[✔️] March 6, 2023- Global Warming News Digest | Yale 10 top documentaries, AI to fix global warming, Australian discussion,
Richard Pauli
Richard at CredoandScreed.com
Mon Mar 6 07:21:11 EST 2023
/*March 6, 2023*/
/[ Yale suggests some movies - what does it mean that there are SO MANY
documentaries? ] /
*10 of the best climate change documentaries to see in 2023*
These films screened at the recent Wild & Scenic Film Festival.
by DAISY SIMMONS
MARCH 2, 2023
What happens when you watch 20 or so documentaries that grapple with
climate change and its many impacts — all in a row? I set out to find
out at the 21st annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival, held in February
in Nevada County, California.
I braced myself for a heavy affair. After all, the climate crisis is
exactly that: a crisis. Doom and gloom can be hard to avoid. But as a
fest vet, I also knew I could count on the morale boost that comes with
seeing great people, doing great things, everywhere, every day.
This year was especially galvanizing as the festival came to life in
person again for the first time since COVID, with filmmakers, activists,
and people who just like nature converging to watch a bunch of films
about the environment and climate change.
“CommUnity” was the festival theme this year, a concept that came
roaring to life throughout the nine film venues scattered across
downtown Nevada City and Grass Valley, sister towns in the Sierra Nevada
foothills. The film selections included a wide range of films focused on
people with different backgrounds, and ASL interpreters stood alongside
presenters on stage at several screenings.
The sense that we’re in this together reached far beyond the theater
walls, infusing activist workshops, environmental vendor booths, and
even shops and restaurants where people seemed ready, eager even, to
talk about the films they’d seen.
One evening at a popular pizzeria and brewery in downtown Nevada City, I
sat with a friend to scarf down a broccoli lemon pizza and an Emerald
Pool IPA, named for the local river’s sublimely green waters. The
festival was all the talk at our communal table; the couple to my left
were retirees who had volunteered as ticket takers at a previous
session. They ended up taking our advice on what to watch with their
passes that night. And the group to my right included a staff member at
SYRCL, the organization behind the festival (making her an obvious VIP
in our midst), and a trio of her friends who’d traveled from other parts
of the state expressly for the occasion.
Through conversations like those, a few key themes began to take shape.
The following are the major takeaways from my time at this year’s
festival — with film recommendations to back it all up.
*Take-away No. 1: Women are leading the way*
Women may have been underrepresented at COP27, but a smattering of
new documentaries serve as a counterpoint.
- -
*Exposure (87 minutes) *Trailer (32 seconds )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Mx1iDgTok
Ever wondered what might happen when a Muslim chaplain, French
biologist, Qatari princess, and eight other women set out to ski across
melting Arctic sea ice to the North Pole? “Exposure” answers that
question with an intimate, action-packed (and true) story of resilience,
survival, and global citizenry, as the team navigates everything from
frostbite and polar bear threats to sexism, self-doubt, and the haunting
shadow that this could be the last expedition of its kind over the
disappearing ice cap. https://www.exposure-film.com/screenings
- -
*Powerlands (85 minutes) *(trailer 1 minute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eewFcxTBRnc )
In “Powerlands,” we journey across three continents to see different
modes of power in play: coal and wind, corporate, and military — as well
as the power of community resistance. Young Navajo filmmaker Ivey
Camille Manybeads Tso follows the trail of extractive industries
exploiting her homeland, charting a trail of community displacement and
environmental devastation in rural Colombia, the Philippines, Mexico,
and Standing Rock. Throughout, she learns from Indigenous women leading
the struggle against the same companies — lessons she brings home to the
Navajo Nation. (Teachers, check out this study guide with discussion
prompts, too.)
- -
*Sisters in Arms (60 minutes; French, with subtitles) *(Trailer
http://clpbrights.com/en/documentaires/sisters-in-arms )
“Sisters in Arms” follows six young climate activists around the world:
Adelaide and Anuna in Belgium, Luisa in Germany, Léna in France, Leah in
Uganda, and Mitzi in the Philippines. Woven through scenes depicting
their forms of activism — from organizing climate rallies to launching
community tree planting campaigns — we see footage from the late 90s,
when another prominent youth activist, Julia Butterfly Hill, took a
stand for the redwoods in Northern California. Linking her leadership
with theirs, the film draws a clear line between the willingness to take
a stand and the strength that many women have found in sisterhood.
http://clpbrights.com/en/documentaires/sisters-in-arms
- -
*Rockies Repeat (20 minutes)*
“Rockies Repeat” brings viewers to the Canadian Rockies, where a team of
Indigenous and other women artists have come together to reinterpret the
work of early Banff painter Catharine Robb Whyte, who painted the
glacial beauty here nearly 100 years ago. But now, instead of the icy
landscape she’d so lovingly rendered, the artists are met with
record-breaking heat, wildfire-smoke-clogged horizons, and a visibly
disappearing glacier. Expect rousing music, breathtaking scenery, and a
shared conviction that a melting glacier isn’t just an environmental
loss — it’s a powerful loss emotionally and culturally, and bearing
witness to it is part of what makes us human.
