Climate change: Al Gore gets inconvenient again Michael E. Mann, Nature, 27 July 2017
Michael Mann views the US statesman’s second film probing climate change.
As US vice-president under Bill Clinton, Gore became the figurehead of the movement to combat human-driven global warming. He also became the preferred punchbag for climate-change cynics in search of a straw man. Gore is such a towering, seemingly unassailable figure in this arena that critics have gone after him with all guns blazing. As Tom Toles and I noted in our book The Madhouse Effect (Columbia Univ. Press, 2016; see Nature 538, 34–35; 2016): “They have criticized his weight, his energy bills, and incidents in his personal life — indeed, pretty much anything else they can scrape up.”
There’s one problem with taking on Gore. He punches back, and above his weight. After all, he’s up against arguably the most entrenched, wealthy and powerful industry the world has ever known: fossil fuels. And this pugilist is still very much in the fight. Witness his new film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power — the follow-up to his 2006 An Inconvenient Truth.
For those fearing a preachy PowerPoint lecture on climate science, be assured: An Inconvenient Sequel isn’t that. Rather, it largely takes the scientific evidence as a given, not least because Gore has already done a whole film on that. This instalment is an attempt to show us how striking climate impacts have become in the decade since his first movie.
Early in An Inconvenient Sequel, there’s a scene on the Greenland ice sheet, where glaciologists Eric Rignot and Konrad Steffen point to the dramatic retreat of ice in recent years. We witness rivers of surface melt water gushing away from the ice sheet to the open water of the North Atlantic Ocean. Gore poses the question: “Where is all of that water going?” He then answers it. We’re transported to Miami Beach, Florida, where we witness the flooding of streets that now comes simply with seasonal high tides. If melting Greenland ice seems distant and abstract, the perennial flooding of Miami and other coastal cities, and low-lying, highly populated countries from Bangladesh to Belgium is anything but.
The drought that has afflicted Syria for more than a decade is the most pronounced and prolonged for at least 900 years (as far back as we have reliable palaeodata). Climate change has undoubtedly had a role. Gore shows us how the impact of the drought on rural farmers led to increased conflict, a civil war, mass exodus, global conflict over immigration and, as a consequence, the emergence of Islamist terrorist group ISIS. If drought in Syria seems distant or even mundane, the threat of terrorism and global political instability is immediate and visceral. Gore has a genius for joining the dots in the global mapping of climate impacts.
In An Inconvenient Truth, Gore showed a version of the famous ‘hockey-stick’ curve that my co-authors and I published in the late 1990s ( et al. Geophys. Res. Lett. 26, 759–762; 1999), revealing a dramatic spike in temperature over the past century. There is a ‘hockey stick’ in the new film, but it charts instead the remarkable global growth in renewable energy over the past decade. Climate change is accelerating; so too is our ability to tackle it. There are reasons for cautious optimism……
Finally, the film casts an inconvenient light on humanity. It is astonishing that we’re still mired in a political debate about whether climate change even exists when, with each passing year of insufficient action, the challenge of averting a catastrophe becomes ever greater. Knowing that Al Gore is still optimistic is a shot in the arm at a time of uncertainty. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v547/n7664/full/547400a.html?foxtrotcallback=true
Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard presents the aftermath of the first atomic bomb through the remarkable drawings and stories of surviving Japanese school children who were part of an extraordinary, compassionate exchange with their American counterparts after the war.
In 1995, a parishioner of the All Souls Church in Washington, D.C., discovered a long-forgotten box containing dozens of colorful drawings made by Japanese children from the Honkawa Elementary School in Hiroshima just two years after their city was destroyed. The surprisingly hopeful drawings were created and sent to the church nearly 50 years earlier in appreciation for much-needed school supplies received as part of the church’s post-war humanitarian efforts.
The Honkawa school was just 1100 feet from ground zero on August 6, 1945. Nearly 400 children died in the schoolyard that fateful morning. Surviving students and teachers describe the horror of that day and reflect on their difficult lives amidst the rubble of their decimated city, as well as the hope they shared through their art.
Classes resumed soon after in the window-less concrete shell of the remaining Honkawa school building to provide some sense of normalcy. The film features recently found archival footage that shows what life was like in the weeks and months after the bomb fell and how Hiroshima gradually recovered.
The rediscovered drawings were restored by members of the All Souls Church, who several years later embarked on an emotional journey to Japan to exhibit the artwork at the Honkawa school and reunite the surviving artists for the first time with the drawings they created as children.
The artists and church members reflect on the lessons that resulted from a compassionate exchange nearly 70 years ago between American and Japanese children following a bitter and devastating World War.
