Science Literacy Week September 20 - 26, 2021

Biodiversity on our planet is in trouble. Plant and animal species are going extinct at a rate unprecedented in earth’s history. Some scientists believe that if nothing is done, between a third and half of all species on earth could disappear by the end of the century. The series 1000 Days for the Planet offers a troubling overview of the situation. (Curio)

In this collection, meet experts from the Canadian Museum of Nature whose research shows us how knowledge of the Arctic’s biodiversity can offer clues to better understand climate change. (Curio)

A documentary presenting a riveting account of the dramatic changes occurring around the world due to climate change, as well as the actions individuals and society can take to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on this planet. (Criterion on Demand)

According to a 2019 Environment and Climate Change Canada report, the country is experiencing warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world, with northern Canada heating up at almost three times the global average. From devastating wildfires to massive storms, the increase in extreme weather has been a reminder that climate change is already happening. This collection examines the state of the environment while also highlighting trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable future. (Curio)

In the summer of 2017, 1.22 million hectares of the B.C. landscape went up in smoke in what was then a record-breaking wildfire season. This trend was repeated in 2018, with this time 1.33 million hectares burning. Two years earlier, the Fort McMurray wildfire — known as “the Beast” — forced the evacuation of nearly 90,000 residents in what became the largest wildfire in Alberta's history.​ Is this the new normal? Can we expect the situation to get even worse? In this collection we examine what role climate change is playing in lighting a flame to Canadian forests. (Curio)

The last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and return the natural balance in Honeyland, when a family of nomadic beekeepers invade her land and threaten her livelihood. This film is an exploration of an observational Indigenous visual narrative that deeply impacts our behavior towards natural resources and the human condition. (Criterion On Demand)

The story of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is told through compelling, never-before-seen footage in this intimate documentary from Swedish director Nathan Grossman. Starting with her one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament, Grossman follows Greta -- a shy student with Asperger's -- in her rise to prominence and her galvanizing global impact as she sparks school strikes around the world. The film culminates with her extraordinary wind-powered voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City. (Criterion on Demand)

Host Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with NOAA Administrator Kathryn D. Sullivan. Tyson is joined in the Hall of the Universe by comedian co-host Scott Adsit and climate scientist Radley Horton to discuss the science of climate and weather. Adding to the discussion, Tyson answers fans' Cosmic Queries, David Grinspoon joins via video call to talk about extreme climate in our solar system, and Bill Nye gives us the data on climate change. (Criterion on Demand)

There's Something in the Water is "a disturbing and, frankly, terrifying portrait of ecological and social disasters in Elliot Page's native Nova Scotia. Based on Ingrid Waldron's incendiary study, the film follows Page's travels to rural areas of the province that are plagued by toxic fallout from industrial development. As did Waldron, the filmmakers discover that these catastrophes have been precisely placed, all in remote, low income -- and very often Indigenous or Black -- communities. As the filmmakers observe, your postal code determines your health."--TIFF webpage.

Told from the perspective of three main characters, this film gives a human face to the direct impacts of climate change in the Pacific community of Takū. Two visiting scientists offer advice but in the wake of a flood the islanders must decide whether to stay with their island or move to an unfamiliar land, leaving their culture and language behind. (Kanopy)

David Attenborough returns to the world's oceans in this sequel to the acclaimed documentary filming rare and unusual creatures of the deep, as well as documenting the problems our oceans face.

In the spring of 2005, acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment for National Geographic: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth's changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a sceptic about climate change. But that first trip north opened his eyes ... Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers

A documentary chronicling American environmentalist Bill McKibben's efforts to build a movement to challenge the fossil fuel industry and to change the terrifying math of the climate crisis.

Examines the effect of climate change and the resulting rise in sea level and increasing salinity on the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. Exposes the global inequalities driving global warming through the life and work of Maria Tiimon, who advocates for the rights of Pacific Islanders, and explores the deteriorating conditions that threaten the people and culture of Kiribati as they plan for a time when they no longer have a nation.

A decade after An Inconvenient Truth brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the follow-up that shows just how close people are to a real energy revolution.

One of the most ambitious landmark series allows us to experience the world from the viewpoint of the animals themselves. Traveling through jungles, deserts, mountains, islands, grasslands, and cities, this series explores the unique characteristics of Earth's most iconic habitats and the extraordinary ways animals survive within them. New technology has allowed individual stories to be captured in an unparalleled level of detail.

Filmed over 211 shoot days in nine countries and five continents over four years, This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change. Inspired by Naomi Klein's international non-fiction bestseller This Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana's Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond.