Liam Neeson is the Voice of “Ice,” a New Short Film in Conservation International’s “Nature Is Speaking” Series
Arlington, Va. USA (PRWEB) November 12, 2015 -- Today, Conservation International (CI) releases a new film in its award-winning “Nature Is Speaking” series. “Ice,” voiced by Academy Award nominee Liam Neeson, highlights the plight of one of Earth’s most important—and threatened—natural features in the face of climate change.
“Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity today. Ice is trying to send us a message. Giving ice a voice was an opportunity I had to seize—before it melts away,” said Neeson.
CI launched the “Nature Is Speaking” campaign in September 2014. The series includes films narrated by nature in the voices of the biggest names in Hollywood including Penélope Cruz, Harrison Ford, Edward Norton, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Ian Somerhalder, Kevin Spacey and Lupita Nyong’o. The films have been viewed more than 40 million times across 33 countries, garnering more than 2 billion total impressions.
“Ice” debuts just weeks before the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations begin in Paris. The negotiations, which run from November 30 through December 11, are a crucial opportunity for nations to mobilize global action to fight the threat of climate change. Nature itself is a powerful force for combating climate change, with tropical forests and other carbon-rich ecosystems offering 30% or more of the solution needed to limit warming to safe levels. And yet in 2013, based on figures from Climate Policy Initiative, less than 3% of funding for climate solutions went to leveraging nature’s potential to combat climate change.
Conservation International, in collaboration with the UNFCCC secretariat’s Momentum for Change initiative, will bring the Nature Is Speaking film series to the Paris talks in order to highlight the important role of nature in addressing climate change. Conservation International, in turn, invites the public to demand the attention of world leaders by taking and posting a selfie, saying “#INeedNature because….” CI will aggregate these selfies in the form of a visual petition that will be broadcast during the Momentum for Change awards on Tuesday, December 9, as CI announces another new film in the “Nature Is Speaking” series.
Rising temperatures due to climate change are accelerating the melting of ice in Greenland, Antarctica, the Arctic Ocean, and on glaciers around the world. This melting causes sea-level rise that endangers lives, livelihoods and global security.
• One out of every 10 people lives at or below 10 meters above sea level. As sea level rises, these people are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of flooding and storm surge.
• If seas rise by half a meter by 2070, a conservative prediction, US$ 35 trillion worth of property will be at risk from coastal flooding—jeopardizing about 9 percent of global GDP.
• For every one-degree Celsius increase in temperature, we can expect sea levels to rise more than two meters, causing shorelines to shift inland, threatening homes, businesses and vital infrastructure in coastal areas.
• As sea ice melts, a feedback loop forms. Whereas floating ice reflects sunlight, as it disappears, the darker surface of the sea absorbs the sun’s energy, warming the water more quickly and thereby melting more ice.
“Ice” is available to view and embed at http://www.natureisspeaking.org/.
The “Nature Is Speaking” newsroom contains additional content and contacts for media at http://www.natureisspeaking.org/newsroom.
About the Nature Is Speaking campaign
Conservation International developed the Nature Is Speaking video series with MAL\FOR GOOD under the creative direction of Lee Clow. The videos have garnered more than 2 billion impressions and more than 40 million video views from exposure in more than 33 countries and have raised more than $1 million for conservation. “The Ocean,” voiced by Harrison Ford, earned a coveted Cannes Gold Lion award in 2014.
About Conservation International
Conservation International (CI) uses an innovative blend of science, policy and partnerships to protect the nature people rely on for food, fresh water, and livelihoods. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 30 countries on six continents to ensure a healthy, prosperous planet that supports us all.
Kevin Connor, Conservation International, +1 (703) 341-2405, [email protected]
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