The film is produced by Shizumi Shigeto Manale and written and directed by Bryan Reichhardt. More information here.
THE WORLD AWAITS http://soundviewmediapartners.com/the-world-awaits/ It’s a matter of time…A Don Haderlein Film A documentary film on the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Noted philosopher Noam Chomsky, world renowned physician, author and activist Helen Caldicott, MD, and founder of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation David Krieger come together through interwoven interviews to create a narrative that addresses one of the most urgent needs of our planet:
The modern dangers of nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear terrorism in the world today.
“The World Awaits” is a documentary feature depicting the effects of nuclear weapons and the urgent need for the nuclear states to reduce and eventually eliminate these highly destructive weapons of mass destruction. The narrative presents the dangers of these weapons, including recent close calls and almost
attacks we’ve had had over the 70 years since the first use of nuclear weapons in August of 1945.
The film also explores the current threat of nuclear terrorism and the dangers of nuclear power plants in our world today. The three core interviews are interwoven with archival footage of presidents Barack Obama, John Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman.
“The World Awaits” makes a strong argument for never using these weapons again and how these outdated arms and power sources should be abolished in the best interests of the survival of humanity and our planet.
https://www.apnews.com/70c22c24c7d343118dedd9cf82f94124BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — HBO says production will begin next year on a miniseries about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
The five-part series will star Jared Harris as a Soviet scientist tapped by the Kremlin to investigate the accident.
The series will dramatize the events of the 1986 Ukrainian nuclear catastrophe that resulted in widespread radioactive fallout. Thirty people were killed and more than 100,000 had to be relocated.
HBO announced at the Television Critics Association’s summer meeting on Wednesday that production on “Chernobyl” is set to begin in Lithuania in spring of 2018.
Fall Film Festival includes Documentary on St. Louis Nuclear Waste Site and Landfill Fire, Huntington News, July 23, 2017
HBO documentary, “Atomic Homefront” at St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase
FULL VERSION OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI FILM THEY DIDN’T WANT US TO SEE 34962,
(this is not the same as the film discussed below)
Memos found from man who shot Hiroshima ‘phantom film’, Asahi Shimbun , By GEN OKAMOTO/ Staff Writer, July 23, 2017 SAGAMIHARA, Kanagawa Prefecture--Memos written by a photographer who documented the damage inflicted on Hiroshima after the atomic bombing and his personal feelings have been discovered by his grandson and will be displayed in Tokyo next month.
Kiyoji Suzuki took the notes with sketches when a documentary team, in which he was a member, roamed the flattened city between September and October 1945.
The documentary, “Effects of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” was undertaken by a Japanese film company to scientifically record the extent of the damage done to both cities, including footage of destroyed cityscapes, injured people and the existence of vegetation.
The shooting of Nagasaki ran into difficulties as the U.S. military meddled in the project. But the crew managed to continue with their work after being commissioned by the U.S. military.
Although the documentary was completed in 1946, the U.S. military confiscated the film and didn’t return it to Japan until 1967. The footage became known as the “phantom film” on the atomic bombings.
Hiroshi Nose, also a photographer who lives in Sagamihara, found his grandfather’s memos at his home in 2013.
Suzuki’s entries began on Sept. 18, 1945, when he was living in Tokyo and assigned to the film project in Hiroshima.
His memos show sketches of a “shadow” of a person or object etched on a nearby building by the bomb’s thermal flash and of a deformed leaf of a plant.
Suzuki also mentioned which lenses he used for filming and the weather that day.
Although many of the memos concern objective data, others appeared to reveal his personal feelings in the midst of the devastation…….
Nose completed a 28-minute documentary film last fall, titled “Hiroshima Bomb, Illusive Photography Memos,” after visiting places in Hiroshima that were associated with Suzuki’s memos.
The documentary compared footage of Hiroshima today and that of the city 72 years ago shot by his grandfather.
The memos will be displayed for the first time to the public at Art Gallery 884 in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward on Aug. 5-9. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201707230019.html
The Earth Focus Environmental Film Festival kicks off July 27 and will play five other environmental films on July 29. Los Angeles’ first film festival focused on environmental issues is set to launch in July, with Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Sequel serving as its opening-night film.
KCETLink Media Group, the national independent broadcast and digital media network, will launch the Earth Focus Environmental Film Festival through its two services, KCET public television in Los Angeles and independent satellite network Link TV nationwide.
The organizers are partnering closely on the event with the Washington-based Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF), which for over 25 years has been the world’s premier showcase of environmentally themed films.
The Paramount and Participant Media film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, which first debuted at Sundance, will open the fest with a screening at Paramount’s Sherry Lansing Theatre on July 27. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk.
