"Chasing Ice" Shows Unsettling Effects of Climate Change

Last month, a movie premiered with a graphic visual of climate change—enough to disconcert viewers across the country. Jeff Orlowski’s "Chasing Ice" depicts a photographer’s brave and relentless journey through the vast Arctic in the face of treacherous weather, technological failure and a bad leg injury. The photographer was documenting rapidly vanishing glaciers over years…

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Last month, a movie premiered with a graphic visual of climate change—enough to disconcert viewers across the country. Jeff Orlowski’s "Chasing Ice" depicts a photographer’s brave and relentless journey through the vast Arctic in the face of treacherous weather, technological failure and a bad leg injury. The photographer was documenting rapidly vanishing glaciers over years using time-lapse photography.

The visionary behind the documentary is James Balog who is known for over 25 years of internationally acclaimed nature photography work published by the National Geographic and other major magazines. He takes the viewer to some of the world’s glaciers, including Greenland, Alaska and Montana, where he tries to set up a photographic experiment that he named the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS).

The project, described as “Art Meets Science” on the film’s official website, aims to unite scientists and photographers in their efforts to educate the public about the effects of global warming.

This film presents overwhelming visual evidence that climate change is progressing at an accelerating rate with ice the biggest indicator. Earthjustice recognizes this reality and is applying legal pressure to stop dirty energy companies from contributing to global warming. Earthjustice is dedicated to fighting climate change through its work in policy and litigation, with a large focus on curbing carbon footprint and pushing for energy efficiency.

"Chasing Ice" is a must-see for all, replete with photos of—as Balog describes—“insanely, ridiculously beautiful” ice. He likens his passion for photographing ice to photographing human portraits, where there is “endless variation and beauty” in each one. As we see in the film, each ice sculpture is a natural masterpiece, unique and captivating, with the ethereal shots taken at night being personal favorites. Powerful, evoking images resonate with people across all demographics, backgrounds and socio-economic.

The speed at which glaciers are melting is an indicator of geologic scale. When dramatic shifts like these occur, natural cycles are thrown off balance. This is a clear sign that there is no time for debate about whether climate change is happening.

The people involved in this project hope to make a worldwide impact by sharing the product of their work with the rest of the humanity. The film is already eliciting strong reactions from people who have seen it, including a former climate change denier who left the theater in shock with her point of view completely changed about the issue.

The documentary is showing across country in select theaters. Watch the trailer and find more information at the official website.

Maria was an intern with the Communications department in the San Francisco, CA headquarters.