Global Launch of Climate Change Documentary Set for Earth Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2013
Contact: Rima Mulla, 617-722-0036 ext. 220, rmulla@secondnature.org

Global Launch of Climate Change Documentary Set for Earth Day

BOSTON, MA-On April 22, Earth Day 2013, people in close to 200 locations throughout the world, on every continent and time zone, will participate in the free premier of Thin Ice-The Inside Story of Climate Change. The 73-minute documentary is the first film about the science of climate change made by scientists themselves. It tells the story of the urgent work to understand the Earth's changing climate from the standpoint of the individuals who are on the front lines of climate change research in the Arctic, Antarctic, Southern Ocean, New Zealand, Europe, and the United States.

More than six years in the making, Thin Ice is a compelling look at the changes taking place in the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and ice sheets. It documents the hopes, fears, and sense of urgency driving the scientists studying these changes.

The film will be seen worldwide, in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the US base at McMurdo Sound in Antarctica, and at the South Pole itself. College campuses in the United States that are signatories to the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) are arranging screenings throughout the day for students, faculty, and the public.

"The film puts a human face on climate science and gives us a chance to see the astonishing range of human activity and scientific endeavor involved in the effort to investigate our changing climate," said David Hales, President of Second Nature, the Boston-based supporting organization of the 665-member ACUPCC.

"It also stands as a response to climate skeptics who ignore or challenge the evidence supporting climate change and its profound implications for our future."

Thin Ice is a joint initiative between Oxford University, United Kingdom; Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; and London-based DOX Productions. It was produced and directed by BBC documentary filmmaker David Sington and cinematographer Dr. Simon Lamb, a geologist at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

Professor Emeritus Peter Barrett, from the Antarctic Research Centre at Victoria University, is one of the film's executive producers.

"The film highlights the huge body of evidence on the risks posed by climate change and the need to start reducing emissions. It is both realistic and hopeful, giving us insights into how to go forward," Barrett said.

The film will also be free to stream from the project's website http://thiniceclimate.org on Earth Day. Many of the scientists interviewed in the film, along with climate change experts, will take part in a global discussion via Twitter and Facebook throughout the day.

The film is part of a larger Thin Ice Climate Project that is supported by a comprehensive website, including more than four hours of film footage (http://thiniceclimate.org). Additional information about the film is available in the accompanying Press Kit.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EARTH DAY SCREENINGS visit http://thiniceclimate.org/launch.

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW: David Sington (in United Kingdom) +44 07887 705424 david.sington@tvdox.com; Simon Lamb (in New Zealand) 00-644-562-8408 simon.lamb@vuw.ac.nz. 

Publication Date: 
Wednesday, April 17, 2013