The festival will take place on Sat., July 29, from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre. The free event, which is open to the public, will feature five additional films tackling the most important and relevant global environmental issues today. Celebrity environmental activists including Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time, Murder in the First, Longmire), Ed Begley Jr. (Ghostbusters, St. Elsewhere, Pineapple Express), Patrick Fabian (Better Call Saul) and Sharon Lawrence (Shameless, Solace, NYPD Blue) will introduce each film that will be followed by post-screening dialogues with the filmmakers. Free general admission tickets are available here.
“With our commitment to bringing environmental conservation issues to the forefront for audiences on multiple platforms through our EARTH FOCUS franchise, we are proud to offer a free festival as a resource for enlightenment and education through powerful storytelling,” said Michael Riley, president and CEO of KCETLink Media Group. “In partnership with DCEFF, we’ve been able to curate the finest films that cover a range of issues impacting the environment today. We hope these films can encourage our community here in Southern California to play a part in helping save our planet for tomorrow.”
Al Gore: The Green Revolution Is ‘Unstoppable’, Despite a tough political climate, the environmental activist is still optimistic. National Geographic Magazine By With his 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, former U.S. vice president Al Gore drew public attention to the threat of climate change. This July, An Inconvenient Sequel opens in theaters. Gore, 69, says the stakes are higher now but the solutions are clearer.
What do you think the public misunderstands about climate change?
I think the overwhelming majority of the public understands very well that climate change is an extremely important challenge, that human beings are responsible for it, and that we need to act quickly and decisively to solve it. The most persuasive arguments have come from Mother Nature. Climate-related extreme weather events are now so numerous and severe that it’s hard to dismiss what’s happening. But even those who don’t want to use the words “global warming” or “climate crisis” are finding other ways to say, “Yes, we’ve got to move on solar, wind, batteries, electric cars, and so on.” We have so much at risk…….
What is your goal with the new film, An Inconvenient Sequel?
My main goal is to add to the momentum. One hundred percent of the profits I would otherwise get from the movie, and book we’re doing, will go into training more climate activists. That was true with the first movie as well…….
What scares you most about the future?
While we are winning, we are not yet winning fast enough. The continued accumulation of manmade global warming pollution in the atmosphere adds to the damage that we will pass on to the future. Some of the changes are not recoverable. We can’t just turn a switch and reverse the melting of big ice sheets.
What gives you hope for the future?
There are so many people working around the world on this that I am extremely optimistic. It would certainly be helpful to have policies and laws that speed up our response. But market forces are working in our favor. Solar, wind, and other technologies are getting cheaper and better. More cities and companies are pledging to go 100 percent renewable. I believe the sustainability revolution is unstoppable. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/07/3-questions-al-gore-climate-change/
Renewable Japan, The Search for a New EnergyParadigm http://www.nihontogenpatsu.com/english https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVKnZ2x3-uE Hiroyuki Kawai Lawyer
Dear All,
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and my third movie. I am a lawyer based in Tokyo. I have spoken out regarding the dangers of nuclear power and taken legal action together with other lawyers and citizens’ groups to halt the use of nuclear power throughout Japan for some twenty years now.
I have stepped up my efforts since the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and in an effort to inform the public (in Japan and elsewhere) with regard to issues around the use of nuclear power, I have made three movies. The first, “Nuclear Japan: Has Nuclear Power Brought Us Happiness?” provided a detailed description of Japan’s nuclear village and of the accident at Fukushima. The second “Nuclear Japan: The Nightmare Continues” focused on the accident at Fukushima and the lives of those affected by it some four years later. These movies were widely viewed by the Japanese public and used as a reference in a number of district court cases.
Many of the individuals who watched these first two movies came to understand the danger and expense of nuclear power but they often asked me “In the absence of nuclear power, will we be able to satisfy our need for electricity?” I set out to understand and address this concern by traveling extensively to study how pioneering individuals, communities and companies are meeting their energy needs in Japan and around the world. I traveled with Mr. Tetsunari Iida, a renewable energy expert, and our travels provide the footage for my third movie entitled “Renewable Japan, The Search for a New Energy Paradigm.”
I was truly surprised and impressed by what I found, by the quality and scale of the energy revolution that is underway. And much of this is little known in Japan where nuclear reactors are being re-booted and nuclear technology is being promoted and outsourced. But there is a movement here in Japan too, and a tangible sense of hope in many outlying areas. So, while the Japanese government is becoming increasingly isolated in their approach to energy, I believe that the revolution within and beyond our borders will win out in the end.
