To the editor:

Thank you very much to the cinema manager and owners of Liberty Hall for bringing the beautiful and significant documentary “Chasing Ice” to downtown Lawrence. This is the story of James Balog, one of the world’s premier nature photographers, who went to the Arctic in 2005 on assignment for National Geographic to capture images that would portray the reality of the Earth’s warming and the visual evidence of a changing climate. With a scientific background, Balog had been unconvinced by computer climate simulations, but the sight of melting icefields changed his mind.

In 2007, he began the “Extreme Ice Survey.” With a team of adventurous assistants, Balog deployed a system of time-lapse cameras at glaciers in Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, and Montana. The results of this unprecedented photographic feat show glaciers breaking up and tumbling into the sea and the rapid shrinkage of glaciers in just a few years. “Chasing Ice” is an outdoor story and a personal story with Balog as the central character, but the main message is visual with just enough scientific interpretation to give the film a sobering credibility.

In these times, it’s very important for people who care about the future of society to see this film and think about the implications for themselves. I appreciate that Liberty Hall has provided this opportunity for all of us.