Appalachian Ohio Sierra Club events November 4-10
Title of Presentation: "Climate Change: The Evidence, People and Our Options"
Location: Walter Hall Rotunda, Ohio University
Date and time: Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7PM
Residents and students in SE Ohio will have an opportunity to hear firsthand from the scientist dubbed the "Paul Revere" of glacial ice melt who distills over 30 years of experience in the field and over 50 expeditions [1] Dr. Lonnie Thompson of the Byrd Polar Center at Ohio State University is a recipient of the National Medal of Science - the highest possible recognition from the U.S. government - presented in 2007 by President Bush. It has been said that he has spent more time above 20,000 feet elevation than any other scientist. His career is portrayed in profiles by the national PBS "Nova" science series [2] as well as the local Columbus public TV station [3]. His career has also been featured in the New York Times [4] and National Geographic [5] .
Thompson receiving National Medal of Science from President Bush
In his recent paper, he addresses the urgency of the climate crisis:
"Climatologists, like other scientists, tend to be a stolid group. We are not given to theatrical rantings about falling skies. Most of us are far
more comfortable in our laboratories or gathering data in the field than we are giving interviews to journalists or speaking before Congressional
committees. Why then are climatologists speaking out about the dangers of global warming? The answer is that virtually all of us are now
convinced that global warming poses a clear and present danger to civilization." [6]
Amplifying this theme even further, he issues a warning on the possibility of abrupt climate change:
"So, not only is Earth’s temperature rising, but the rate of this change is accelerating. This means that our future may not be a steady,
gradual change in the world’s climate, but an abrupt and devastating deterioration from which we cannot recover." [7]
One of the unsettling changes he sees coming is a drastic loss of water supply as the glaciers melt that supply water to huge populations of people in places like China and India: "If Naimona’nyi is characteristic of other glaciers in the region, alpine glacier meltwater surpluses are likely to shrink
much faster than currently predicted with substantial consequences for approximately half a billion people."
His presentation will open with a brief video clip from the award-winning documentary "Chasing Ice", containing stunning images of the largest glacier break-up ever recorded. [8] This will be followed by the profile of his life work by Columbus public TV station WOSU.
6) Same as #1
7) Same as #1.
9) Same as #3
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AOG Meeting November 7 at the Athena Cinema Uptown. Two showings!
TWO FREE SCREENINGS GASLAND 2
Thursday, November 7, 7:00pm & 9:00pm
The Athena Cinema on Court St.
A free public screening of
Gasland 2 will be shown at the Athena Theater on Court Street in Athens, on
THURSDAY, Nov 7 at 7 pm, AND
9 pm too!
"In this explosive follow-up to his Oscar®-nominated film GASLAND, filmmaker Josh Fox uses his trademark dark humor to take a deeper, broader look at the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the controversial method of extracting natural gas and oil, now occurring on a global level (in 32 countries worldwide).
"GASLAND PART II, which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, shows how the stakes have been raised on all sides in one of the most important environmental issues facing our nation today. The film argues that the gas industry’s portrayal of natural gas as a clean and safe alternative to oil is a myth and that fracked wells inevitably leak over time, contaminating water and air, hurting families, and endangering the earth’s climate with the potent greenhouse gas, methane. In addition the film looks at how the powerful oil and gas industries are in Fox's words "contaminating our democracy".
Cosponsors: Appalachian Ohio Sierra Club, Interfaith Impact, Athens County Fracking Action Network, Athens Bill of Rights Committee, Better Together at Ohio University, Thursday Supper, The Chapel Apartments, Purely American Foods, Athens Hills Community Supported Agriculture, Laurel Valley Creamery, Snowville Creamery, Sassafras Farm, Green Edge Gardens, Rich Gardens, Mushrooom Harvest Produce Supply, Herbal Sage, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, Fluff Bakery, Ridge Runner Coffee, Village Bakery, Catalyst Cafe, and Della Zona Pizzeria. United Campus Ministry
The non-Sierra Club activities are listed as a service and are not sponsored nor administered by the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club has no information about the planning of those activities and it makes no representations or warranties about the quality, safety, supervision or management of such activities