(trailer 70 seconds
https://vimeo.com/508246340?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=132807731
)
- -
*Take-away No. 2: Climate change is a complex problem. So is solving
it.* ( teaser https://vimeo.com/508246340 )
Living up to Paris agreement commitments is no simple undertaking.
Doing so requires restructuring the energy system while also coping
with the accelerating impacts of climate change. For many people,
that means changing the way they’ve been doing things for
generations and even reconsidering the notion of home in the first
place.
Communities across the U.S. are threatened by climate change
already, from wildfire across the West to flooding in the Southeast
and more severe weather just about everywhere in between. There’s
nothing simple about seeing your hometown battered or destroyed by
any of those impacts — let alone deciding what to do about it...
- -
*The Mud on their Hands (14 minutes) *(trailer 27 seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueJtuBaJRb0)
In “The Mud on Their Hands,” winner of the festival’s Best Short award,
we meet Rev. Tyronne Edwards of Phoenix, Louisiana, the passionate
leader who helped his community rebuild after Katrina. Now he’s doubling
down on helping his congregation and neighbors protect their homes from
future storm surges. When asked the question more people are hearing
every day — “Have you considered moving?” — he is resolute in his desire
to stay. “This is our home. Our blood is here.” If he has to rebuild
again, and again, he says, that’s what he’s going to do. And, he
counters, what would be the point in moving? No place is immune to
climate change... trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueJtuBaJRb0
- -
*Dear President Biden (40 minutes) * ( trailer 1:48
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMsiyG7vQKU )
The personal becomes political in “Dear President Biden,” as activists
across the country take turns voicing their stories, concerns, and
requests with President Biden. In general, they appreciate the Biden
administration’s climate progress to date, from rejoining the Paris
agreement on his first day in office to passing the Inflation Reduction
Act, aka “the climate bill,” and earmarking infrastructure bill dollars
to support the clean energy jobs pipeline.
But they’re also upset about setbacks they’ve seen, in the news and
their communities, including auctioning for offshore drilling a
record-breaking 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico and opening up
more public land to fossil fuel development. The film also takes aim at
the administration’s investment in carbon capture, which removes carbon
dioxide from stationary pollution sources like coal power plants — but
that some climate researchers argue is dangerous and helps extend the
life of the fossil fuel industry.
- -
*Devil Put the Coal in the Ground (80 minutes) * ( 1:38 on Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/452308181?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=68505053 )
Even the recognition that we need to move from coal to solar is not at
all simple, at least for people in Appalachia. In “Devil Put the Coal in
the Ground,” an affecting feature-length film featuring music from Steve
Earle and Iris DeMent, we see how coal mining ravaged public health
across West Virginia — but also how it formed the fabric of many
communities. It was the job passed down from father to son, over
generations, that enabled working-class people across the state to
provide for their families. To one town judge, cutting out coal may
sound like an easy solution — when you don’t live there. But for people
and families in coal country, he says, “It’s kind of an existential
loss.” It’s losing out on the vision you had for your future that had
been based on everything your family had done for generations.
- -
*Sagebrush Gold (23 minutes)*
( 1min:48 seconds Sagebrush Gold | Trailer
https://vimeo.com/681930869?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=103645715
)
Adding another layer to the complexity: The clean energy transition
depends on critical mineral extraction, which can be done responsibly
with respect for local and Indigenous communities, economic justice, and
environmental impacts — or not. “Sagebrush Gold” examines dueling points
of view over lithium mining in Nevada.
On one hand, there’s the soft-spoken industry representative who speaks
with conviction about the climate benefits of lithium mining here.
There’s also the motel owner who, in her “Colbert/Stewart for president”
T-shirt, suggests that concerns over the cultural impacts of the
proposed mine are a NIMBY issue and that the mine is a necessary part of
the shift away from fossil fuels. On the other hand, Indigenous leaders,
ranchers, and biologists are actively protesting the mine, railing
against its ecosystem impacts and potential consequences for human
health, too. Although the mine in question during filming is on hold as
of early 2023, there are thousands of lithium mine requests pending in
the state.
*Take-away No. 3: We can do hard things*
We’ve established that facing the climate crisis isn’t easy. And the
feelings people have about it probably aren’t either. The following
films take those things up, mash them together, and remind viewers
that humans are well suited to taking on big challenges when we take
care of ourselves and each other along the way...
