Free showings of climate documentary series

First Congregational Church invites the community to join them for the final three episodes of "Years of Living Dangerously" this April. Showings will be in their community room (where we had our Climate Festival) at 2503 Main St.

        From the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the upheaval caused by drought in the Middle East, the groundbreaking documentary series, Years of Living Dangerously, provides first-hand reports on those affected by, and seeking solutions to, climate change. The episodes feature celebrity investigators, who each have a history of environmental activism, and well-known journalists, each of whom have a background in environmental reportage. The Emmy Award winning (2014) Showtime television series will be shown on Sunday afternoons at 3:00 p.m., facilitated by Carlene Roberts and Tom Uphaus. We will view the last three segments of the series as follows:

 Apr. 10 ~ Episode 7, "Revolt, Rebuild, Renew": Jessica Alba follows Climate Corps fellows as they work to help US companies save money and improve profits through energy efficiency and sustainability management. Friedman learns that "Earth could warm by more than 9 degrees F by 2100 if we don’t aggressively reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases", and that more frequent heat waves and droughts will contribute to food shortages, which can lead to greater conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. Hayes explores the economy of another area stricken by Hurricane Sandy, Far Rockaway, Queens, discovering that the most economically vulnerable people have been the most severely affected, losing their jobs because of lack of transportation, or having to move away altogether. 

Apr. 17 ~ Episode 8, "A Dangerous Future": Michael C. Hall travels to Bangladesh to see how climate change will impact workers and the poor in developing countries in the coming decades, when a projected 150 million people will be forced to leave their homes to escape sea level rise and increased drought, insect-borne disease and flooding. Matt Damon explores the public health emergencies around the nation and world caused by more frequent, intense, and longer heat waves, which kill more Americans than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and lightning combined and cause health problems associated with dehydration, such as premature birth. Friedman continues his Middle East investigation in Yemen, where the scarcity of water is already leading to local fighting. 

Apr. 24 ~ Episode 9, "Moving a Mountain": Hall concludes his journey to Bangladesh, where rising seas are expected to submerge 17% of the country. He learns that global warming is a human rights, public health and foreign policy issue. Sanjayan questions top climate scientists in their fields who collect data from the past, such as ice core samples, that explain how our climate is changing. Friedman interviews President Barack Obama on climate change and finds that climate can change so fast that it can wipe out a civilization and that "action taken to curb greenhouse emissions could have a measurable, helpful impact." Obama acknowledges that, to avoid the worst effects of global warming, we must leave some fossil fuels unexploited.