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Frozen North

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William Crawley | 15:07 UK time, Thursday, 21 August 2008

titlephoto.jpgThe 91Èȱ¬ are re-screening Frozen North tonight at 11 p.m. on 91Èȱ¬1 Northern Ireland. This documentary explores the likely impact of climate change on Northern Ireland and investigates, in particular, what might happen if the 'switched off'. This was the first TV documentary I ever presented, and was produced by Natalie Maynes, who later created and produced the very successful Blueprint natural history series which was screened last year. When Frozen North was first screened, just over two years ago, some local commentators complained that the available science did add up to the kind of environmental threat that the programme explores. A lot has happened since then. If anything, the findings of the Nobel prize-winning suggest that the threat is even greater than we realised in 2005, when we made this documentary. In Frozen North, we visit northern Canada to look at a possible future facing Ireland if we continue our current patterns of consumption. It raises very significant questions for our local policy-makers and for each one of us personally. The programme will also be available on the iPlayer.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Or as we used to call it, "Jackanory"

  • Comment number 2.

    Why am I not surprised that smasher-lagru is a climate change denier? His comments here on religion and ethics are so consistently medieval and outmoded, it is no surprise at all that he is scientifically illiterate too.

  • Comment number 3.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 4.

    Dear Sir,
    I watched the Frozen North documentary last night and was disappointed by the approach taken, especially from the 91Èȱ¬ for whom I have much respect. While I appreciate that the subject matter contains a high degree of uncertainty and also that you are attempting to produce an entertaining programme, I felt that a scenario was proffered which was either not adequately justified or perhaps was unjustifiable.
    I am not a climatologist and may well be wrong but surely the following facts hold:-
    1. Northern Ireland is centred around 54Deg N not 58Deg N as Churchill Manitoba is.
    2. Whether or not the NA Drift turns off, Northern Ireland will still be surrounded by and temperature moderated by a large ocean which cannot according to basic physics cool below 0Deg C without freezing.
    3. With Global warming taking hold and indeed the potential of the NW passage being clear in future years I presume you are not suggesting that the Atlantic will freeze as far south as NI.

    Putting all this together it would seem that in a global warmed future with no NA Drift our climate would probably be a lot colder but more in line with British Columbia than Manitoba.

    I felt that the most telling comment in the show was when one of your experts said that "this would not be an ice age" and I assume from this that there would not be continental glaciation as happened thousands of years ago.

    In summary, I felt that you spent a great deal of the programme making an unfair comparison between a potentially cooler future for Northern Ireland and a mid continental Canadian outpost without reasonable qualification. You also implied graphically that there would be an ice age and this impression was left with persons with whom I discussed the programme this morning.

    I fully support the 91Èȱ¬ in the making of scientific documentary programmes and especially welcome such programmes having an NI focus but I would urge you to take a measured approach even when looking at uncertain future scenarios.

    All the best with your future programme making.
    Regards,
    Stephen Doherty

  • Comment number 5.

    Stevie - my point exactly - northern Ireland will never be like land locked manitoba.

  • Comment number 6.

    If I lived in NI, I'd get some nice warm blankets, coats, and pjs. It's going to be a long cold ice age. Or....you could just move to Spain. Being in the EU, I think they have to let you in.

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