the effect the mining is having on the local environment->Scenario 1ADB]] [[Ask him if he is aware of the effect the mining is having on the local indigenous tribe->Scenario 1ADC]] [[Ask him what will happen if he shuts down the mine->Scenario 1ADD]] [[Return to where Gaia brought you->Scenario 1]]

“The oil we mine here is essential fuel for the air travel industry, and specifically the oil we mine here powers air travel to and from the United States and California. If we shut this mine down, it would have catastrophic effects on air travel and leave thousands stranded.” [[Ask him something else.->Scenario 1AD]]

“Of course I am aware of the effect our mining is having on the local environment, however, we have a sustainability plan in place to reverse the damage that is done.” [[Ask him something else.->Scenario 1AD]]

“I am aware that the oil mining affects the indigenous peoples that live here. But we have made deals with some of the tribes to provide housing and food in exchange for drilling the land. It’s a fair trade, and helps get the tribes accustomed to a modern lifestyle.” [[Ask him something else.->Scenario 1AD]]

“If I shut down the mine, not only will it leave thousands jobless, it will cause the South American nations that rely on the wealth my company generates to continue to fall behind the rest of the world. These people need the wealth from the mine and shutting the operation down will hurt them greatly.” [[Ask him something else.->Scenario 1AD]]

The boy takes you to a small village a little ways into the forest. There are various other barely clothed men and women here. They stare at you as you are taken to a hut at the center of the village. There, the boy talks in a language you can’t understand to a middle aged man who seems to be the village’s chef. He then addresses you. “Are you after the dark goo beneath our land too?” He asks. [[“Who are you?”-> Scenario 1BB]] [[“How can you speak english?”-> Scenario 1BC]] [[“Do you mean oil?”-> Scenario 1BD]] [[“No I’m not.” -> Scenario 1BE]]

“My name is Baihu, I am the leader of the Orani people who live here. We are a simple people who live in harmony with the jungle and only use what is necessary. We have lived here peacefully for many generations, but that peace has now been broken with people coming into our forest looking for the black goo. So I ask you again, are you one of them? [[“No I’m not.”-> Scenario 1BE]] [[Ask him something else.-> Scenario 1BA]]

“I learned English from missionaries who set up a small school here years ago. They were much more accepting of our ways than the people who have come here now looking for the black goo. I ask again, are you one of them?” [[“No I’m not”-> Scenario 1BE]] [[Ask him something else.-> Scenario 1BA]]

“Ah yes, oil. This is the black goo of which these men speak and wish to bring forth from our ancestral homeland. I ask again, are you one of them?” [[“No I’m not.”-> Scenario 1BE]] [[Ask him something else.-> Scenario 1BA]]

“Oh you are not one of them? Then why is it that you’ve come here?” [[“I want to learn about the situation happening here.”-> Scenario 1BF]]

I see, I know little of what the oil seekers are doing here, but I can tell you about myself and my people. I am the leader of the Orani people, Baihu. We are a people who have lived here in peace for ages. But now that peace has been shattered as people come here looking for oil, and cause spills that devastated the animals we depend on for food. Worse than this, there is another uncontacted tribe in the forest, the Tarotagaeri, with whom we compete with for food. They believe we are traitors for interacting with the people of the outside world, like yourself, but we believe it is vital for our survival. They are hostile to us, and because of the oil drillers, the divide between our territory and theirs is becoming more and more blurry. [[“I see”->Scenario 1BG]]

My father used to protect this tribe with his spear, but it seems that I must protect it with documents and law, by speaking to outsiders like you in English. I was contacted by local lawyers before you, who worked with me to bring a petition to the government saying that this land is ours. The government disagreed and refused to stop the drilling. If more wells are opened and more drilling occurs, the territory between us and the Tarotagaeri will shrink even more, and the scuffles will soon turn into an all out war for the hunting grounds. It will be a bloodbath. Persuading the people in charge of drilling to stop might be the only way. This battle will be fought with words, not spears. [[“And if they don’t listen?”->Scenario 1BH]]

We are survivors. If all else fails, I will protect the remnants of our hunting grounds with my life. The Orani don’t differentiate between the health of the Tribe and the Health of the Rainforest you see. If one falls, the other will surely follow. They keep telling me a small family can’t defend a big territory, but I have a right to defend my land. [[Return to where Gaia brought you.->Scenario 1]]

Drilling began in the Amazon in the 1970’s and by the 1990’s the environmental effects were already becoming apparent. Drilling operations produced over 3.2 million gallons of wastewater a day that oil companies stored in pits that would leak into the environment through the soil and waterways, and this is not even mentioning the 16.8 million gallons of oil spilled from pipelines. [[“What are the effects on the ecosystem?”-> Scenario 1CA2]]