- -
*Feeling the Apocalypse (7 minutes) ( trailer ) *(trailer 32 seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IwAH8KUbsU )
So how do we respond to collapse without collapsing? That’s the
anchoring question of “Feeling the Apocalypse,” a short animated
documentary featuring psychotherapist Anderson Todd’s candid confession
of his struggles with climate anxiety — and what he does to stay
grounded in an increasingly uncertain world. The upshot: If you’re
experiencing climate grief or anxiety, you’re decidedly not alone. And
there are strategies you can use to cope with those hard, human feelings...
- -
*The Scale of Hope (67 minutes )//*/[incredible photography ] /
( trailer 31 seconds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMv568k9sdY)
“The Scale of Hope” blends the emotional challenge with the physical and
mental as former White House climate adviser Molly Kawahata prepares for
an epic ice climb in Alaska while struggling with bipolar disorder. As
she gets ready for this extreme adventure, she’s also working to create
a new climate narrative framed around hope rather than despair and guilt.
One audience member said she came away from Molly’s story feeling
exhilarated, as if she could suddenly find the courage she needed to
talk with her children about the future in ways that empower them.
see it now:
*The Scale of Hope | Climate, Climbing and Systemic Change*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrmKoU2Oe5I
- -
*Films as a springboard to action*
Wild and Scenic’s tagline is aspirational: “Where activism gets
inspired.” This year, though, the ambition was borne out in a number
of ways, from the many people who signed petitions opposing a local
mine development in venue lobbies to the crowds who took to the
streets as part of a Mardi Gras parade that coincided with the
festival. Immediately before the awards ceremony, dancers, drummers,
and yes, people galvanized by the film festival to stop a local mine
poured down the main street of town.
Want your own taste of inspiration? Catch an upcoming Wild and
Scenic On Tour show. https://wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/events/
To date, there are more than 40 upcoming On Tour events scheduled
across the country from Jupiter, Florida, to Ashland, Oregon, and
dozens of cities in between.
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/03/10-of-the-best-climate-change-documentaries-to-see-in-2023/
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/03/10-of-the-best-climate-change-documentaries-to-see-in-2023/
/
/
/[ See an IBM interview -- video from a larger channel archive ]/
*How AI can enable real-time energy tracking for sustainable development
| AI for Good Perspectives*
AI for Good
Premiered Oct 18, 2022 #AIforGood #SustainableDevelopment
The impact of climate change is far-reaching and can hold back progress
when it comes to realizing several of the United Nations’ Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), including achieving affordable energy,
economic growth and sustainable cities. It is imperative to align
sustainability goals to business objectives while complying with
regulatory demands to achieve sustainability targets. To accomplish
this, IBM helps customers operationalize sustainability end-to-end,
helping to develop solutions comprised of data-driven innovation through
a comprehensive portfolio of industry leading consulting and technology
capabilities. A major area of opportunity for applying AI for increased
energy efficiency is IT operations and data centers. This AI for Good
webinar will highlight the IBM LinuxONE and IBM Instana for
Observability, which allows clients to track and reduce data center
energy consumption in real-time, ultimately bringing the power of AI to
energy efficiency solutions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbT4GH7bl5c&t=2s
- -
see more at YouTube channel of AI for Good
https://www.youtube.com/@AIforGood
- -
/[ It's not too early to deploy AI to save our future ]/
*AI Is Essential for Solving the Climate Crisis*
July 7, 2022
By Hamid Maher, Hubertus Meinecke, Damien Gromier, Mateo Garcia-Novelli,
and Ruth Fortmann
The changing climate will have a major impact on environmental, social,
and economic systems around the globe. We are already experiencing many
of its environmental effects, from longer droughts to more destructive
storms.
Mitigation is therefore critical, including efforts to achieve net-zero
emissions by 2050. However, minimizing the harm will also require
increasing our efforts at adaptation and resilience—from immediate
crisis response to long-term planning. Further, these efforts will
require support from activities such as research, finance, and education.
AI as a tool is uniquely positioned to help manage these complex issues.
Due to its capacity to gather, complete, and interpret large, complex
datasets on emissions, climate impact, and more, it can be used to
support all stakeholders in taking a more informed and data-driven
approach to combating carbon emissions and building a greener society.
It can also be employed to reweight global climate efforts toward the
most at-risk regions. (See “Addressing the Needs of the Global South.”)
- -
*The AI Opportunity*
Global public- and private-sector leaders surveyed see the greatest
business value for AI in the reduction and measurement of emissions.
However, there are many diverse ways in which global leaders can use AI
to achieve their goals.
