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The
dominant scientific opinion
today is that the culprit for
global warming is gas,
including carbon dioxide and
methane, both blamed on modern
civilization. / A.M. Costa
Rica wire services photo.
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Four free films
are a background
for climate change
By Jay Brodell
Public policy cannot be discussed
today, particularly in Costa Rica,
without consideration of climate
change. That consideration is
complicated because the topic is
so complex.
Opinion polls in the United States
have shown that climate is not a
priority for voters. Still, some
members of Congress have proposed
dramatic changes in how Americans
live in an effort to stem
projected temperature increases.
The dominant scientific opinion
today is that the culprit for
global warming is gas, including
carbon dioxide and methane, both
blamed on modern civilization.
Costa Rican officials have
accepted this view and promise
what they call a carbon-neutral
society in the future.
For expats in Costa Rica and
readers in the United States and
elsewhere, the big question is how
will politicians seek to flatten
global warming. Some suggestions
include a tax on carbon,
reductions in the use of petroleum
fuels and even changes in the
daily diet. All these solutions
are likely to be up close and
personal.
The oceans and lake study center
at the University of Costa Rica
has planned a four-film series
that is free and available for
those who wish to increase their
knowledge of this topic. The
center is the Centro de
Investigación en Ciencias del Mar
y Limnología. The presentations
begin Wednesday and run through
Saturday at the Sala Gómez
Miralles on Ninth Avenue and 11th
street in San José. The building
is the Costa Rican Cinematographic
Production Center of the Ministry
of Culture.
The four movies do not give a full
view of the controversy about
climate change. Former U.S. vice
president Al Gore even wrote one.
They seem to present a broad
picture of one point of view, and
those who are interested can seek
out others. The center promises
that discussions will follow the
films with the participation of
local experts.
The first movie on Wednesday is
“Chasing Coral” by Jeff Orlowski,
which has some spectacular
underwater photography. The movie
shows extensive damage to coral
around the world and blames rising
water temperatures. Showtime is 7
p.m.
Thursday the movie is “Before the
Flood,” featuring Leonardo
DiCaprio. Producers said that the
carbon emissions attributed to
making the film were offset
through a voluntary carbon tax,
something the film supports. The
movie was made available for free
on the internet before the U.S.
2016 general elections. Showtime
also is at 7 p.m.
Two movies are scheduled for
Saturday. The first is “An
Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to
Power,” based on a book, also by
Gore. That is being shown at 4
p.m. A summary says that the movie
chronicles efforts by Gore to
fight climate change by urging
foreign officials to sign the
Paris climate accords and adopt
renewable energies. Gore, because
of his first movie, “An
Inconvenient Truth,” had been a
lightning rod for criticism. That
also is true of this film.
According to the Washington Times,
Climatologist Roy Spencer said:
“The new movie and book are
chock-full of bad science, bad
policy, and factual errors.”
Spencer, a meteorologist at the
University of Alabama, is a
leading skeptic of human-caused
global warming.
The second movie on Saturday is at
7 p.m. It is “Blue,” directed by
Karina Holden. The documentary
reports on damage done to the
oceans by plastic and factory
fishing. This movie, too, features
spectacular photography.
Data clearly shows that the oceans
have risen perhaps as much as
eight inches in the last century
and that the concentration of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
has increased from 280 parts per
million in pre-industrial times to
about 410 parts per million now.
Less clear are some of the
indicators used to show the impact
of global warming or even the
impact of carbon dioxide. Counting
polar bears is difficult, and
teams doing so come up with very
different numbers. Calculating
arctic ice also is hard because
the ice changes depending on the
season and some scientists worry
that coverage does not equal
volume.
Skeptics of human causation
generally cite fluctuations in the
earth's orbit as a cause.
Supporter cites the increase in
carbon dioxide and current events,
such as forest fires, flooding and
hurricanes to support their views.
Mr. Brodell, founder and long-time
editor of A.M. Costa Rica, can be
reached at jay@amcostarica.com
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Do you believe in
man-made climate change or do you
think it is part of earth’s
evolution? We would like to know
your thoughts on this story. Send
your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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