The Oak Bluffs library plans a field trip to WHOI on Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 9 am to 4:30 pm and Town of Oak Bluffs Conservation Commission meeting from 5 to 7 pm on Thursday, Sept. 26. Also on Thursday, a presentation titled “Dutch Approaches to Climate Resilience, A Conversation with Matthijs Bouw” takes place from 5 to 6:30 pm.
“The Basics of Global Warming,” a talk by Dr. Peter Neilley, is planned for Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 7 to 8 pm at the Vineyard Haven library. Neilley is director of Weather Forecasting Sciences and Technologies for The Weather Channel and Weather Company (TWC), now part of IBM. According to a press release, he is responsible for the weather forecasts used by billions of people around the world every day. Neilley has both master’s and a PhD in meteorology from MIT. He is an IBM Distinguished Engineer, a member of the Academy of Technology, and a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. He is a year-round resident of the Vineyard. The library will also offer a weather-related book display.
The West Tisbury library exhibits a climate display, and the Island Climate Action Network held their end-of-summer meeting at the library on Monday, Sept. 16. The group planned to talk about the local climate action opportunities this fall and winter, including Vineyard events around the Global Climate Strike on Sept. 20, and a series of events and workshops leading up to spring 2020 town meetings, when climate-related warrant articles will be on the agenda. For more information, email islandclimateactionnetwork@gmail.com or visit islandclimateaction.org.
The Edgartown library screens “Burned: Are Trees the New Coal?” a documentary from filmmakers Alan Dater and Lisa Merton, on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 1 pm. The film tells the story of the accelerating destruction of the forests for fuel, and considers the broader impact of this industry on the climate. Another documentary, “The Age of Stupid,” will screen at 2:30 pm the same afternoon. Filmmaker Franny Armstrong imagines the world in 2055, devastated by climate change. Humanity’s sole survivor (Pete Postlethwaite) tries to figure out what went wrong.
The Chilmark library hosts Extinction Rebellion, an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience to try to halt mass extinction, as they present Heading For Extinction and What to Do About It on Saturday Sept. 28, at 1 pm. The press release states that scientists believe we may have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown. In this public talk, speakers from the Extinction Rebellion Massachusetts will share the latest climate science on where the planet is heading, discuss some of the current psychology around climate change, and offer solutions through the study of social movements.
The Aquinnah library will show the movie “An Inconvenient Sequel” on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 5 pm. This follow-up to “An Inconvenient Truth” shows that while the stakes have never been higher, the solutions to the climate crisis are still within reach.
