For the first two Tuesdays in June, the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley is partnering with other local organizations to screen two environmental films: Merchants of Doubt and Wisdom to Survive. WMRA’s Kara Lofton reports.
The Climate Action Alliance of the Valley is an environmental education and advocacy group.
Les Grady and his wife Joni have long been involved with the organization. It was their idea to bring Merchants of Doubt to Harrisonburg. The movie, airing tonight, is based on a book by the same name.
LES GRADY: We thought this was something that would be good for people to see because of the information it carries about climate change and the use of doubt to make people doubt what the scientists are saying about climate change.
Les said the use of doubt started with the tobacco industry. When scientific studies pinpointed cigarettes as a leading cause of lung cancer, the tobacco industry realized they didn’t have to refute the science, just launch doubt campaigns to sow public skepticism about the accuracy of the science. Power companies used the same strategy to encourage the public doubt of climate change.
Laura Dansby of James Madison University’s Lifelong Learning Institute recommended the other movie, Wisdom to Survive. It will screen twice on June 9th at the Massanutten Regional Library. Les Grady said Wisdom to Survive utilizes beautiful imagery and poetic language to try to bring awareness to the threat of extinction from climate change.
A question and answer session with local experts will follow both screenings.