This all has a devastating effect on the ecosystem. Aquatic birds and mammals are hurt in two major ways, through physical contact with oil in the water which gets on their fur and feathers and through the toxic contamination that occurs when an animal ingests or inhales oil. Oil vapors can cause damage to an animal's central nervous system, liver, and lungs. Ingesting it also harms cells in the digestive tract, reducing its ability to get nutrients from food. There can also be long term reproductive problems in animals that ingest the oil, causing populations to drop drastically. Otters, aquatic birds, snails, and clams are the most consistent victims. [[“What about Plants?”-> Scenario 1CA3]]

Plants as well have been greatly affected. The toxicity of the chemicals in the oil reduces the metabolism, photosynthetic ability, oxygen intake, and more of aquatic plants while also harming terrestrial plants in similar ways. Oil that mixes with the soil creates an anaerobic environment that suffocates plants, and oil blocking stomata of plant leaves starves them. [[“And humans?”-> Scenario 1CA4]]

Humans are part of the environment too, and oil does not spare them. Oil exposure causes damage to the respiratory, liver, and reproductive systems as well as overall decreased immunity and increased cancer risk. Mercury is a highly toxic chemical that is frequently found in people who were exposed to oil, and it causes brain and liver damage. Sores on the skin and other physical ailments are also possible. Make no mistake, oil causes destruction to almost all forms of life it comes into contact with. [[“What will happen in the long term?”->Scenario 1CB1]]

That being said, life will ultimately adapt and continue in the face of destruction. Five previous mass extinctions have occurred and life has prevailed through all of them. Over time evolution will lead to animals that are resilient against the oil. Will humans adapt as well? Perhaps, but many will die before that happens. Shutting down the mine will have its consequences too, of course. Cars, planes, computers, these all need power to function and oil is a great source of power. But these elements are not something I created, and as such I do not think much of them. Human lives could be destroyed with such a sudden loss of these things, however, and that is worth thinking about. [[Continue-> Scenario 1CB2]]

Anyway, that is all the information I have to share with you. If you would like more, please talk to the others around you. That is the reason I brought you here. When you are ready to make your final choice, come to me again and I will use the power I have granted you as humanity’s representative to either shut down the mine completely or allow it to continue to run. [[Go talk to others in the rainforest->Scenario 1]] [[“I’m ready to make my choice.”->Scenario 1CC]]

Great. Now with the power I invested in you as the representative of all humanity, I ask you… Will you shut down the oil min completely? Or will you allow it to continue to run? [[Shut down the mine completely.-> Ending A]] [[Allow it to continue to run.-> Ending B]] [[“Isn’t there a third option?”-> Scenario 1CD]] [[“I’m not ready to make this choice yet”-> Scenario 1CB2]]

Ending A: Your choice has been made. Now I will show you the consequences. The shutdown of the oil mine is met with much applause by the indigenous peoples and environmentalists alike. Petrostar suffers heavy layoffs, including Joe, and the company goes bankrupt. The oil shortage leads to a huge stop in air travel from California, negatively affecting the global economy. Thousands lose their jobs and there is decent economic hardship. However, there are reports of animal and plant biodiversity slowly but surely increasing in the Amazon, as well as interviews with the Orani people, who are happily continuing their traditional way of life, living in tandem with the land. Now that you’ve made your choice are you satisfied? Take what you’ve learned with you, and know that I, Gaia, am watching humanity’s choices as the world continues to change. [[Go back to Scenario 1->Scenario 1]] [[Go back to the Title Screen->Start Screen]] [[Watch Credits->Credits]]

Your choice has been made. Now I will show you the consequences. The mine keeps running as planned with Oliver Star promising that more environmental initiatives are in the works, though none of those promises continue to fruition. Joe makes a good living and provides a good life for his family. The oil business continues to thrive as air travel becomes more frequently used. The Orani people disappear along with dozens of other indigenous tribes. There’s reports of huge loss in biodiversity as oil spill after oil spill wreaks havoc on the Amazon Rainforest. Yet, there also are reports of many species adapting to the harsh conditions and surviving, though Otters are not among those and go extinct as do many other species. Still things largely remain the same as they were, with news outlets wondering what will happen when the oil wells eventually dry up. Now that you’ve made your choice are you satisfied? Take what you’ve learned with you, and know that I, Gaia, am watching humanity’s choices as the world continues to change. [[Go back to Scenario 1->Scenario 1]] [[Go back to the Title Screen->Start Screen]] [[Watch Credits->Credits]]

In an ideal world, there would be more conversations between mining companies, indigenous peoples, and those who act for the sake of the environment to create more options… But currently that is not the case. [[“I understand”->Scenario 1CC]]

Credits: Fellowship Project Title: Mining and Data Mining Writer/Designer: Jared Cocomazzi Project Instructor: Eduard Arriaga-Arango Project Instructor: Andrés Villar Sources: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/village-ecuadors-amazon-fights-life-oil-wells-move [[Title Screen->Start Screen]]