Mitigation. AI can be employed to help measure emissions at both
the macro and micro levels, reduce emissions and greenhouse gas (GHG)
effects, and remove existing emissions from the atmosphere. In BCG’s
experience, for example, AI can be used to help reduce GHG emissions
equal to 5% to 10% of an organization’s carbon footprint, or a total 2.6
to 5.3 gigatons of CO2e if scaled globally.
Adaptation and Resilience. AI can be applied to improve hazard
forecasting for regionalized long-term events, such as sea-level rise,
and for immediate, extreme events, such as hurricanes, among other
possibilities. These applications include the management of
vulnerability and exposure, such as by developing infrastructure that
can minimize the impact of climate hazards.
Fundamentals. AI can also be used to bolster efforts across climate
research and modeling; climate finance; and education, nudging, and
behavior change, such as by powering personalized tools to estimate an
individual’s carbon footprint or making recommendations for
environmentally friendly purchases. (See the exhibit.)...
- -
*A Call for Solutions*
While there are still numerous roadblocks to implementation, we are
excited to work with AI for the Planet to help new solutions push past
those roadblocks and achieve their potential at scale. We encourage all
interested parties to participate in our first call for
solutions—including those at any stage of maturity, given a working
prototype, and from any sector.
Recognizing that all individuals, communities, and organizations have a
role to play regardless of their formal role in AI or climate topics,
readers are further invited to consider how other emerging technologies
can help fight climate change and to remove obstacles to scale for those
as well.
Finally, we encourage readers who are engaged in the climate or AI
communities to share the roadblocks, frictions, and pain points they
face in engaging with climate analytics, AI solutions for the climate
crisis, and other issues. This vital support will inform future
publications and, more importantly, help us prioritize our efforts to
address these pain points.
This article is adapted from a report created with AI for the Planet, an
alliance created by Startup Inside with BCG as a knowledge partner and
in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP);
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO); and the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology
(OICT), and includes additional results from BCG’s survey of global leaders.
https://www.bcg.com/publications/2022/how-ai-can-help-climate-change
/[ Australia seems to have more forthright discussions -- video ]/
*Space for Climate Change | Engineering with Rosie Live Ep. 22*
Engineering with Rosie
Streaming 3-5-2023
The space industry is growing fast and its climate footprint is growing
too. You might think that sending things and people to space is just a
waste of the Earth's CO2 budget, but in this livestream we're going to
talk about some of the ways that space is playing a crucial role in
fighting climate change.
Join me and 3 expert guests:
Dr Courtney Bright, Space Systems Engineer at CSIRO
spacecraft system design, testing, and operations. Translating
science/end-user needs to
feasible engineering requirements.
Dr Jasmine Muir, Senior Consultant Symbios Space
She has extensive experience across government, academia and private
industry in developing satellite Earth observation solutions to deliver
sustainable outcomes in the agriculture and mining industries.
George Dyke, Consultant Symbios Communications
Earth observation satellite applications (ceos.org), satellite systems
performance and plans
(database.eohandbook.com, eoportal.org), communications (co-author of
eohandbook.com), space
robotics (Canadarm2); also snowboarding, mountain biking, (ice) hockey,
being a dad (expert level
does not exist in this endeavour!), and Canada.
We'll be talking about these topics (as many as we've got time for!)
plus viewer questions of course.
- Satellites are useful and lots of them are for Earth observation
- Satellite data vs in situ observations
- Ozone layer example
- Sea Level Monitoring Example
- Deeper dive: greenhouse gas monitoring
- Deeper dive: deforestation
- Carbon footprint of a satellite mission
If you would like to help develop the Engineering with Rosie channel,
you could consider joining the Patreon community, where there is a chat
community (and Patreon-only Discord server) about topics covered in the
videos and suggestions for future videos and production quality
improvements. https://www.patreon.com/engineeringwi...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgCWQ5FVO_A
/[The news archive - looking back at moments of great expectations ]/
/*March 6, 2007 */
February 6, 2007: In a New York Times article, former Times
environmental reporter William K. Stevens notes:
"The [American public's] awakening [on climate] has been energized
largely by dramatic reports on the melting Arctic and by fear —
generated by the spectacular horror of Hurricane Katrina — that a
warmer ocean is making hurricanes more intense.
"Politicians are weighing in on the subject as never before,
especially with the advent of a Democratic-led Congress. It appears
likely, if not certain, that whoever is elected president in 2008
will treat the issue seriously and act accordingly, thereby bringing
the United States into concert with most of the rest of the world.
Just last week, Senator John McCain of Arizona, a presidential
aspirant and the co-author of a bill mandating stronger action,
asserted that the argument about global warming 'is over.' Back in
the day, such words from a conservative Republican would have been
unimaginable, even if he were something of a maverick."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/science/earth/06clim.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
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