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Truxal Library Special Topic Guide: Earth's Anthropogenic Changes

This library exhibit explores the topic of humans and their impact on climate change.

Academic Video Online: Premium 

Academic Video Online: Premium (AVON) is a collection of over 60,000 streaming videos in a wide variety of academic areas, including anthropology, art & design, business, criminal justice, diversity studies, education, gender & sexuality, health sciences, history, literature & language, music & performing arts, psychology & counseling, science & engineering, social sciences, and more. The collection includes videos from over 1,500 leading distributors, producers, and filmmakers, such as 60 Minutes /CBS, PBS, BBC, NBC, Intelecom, Insight Media, Microtraining, Filmakers Library, Envision, Inc., Stanley Milgram, Dallas Telecourses, and Davidson Films.

Activism speaks louder than words. Anonymous Bloomberg L. P, 2013.Columbia University Law School Professor John Coffee discusses activist investing with Trish Regan on Bloomberg Television's "Street Smart."

Arctic Meltdown Rising Seas. Dir. Southgate, Todd. Prod. GPI Communications. The Video Project, 2000.From the Alaska natives to the Marshall Islanders, the effects of melting glaciers and rising waters will eradicate their homes. The Marshall Islands, with an average elevation of six feet above sea level, are among the most sensitive environments to long term climate change. Rising seas may force the people of these islands to flee. Halfway around the world, another culture in a vastly different environment is also confronting the life-altering realities of a warming world - the Arctic. Part of these ice-bound lands will soon be submerged. Today, thawing glaciers, changing wildlife populations and thinning ice over once stable lands are rapidly destabilizing traditional ways of northern native life. This film gives the viewer a firsthand look at the human implications of global warming and helps us identify with populations who face the threat of becoming environmental refugees. We also hear the inspiring voices of those who are working constantly to minimize the impact of global warming, examine its causes, and encourage change.

"David Attenborough Talks About His New Netflix Film - The Economist Podcast.", directed by Anonymous, produced by The Economist. , The Economist, 2020. Alexander Street, Sir David Attenborough is about to release his latest film—on Netflix. The 93-year-old tells Economist Radio's Anne McElvoy about “A Life On Our Planet”, as well as offers his opinions on President Trump, Greta Thunberg, and eating meat.

"How Do Carbon Markets Work??" , directed by Anonymous , produced by The Economist. , The Economist, 2021. Alexander Street, In theory putting a price on carbon emissions should incentivise businesses to stop polluting. So why have carbon markets failed to achieve their goal of reducing global emissions?

In the Arms of the Ocean. Dir. Bijholt, Renate. Prod. Renate Bijholt. Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Universiteit Leiden, 2019. Fishermen are at the front-line of changes that appear on the ocean. Storms impact their catch; rising sea levels endanger their island. The changing climate impact the rhythm of ocean life, shaking up life on land, shaping knowledge of the seascape and reshaping cultures. Fishermen must adapt to the new ways of the sea, altering the way they interact with their environment, changing the rhythm of their lives. Renate Bijlholt sailed and dived into the ocean with two fishermen on the island of Siargao, the Philippines. She documented and researched their relationship with the seascape, producing a ethnographic documentary that shows how the changing climate impact the fishermen´s daily life.

"London." , directed by Anonymous , produced by Kim Bondi, and Cineflix. , Public Broadcasting Service, 2018. Alexander Street. See firsthand why London’s Thames Barrier is no longer enough to keep the city safe from rising tides. The system has worked for decades, but due to increased environmental challenges, its location on a flood plain and heavy urbanization, London must now explore both low-tech fixes and some of the most advanced engineering solutions in the world. Sinking Cities Most of the world's great cities stand on coastlines and rivers and today they are in grave danger. Billions of people are living in the face of disaster. As the earth warms, sea levels rise, and super-storms become more frequent and more intense, many major coastal cities will soon be under water. Sinking Cities is a fast-paced four-part series that shows how New York, London, Tokyo and Miami face similar and also individual dangers - and how they are preparing for the real-time impact of rising seas - devising colossal new construction projects, and groundbreaking solutions aimed at securing their infrastructure. Challenges include rising seas, stronger storms, heavier rainfall, flooding rivers, even tsunamis. Solutions require heavy engineering and changing minds. We meet the ambitious engineers, innovative researchers, and determined first responders - individuals who are determined to adapt these cities and ensure they survive. Sinking Cities is about the huge threat facing four global cities - and what is being done to save them.

