In accordance with the Culture and Climate Change theme of the 2016-17 academic year, Gannon University will host a public screening of the 2014 Emmy-winning film “Chasing Ice.” The event will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 104 of the Zurn Science Center.
“Chasing Ice” is a 72-minute documentary that was released in 2012 and tells the story of photographer James Balog and his crew while they gathered evidence of global warming through the use of time-lapse photos and video clips. This project was coined the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) and was made to show the effects global warming has had on the Arctic.
Balog and his crew captured the slow deterioration of glaciers in Montana, Alaska, Iceland and Greenland by setting up 29 modified cameras. Each camera had a timer installed so it would capture a photo every hour of the day for three years. This allowed the audience to have a better sense of how rapidly the arctic has been changing.
The film presents the audience with facts, primarily with the use of photography; however, they include evidence from scientific findings. In addition, Balog’s team incorporates graphs, testimonies and markers to indicate dramatic changes in the landscapes. This is to give the audience a better idea of the impact these changes have created.
EIS’ goal is to spread awareness of global warming and to motivate people all over the world to take action. So far, over 10,000 people have learned from this film and it has been used to “shift the political conversation around climate change.”
On April 19, 2013 “Changing Ice” premiered on the National Geographic Channel. Since then, this film has been screened in over 172 countries and in the White House, the House of Lords, the United Nations and over 70 universities. In addition, it has received over 35 awards.

BRITTINY RAFFERTY
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