Paddle Florida is partnering with Citizens Climate Lobby and Alachua Conservation Trust to bring a documentary film to Gainesville at 6PM on February 3 at Prairie Creek Lodge.
With over 1,500 miles of coastline, Florida has a front seat to sea level rise. Miami citizens are already experiencing regular flooding events independent of storms. Facing the Surge focuses on the city of Norfolk, Virginia and its struggles with recurrent flooding. The February 3 viewing and panel discussion is free and open to the public.
Following the film, Dr. Andrea Dutton from the University of Florida will lead a group discussion. Dutton, an assistant professor in UF’s Department of Geological Sciences, is co-leader of an international working group investigating the geological record of changes in sea levels and ice sheet mass in order to better predict future sea level rise. Her research currently focuses on reconstructing sea level over periods spanning thousands of years, with an emphasis on establishing the behavior of sea level and ice sheets during previous warm periods.
Facing the Surge premiered this past June in Washington, D.C. In October, it went on an East Coast tour. The Florida portion of the tour began in Key West, continued to Miami, Broward County, the Space Coast, Tallahassee, Tampa/St. Petersburg, and Sarasota. The tour ended at the Naples International Film Festival. This Friday, the film is being brought to Gainesville by popular demand.
Facing the Surge documents the tangible costs of sea level rise for the people of Norfolk, VA. Norfolk is home to the largest naval base in the country and to thousands of hard-working Americans struggling to adapt to the rising tides and an uncertain future. But Facing the Surge is not a film about loss and inaction. It tells the stories of citizens from across the United States as they step forward to raise awareness and push their government to solve climate change.
