Earth Chats: Edward NortonOn an interconnected globe, small daily actions matter—and can be changed.

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Edward Norton: I'm not telling anybody what to do. Do whatever you want. I'm just interested.

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Washington, D.C.: Mr. Norton, thank you for holding this chat. The simple truth is that rarely does the public or science community have a chance to rebut the very public assertions of actors and other 'big' names in regard to environmental and other political issues. Do you think the public should consider the lack of peer review and its impact on the reliability or credibility of the information you disseminate?

Edward Norton: I'm not personally asserting anything. These are simply issues that interest me and that I think are very worthy of broad discussion. I think informed debate is absolutely crucial. If you watch the series you'll see that nothing that is presented is not peer-reviewed science. It's all peer-reviewed, which I agree must be the standard. What's interesting to me is when the American chemical companies try to rebut extensive peer reviewed science about Bisphenol-A by citing NON-peer reviewed, industry paid scientists. The tobacco companies did the same thing for years. Those are the assertions that should be critiqued most fiercely.

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New Orleans, La.: Some times actions speak louder than words or seminars. Will you agree to arrive at every red carpet awards event for the remainder of 2008 and all of 2009 in an energy efficient vehicle, instead of a stretch limousine?

Edward Norton: I haven't ridden in a stretch limo in years. I can't stand them. I've used only a company in LA called Evo Limo that has a full fleet of low-emission vehicles, including CNG SUV's... there are two good companies in NY too...a bunch of us have pushed the studios to use only these companies and the pressure has apparently made some of the big commercial companies like CLS and BLS start buying efficient cars. It's a drop in the bucket but it's a step in the right direction.

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San Antonio, Tex.: What are your feelings on bio-fuels?

Do you see them as a viable energy alternative or do we need to invest in some other technologies?

Edward Norton: I don't have nearly enough expertise to judge how much bio-fuels can accomplish in the grand scheme of things. I'm trying to learn more about it. It does seem to me from what I'm reading that corn-based ethanol is a bad choice because it's extremely energy inefficient. Brazil seems to have had a lot of success becoming energy independent by utilizing their sugar cane cash crops for biofuel/flex fuel.

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Anonymous: Edward, as a consequence of hosting and narrating the Strange Days series have you altered any of your personal habits and if so which ones?

Carmel, Calif.

Edward Norton: The series definitely tuned me in to how much I was using plastic bags. I've tried to cut down on that.

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Freising, Germany: Have you and your team ever looked into the effect that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are having on the oceans?

According to an article in Mother Jones Magazine The Fate of the Ocean (Mother Jones, March/April), "Among the most frightening news for coral reefs is the increasing acidity of the ocean as a result of rising levels of carbon dioxide". Apparently, the CO2 absorbed by the oceans changes its pH level, which will eventually cause the shells and skeletons of reef-building corals and mollusks to degrade.

Edward Norton: Yes, this gets discussed very specifically in the series. There's a whole storyline on it. I agree, it's terrifying. Check it out...they present it really well. In addition to average ocean temperatures rising, they think ocean acidification from carbon loading is likely to be one of the most serious threats to reef health and zooplankton populations.

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Edward Norton: Time's up apparently. Sorry I couldn't answer more questions...so many good ones. To be clear, I don't assert any kind of personal expertise as to the science behind these issues...I'm just interested and concerned like many people. The series provides some very penetrating insights by peer-reviewed scientists and is really worth checking out.
Thanks for a cool dialogue.

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