3 Billion and Counting

Dr. Rutledge Taylor and his team take an in-depth look into a disease that has killed more people than any other: Malaria. Collecting testimonies from African, Indian and U.S. agencies, charitable organizations, scientists, politicians, doctors, clinics, victims and survivors, the film exposes the politics behind domestic and international policies leading to the much-publicized 1972 ban of DDT (Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane), believed at the time to be one of the most 'dirty' chemicals ever created by man. Despite DDT's effectiveness in eradicating malaria from the U.S., its ban was considered a hallmark victory by the early Environmental Movement. The banning decision, however, was fraught with lies and controversies. DDT has since been proven to be - and always has been - one of the safest, most environmentally-sound and most effective chemicals for fighting malaria, able to save millions of lives in the developing nations. When the EPA, Greenpeace, WWF and the Sierra Club refuse interviews, Dr. Rutledge realizes he is at the epicenter of a little-known force behind the environmental policy-makers, whose political agenda and ideology come with a human cost. Pop star Debbie Gibson composed the original score and original title track "Rise." With vector born diseases (Malaria, Dengue Fever and West Nile Virus) and bed bugs on the rise, is it time to bring back DDT?