A Year Without Santa?

The U.N. annual climate summit in Durban, South Africa, has drawn scientists and world leaders to discuss the impact of Global Warming on the future of our planet.

What are the effects of Global Warming? Could it ruin Christmas? What about the Polar Bears?

In September 2009, documentary filmmaker Peter Gilbert joined more than 40 observers - including musicians Laurie Anderson, Jarvis Cocker, Robyn Hitchcock, Ryuichi Sakamoto and writer Suzan-Lori Parks - on an ice-breaking ship for a nine-day voyage off the coast of Greenland with artist-led climate change project, Cape Farewell. Their goal was to see, experience and contemplate the effects of climate change first-hand - and to begin a creative conversation with the rest of the world about one of the most important and pressing issues facing the future of humanity.

Watch the movie: Burning Ice

Learning Questions

1. What is the purpose of this trip to the Arctic?
2. Describe one specific landscape they come across along their journey?
3. What demographic is going to suffer the most from climate change, according to Lemn Sissay?
4. How have some artists begun to incorporate the experiences from this trip into their work?
5. How do the filmmakers incorporate the musicians performances into the film? What does this add to the documentary?
6. What did you find most interesting about this film? Why do you think the filmmaker decided to make this film?