If you are interested in showing “Renewable Japan – The Search for a New Energy Paradigm” to a group of people, please make use of the following instructions in order to make use of a free online live video stream:
The Nuclear Requiem Bob Frye’s The Nuclear Requiem is now airing on PBS nationwide. WYCC has a broadcast scheduled for 8 p.m.on April 30th, with WTTW airing it on the same day at 6 p.m. Or watch online anytime at PBS. Check out the film’s website or Facebook page for more details.
Fukushima Anniversary: Japan’s Historic Love-Hate Relationship with Nuclear Power http://www.globalresearch.ca/fukushima-anniversary-japans-historic-love-hate-relationship-with-nuclear-power/5581683
Global Research News Hour Episode 175 By Michael Welch, Peter Kuznick, and Gordon Edwards Global Research, March 26, 2017 The island nation of Japan is ranked third in the world in terms of the number of functioning nuclear reactors on its territory.
Full Documentary Films – Children of Chernobyl – Discovery Channel Documentaries
And Not So
Particularly, The Children
What would happen if a nuclear weapon was detonated in your nearest city? Find out with this online tool Telegraph 17 DECEMBER 2016
If you feel your life is lacking a little in pointless anxiety this festive season, here’s a fun online tool that lets you find out how much damage would occur if a nuclear bomb exploded in your neighbourhood.
NUKEMAP was created by Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science at the Stevens Institute of Technology.It’s been around for a few years, but has gone viral in recent days after appearing in the Data Is Beautiful section of Reddit.
Simply type in the name of the city you want to virtually nuke, and select the size of explosion, from a 20 kiloton ‘Davy Crockett’ (the smallest nuclear weapon produced by the US) to the terrifying 100 megaton “Tsar Bomba”.
The map then displays colour-coded circles indicating fireball radius, radiation radius, air blast radius and thermal radiation radius.
Here are the likely effects of a Chinese Dong Feng-5 ICBM exploding over central London: [maps on original] ……..http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/12/17/would-happen-nuclear-weapon-detonated-nearest-city-find-online/
RAM GOPAL VARMA ANNOUNCES HIS FIRST INTERNATIONAL PROJECT ‘NUCLEAR’ http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/Ram-Gopal-Varma-announces-his-first-international-project-Nuclear/articleshow/55288938.cms Think about films with harsh realities, and the first name that pops up in your mind is none other than Ram Gopal Varma. The director, popularly known as RGV, has always managed to be in the news. A no-nonsense man, RGV shared details about his first international project, titled Nuclear, on his social media handle.
He wrote, “My first international film to be made at a cost of 340 crore is NUCLEAR.” He further added that the film will be shot in America, China, Russia, Yemen and India with American, Chinese, Russian and Indian actors.”
Varma has mostly delved into real-life incidents in his films. Shifting his focus to the global concern of terrorism, the director has raised many questions about possible nuclear attacks. In a note, RGV said, “I have been an avid and voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction but never in my life until now, have I come across a subject matter like NUCLEAR. Yes it’s going to be much more costlier than the most expensive film ever made in India and the reason for that is because the subject matter truly demands that it is filmed on a scale never before seen.”
Raising his concern about terrorism, RGV wrote, “The only thing which can be more terrifying than that is, if that explosion happens now in our times. It is because of this fear that America acted against Iraq. If an act based on mere suspicion that someone could be in possession of a nuclear bomb bring in so much of hate and divide between the countries of the world resulting in regime collapses, friendly countries becoming sworn enemies, rise of ISIS etc., then it’s obvious that an actual nuclear explosion in a big city like Mumbai can easily trigger WORLD WAR III and thus end the WORLD.”
Ram Gopal Varma will be starting Nuclear after he wraps up Sarkar 3 starring Amitabh Bachchan.
Debunking climate myths with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Before The Flood http://www.skepticalscience.com/debunking-climate-myths-with-Leonardo-DiCaprio-Before-The-Flood.html 29 October 2016 by John Cook
On Sunday October 30, 9 PM EST, Leonardo DiCaprio’s film Before The Flood will screen free online as well as on National Geographic. The film explores the causes and impacts of climate change, arguing for urgent action and a rapid transition off fossil fuels.
It will be streamed all week on Facebook, Youtube, Hulu, Playstation, and can be viewed on demand on Apple iTunes, Amazon, and GooglePlay. Here’s more details on how to see the film and here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9xFFyUOpXo
I was invited to contribute to Beforetheflood.com, debunking some of the most common myths about climate change. Here are my pages on Leonardo DiCaprio’s site:
We also embedded some key Denial101x videos in the debunkings, such as Consensus of Scientists and Daily & Yearly Cycle.
Beforetheflood.com is a rich website definitely worth exploring, with great info such as Brendan DeMelle’s The Climate Denial Industry. I’m looking forward to watching the film on Monday…
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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