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CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) “Do the Math:  the Movie” is a 42 minute documentary film about climate change that will be shown three times in Valley City the first week in November.  The showing times are:  Monday, November 2 at 7:30 pm at the VCSU Rhodes Science Center; Wednesday, November 4 at 12 noon (bring a brown bag lunch) at the Valley City Barnes County Library; and Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 pm at the Barnes County Valley City Museum. It showings are free and open to the public.

NASA climate scientist James Hansen said for most of earth’s history, our atmosphere has had an average of 275 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2).   CO2 is a greenhouse gas, which means it acts like a blanket that traps heat from the sun.  The more CO2 in the air, the thicker the blanket.  

Three hundred years ago humans started burning coal and oil, and the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere started going up.  Now we’re at 400 ppm and rising by about 2 ppm every year.  350 ppm is the safety limit for life on earth.  Over 350, we risk hitting dangerous ‘tipping points’.  We are now at 400 ppm and it is still rising.  

Hansen states, “If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted, CO2  will need to be reduced from its current levels to at most, 350 ppm.”

The community is invited to attended any of the showings.  The movie showings are sponsored by What In The World Is Going On?, a VCSU-community collaboration established to bring current event topics to the community. For more information call 701-845-7321.