What is the relationship between the Arctic and Asia, and what could the melting northern ice caps mean for the world’s most populous region?
Eco-Business managing editor Jessica Cheam and videojournalist Fraser Morton traveled to the North Pole in June to answer this question, and document how warming in the Arctic could have a cascading effect on vulnerable cities in Asia.
Called Arctic Awakening, the documentary features dramatic shots of ice breaking off glaciers in the melting North contrasted with the infrastucture of urban areas in Asia’s bustling cities.
The film will explore humanity’s relationship with our planet, aiming to provoke answers to the pivotal question: Can humanity change its course?
Cheam and Morton’s northerly mission was made a year after the pair travelled to Antartica for an expedition led by British explorer Sir Robert Swan to document how ecosystems in the South Pole are changing as a result of unprecedented warming.
Last year’s documentary has been shortlisted for the Jackson Wild Media Awards, known as the Oscars of nature filmmaking.
“We turned our attention to the North Pole this year as the region is changing at an unprecedented rate due to climate change,” said Cheam.
“What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic and has repercussions for the entire world, including Asia. We wanted to tell the story of what’s happening in this region and why it is important that we study what is going on there, and how it relates to us here in Asia,” she said.
The short film is part of Eco-Business’s yearly Changing Course campaign, which advocates renewable energy, zero waste, sustainable lifestyles and engaging youth on environmental issues.
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What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic and has repercussions for the entire world, including Asia.
Jessica Cheam, managing editor, Eco-Business
The global premiere of the documentary will held be on 4 October, with a multimedia exhibition open to the public from 5 October to 3 November 2019 at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
Dubbed Changing Course 2019: An exploration of our climate crisis, the interactive exhibition will feature a specially curated collection of photographs and a virtual reality experience taking viewers to the Arctic, India, and Singapore’s urban landscape.
The exhibition forms the centrepiece of the ArtScience Museum’s Climate: SOS – Season of Sustainability, a series of events and programmes focusing on the impact of climate change on oceanic environments.
