By Victoria Starbuck, Staff Writer

Published in print Jan. 28, 2015

On Thursday, Jan. 22, the Weatherspoon hosted its monthly film in the Sustainability Film and Discussion Series. Each installment combines an environmental documentary with a conversation between audience members and a local expert.

In recent years, climate science has been studied through skeptical lenses. The film “Thin Ice” disproves the accusations of naysayers by exposing the audience to the research of skilled scientists in a variety of fields.

Simon Lamb, geologist and producer of “Thin Ice,” began his trek at Scott Base, in Antarctica. The subzero continent is host to scientists who examine ice cores, cylindrical blocks of ice created by drilling vertically into the ground.

Lamb refers to the ice cores as “frozen history” because they provide scientists with a record of climate history. Ice cores have also shown scientists that changes in the climate are related to changes in the ancient atmosphere.

The atmosphere, made up of gases, insulates the earth. Since the atmosphere acts as a blanket, the earth is remarkably warmer than space. Heat radiated from the earth must travel through the atmosphere to be expelled. When we produce carbon dioxide, we create a thicker atmosphere, making it harder for the earth’s energy to escape. 

Within the past fifty years, the mean temperature of Antarctica has risen by one degree Fahrenheit. While this change seems like a meager difference, a two degree change in the earth’s overall temperature would cause the extinction of a wide variety of species.

The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions would decrease the rate at which the atmosphere is thickening. But to prevent the extinction of a wide variety of species carbon dioxide emissions would need to reach zero by the end of the century. Scientists have determined this figure by comparing temperature trends over decades to those stimulated by climate models.

Those who are skeptical of the effects of global warming often claim that the climate models overestimate future temperatures of the earth. But Lamb finds that scientists who have compared readings of climate models to actual temperatures show that the climate models tend to underestimate temperatures. Through his documentary, Simon Lamb is able to expose the general public to the complex research on climate change.

Michael Frierson, associate professor with UNCG’s Media Studies program, facilitated the discussion after the presentation of “Thin Ice.” For Frierson, the film demonstrates a way in which the internet can bring issues into households across the world and broaden knowledge on topics such as climate change.

Frierson’s work at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Lima, Peru exposed him to the difficulty facing world leaders when it comes to climate change. He believes it will be difficult for them to reach an agreement due to the various backgrounds of the delegates, and the economic implications of reduced carbon dioxide emissions. But it is a critical issue on which Frierson quotes US Secretary of State John Kerry as saying “if you’re not freaking out, you should be.”

The next film in the series will focus on the Keystone XL Pipeline. Aspiring cinematographers are encouraged to submit their short films for the competition on April 23.