"Miami." Directed by Anonymous , produced by Kim Bondi, and Cineflix. , PBS, 2018. Alexander Street. Miami is beloved for its beaches and waterfront homes and businesses. See how engineers and planners are trying to protect Miami from rising seas and ever-more-frequent and violent storm surges that could destroy the city’s tourist and business economy. Sinking Cities Most of the world's great cities stand on coastlines and rivers and today they are in grave danger. Billions of people are living in the face of disaster. As the earth warms, sea levels rise, and super-storms become more frequent and more intense, many major coastal cities will soon be under water. Sinking Cities is a fast-paced four-part series that shows how New York, London, Tokyo and Miami face similar and also individual dangers - and how they are preparing for the real-time impact of rising seas - devising colossal new construction projects, and groundbreaking solutions aimed at securing their infrastructure. Challenges include rising seas, stronger storms, heavier rainfall, flooding rivers, even tsunamis. Solutions require heavy engineering and changing minds. We meet the ambitious engineers, innovative researchers, and determined first responders - individuals who are determined to adapt these cities and ensure they survive. Sinking Cities is about the huge threat facing four global cities - and what is being done to save them.

"New York." , directed by Anonymous , produced by Kim Bondi, and Cineflix. , Public Broadcasting Service, 2018. Alexander Street. Discover how New York City has learned from 2012 Superstorm Sandy. Sinking Cities Most of the world's great cities stand on coastlines and rivers and today they are in grave danger. Billions of people are living in the face of disaster. As the earth warms, sea levels rise, and super-storms become more frequent and more intense, many major coastal cities will soon be under water. Sinking Cities is a fast-paced four-part series that shows how New York, London, Tokyo and Miami face similar and also individual dangers - and how they are preparing for the real-time impact of rising seas - devising colossal new construction projects, and groundbreaking solutions aimed at securing their infrastructure. Challenges include rising seas, stronger storms, heavier rainfall, flooding rivers, even tsunamis. Solutions require heavy engineering and changing minds. We meet the ambitious engineers, innovative researchers, and determined first responders - individuals who are determined to adapt these cities and ensure they survive. Sinking Cities is about the huge threat facing four global cities - and what is being done to save them.

"On Thin Ice." , directed by Anonymous , produced by Dan Rees. , BBC Worldwide, 2011. Alexander Street, https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/on-thin-ice-2. David Attenborough journeys to both polar regions to investigate what rising temperatures will mean for the people and wildlife that live there, and for the rest of the planet. David starts out at the North Pole, standing on sea ice several meters thick, but which scientists predict could be open ocean within the next few decades. The Arctic has been warming at twice the global average, and David heads out with a Norwegian team to see what this means for polar bears. He comes face to face with a tranquilized female and discovers that mothers and cubs are going hungry as the sea ice on which they hunt disappears. In Canada, Inuit hunters have seen with their own eyes what scientists have seen from space - the Arctic Ocean has lost 30% of its summer ice cover over the last 30 years. For some, the melting sea ice will allow access to trillions of dollars' worth of oil, gas and minerals. For the rest of us, it means the planet will get warmer, as sea ice is important to reflect back the sun's energy. Next, David travels to see what is happening to the ice on land. In Greenland, he follows intrepid ice scientists as they study giant waterfalls of meltwater, which are accelerating iceberg-calving events and ultimately leading to a rise in global sea levels. Temperatures have also risen in the Antarctic - David returns to glaciers photographed by the Shackleton expedition and reveals a dramatic retreat over the past century. It is not just the ice that is changing - ice-loving Adelie penguins are disappearing and more temperate gentoo penguins are moving in. Finally, we see the first ever images of the largest recent natural event on our planet - the breakup of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, an ice sheet the size of Jamaica, which shattered into hundreds of icebergs in 2009.

