91AV

The 91AV College of Arts and Sciences recently hosted filmmaker Diogo Freire, who showed his documentary Facing the Surge, which examines how citizens of Norfolk, Virginia are responding to increased flooding from sea level rise.

The film was shown in two classes on climate change. After viewing the film, students engaged in a lively discussion with Freire and a volunteer from Citizen’s Climate Lobby. Freire shared his journey from working in the renewable energy field to founding the crowd-sourced organization “Adaptation Now” to present issues of climate change with a focus on the impacts on people and communities outside of the political sphere. He answered questions about why he chose Norfolk, his experience speaking with people about climate change and his hopes for future films to provide meaningful input into the global conversation.

“Climate Change:  Causes, Consequences, and Solutions” is taught by Bethany Woodworth, Ph.D., associate lecturer and coordinator of the interdisciplinary minor in Climate Change Studies. The class includes 25 students at the sophomore level and above studying 14 different majors. “The film was instrumental in communicating how climate, in this case sea level rise, impacts real people while also showing how ordinary people can come together to prevent climate change and adapt to the consequences.”

“Climate Change and the Sea: Law and Policy Considerations,” taught by Susan Farady, J.D., assistant professor of Ocean Studies and Marine Affairs, focuses on how existing laws and policies apply to the impacts of climate change. Students examine how the Clean Air Act and President Obama’s Clean Power Plan can reduce greenhouse gases, how the Clean Water Act might apply to the issue of ocean acidification and how the U.S. works with the Arctic Council as melting ice opens up transportation routes and access to petroleum and fisheries resources.

“While it might seem at first glance that learning about the law and filmmaking might not be complementary, the role of communication and messaging is a key component in how law and policy changes are discussed and eventually decided,” said Farady. This was a great opportunity to add outside experts to our classroom and enhance our exploration of climate change from different perspectives.”

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