Film discussion — Global Ties Kalamazoo

Global Ties Kalamazoo partnered with the West and Mid-Michigan Chapter of the Fulbright Alumni Association to host an online film discussion on the documentary “Between Earth and Sky: Climate Change on the Last Frontier,” with our own Ian Magnuson moderating a discussion with the film’s director Paul Hunton, Michigan-based producer David C. Weindorf, and four scientists featured prominently in the film via Zoom on October 20 at 7:00 PM EDT.

Both the film and this event were available for free. The links to the trailer and the film discussion are provided here below.

We'd like to thank our guests for their time and viewers for their participation. Keep on the lookout in our newsletter for future opportunities! You can subscribe via our contact page here.

View the film discussion

Here’s a synopsis from the filmmakers:

Alaska has been the source of myth and legend in the imagination of Americans for centuries, and what was once the last frontier of American expansion has become the first frontier in climate change. “Between Earth and Sky” examines climate change through the lens of impacts to native Alaskans, receding glaciers, and arctic soil. The island of Shishmaref has been home to the Inupiaq people for thousands of years. As sea ice retreats and coastal storms increase the people of Shishmaref are faced with a disappearing island and a 200 million dollar price tag to move their people with an untold cost on their culture and history.

Permafrost (permanently frozen ground) in the Arctic and Subarctic sequesters 40% of the Earth’s soil carbon. Alaska has experienced the largest regional warming of any state in the U.S., increasing 3.4 degrees F since 1949. This warming has created a feedback loop of carbon to the atmosphere and the thawing of permafrost.

Mixing interviews with some of the world’s leading scientists in climate change and arctic soils, with the day to day struggle of native Alaskans living on the front lines of global warming, “Between Earth and Sky” shows the calamity of climate change that has started in Alaska but will soon engulf the globe.

“Perhaps only behind the COVID-19 pandemic, global climate change is the most pressing challenge facing the world today. Organizations like Global Ties Kalamazoo and the Fulbright Association are integral in building the connections across geography, class, and identity that are necessary to tackle this existential threat. In particular, this film does a great job showing just one of the myriad ways a changing climate impacts the world as a whole, and, importantly, marginalized communities first and worst. This film discussion will be useful in providing a more holistic understanding of the issues. I’m looking forward to a robust discussion with panelists and attendees.”

— Ian Magnuson, Discussion moderator

Paul Hunton

Director

General Manager, Texas Tech Public Media

David C. Weindorf

Producer

Vice President for Research and Innovation, Central Michigan University

Board Member, West and Mid-Michigan Fulbright Alumni Association Chapter

Mark Clark

Alaska State Soil Scientist (retired), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Lorene Lynn

Soil Scientist and Restoration Ecologist