Ray Offenheiser lecture: Oxfam. Oxfam's transition to being noticed by private sector companies and development of fair trade concept.Directed by Anonymous , produced by Prendismo. , Prendismo, 2005. Alexander Street. Ray Offenheiser discusses Oxfam's transition to being noticed by private sector companies and development of fair trade concept.

Rising Tides. Dir. Duthie, Scott, and Jason Auerbach. Prod. Scott Duthie, Michele Loschiavo, Jason Auerbach, et al. Cinema Libre Studio, 2016. Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Sandy. The increasing frequency of such devastating weather events demonstrates the realities of climate change and rising seas. For many coastal communities the impacts will be devastating. They have been fighting against vanishing coastlines for years with mixed results; often having no choice but to abandon properties and move buildings. Adding to this conversation are the conservationists and scientists who feel the coastlines should be left alone for a multitude of different reasons. Rising Tides explores the topic of coastline erosion, showing what has been done in the past, what is being done now, what worked, what didn’t and what the coastal areas can expect in the future. Through interviews with scientists, experts, nonprofits, homeowners, government officials, and other groups offering possible solutions, Rising Tides covers all angles of this life-threatening issue. This award-winning documentary offers an interesting and educational perspective so that the viewer can decide what should or should not be done to combat this global threat in our very near future.

The Tipping Point. Anonymous ABC Commercial, 2008. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/the-tipping-point-2. Scientists now fear that in less than 25 years from now, for the first time in human existence, there will be no sea ice in the North Pole in parts of the summer. These scientists are scrambling to model and measure the pace of the melt and to comprehend the enormity of the consequences – not just for the immediate ecosystem of polar bears and plankton, but for the world's weather and its ability to feed itself. At the same time governments and corporations scramble to be first at the table for a new resources feast of oil, gas and minerals. It's being dubbed a "Cold Rush" as retreating sea ice opens new opportunities and faster, cheaper shipping routes. Four Corners journeys to the Arctic Circle to explore how the melt is challenging human understanding of global warming. The Four Corners team joins scientists on board a Canadian icebreaker, Louis S St Laurent, as they scout for icebergs, bears and evidence of a changing seascape. Across the scientific community there is a quest for answers: How fast is the melt happening? Is it stoppable? What may be lost? What riches will be unlocked? How much global warming is caused by people and how much by nature?

"Tokyo." , directed by Ben Travers. , produced by Kim Bondi, and Cineflix. , Public Broadcasting Service, 2018. Alexander Street. See how Tokyo is looking for new ways to fight back against rising waters. Typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes and sinking neighborhoods threaten one of the world’s most populous cities, and the economic engine of Japan, with some of the world’s largest problems. Sinking Cities Most of the world's great cities stand on coastlines and rivers and today they are in grave danger. Billions of people are living in the face of disaster. As the earth warms, sea levels rise, and super-storms become more frequent and more intense, many major coastal cities will soon be under water. Sinking Cities is a fast-paced four-part series that shows how New York, London, Tokyo and Miami face similar and also individual dangers - and how they are preparing for the real-time impact of rising seas - devising colossal new construction projects, and groundbreaking solutions aimed at securing their infrastructure. Challenges include rising seas, stronger storms, heavier rainfall, flooding rivers, even tsunamis. Solutions require heavy engineering and changing minds. We meet the ambitious engineers, innovative researchers, and determined first responders - individuals who are determined to adapt these cities and ensure they survive. Sinking Cities is about the huge threat facing four global cities - and what is being done to save them.

"Why The Melting Arctic Matters To Us All." Directed by Anonymous , produced by The Economist. , The Economist, 2017. Alexander Street. Donald Trump is pulling America out of the Paris climate agreement. But if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, cities such as New York and Mumbai will have to defend themselves from flooding by the end of the century as sea levels rise.

Library photo courtesy of Barry Halkin Photography