Tourism meltdown, Climate change causes drift ice lost

The Sea of Okhotsk has long been the southernmost spot in the Northern Hemisphere where polar sea ice is found. After spreading southward out of the Arctic each winter and along the eastern edge of Sakhalin Island, the ice typically arrives in Hokkaido in mid to late January. The best time to see it is the latter half of February but it stays until late March or early April. However, over the past twenty years the drift ice has been slowly diminishing. Some say this is the result of global warming. The people of Abashiri have come together to take action. Featuring: Gen Kimura, Chikara Iwata, Sachiko Mishima Producer/Director/Editor: Megumi Nishikura and Luis Patron Camera: Luis Patron Narration: Megumi Nishikura Color and Graphics: David Jimenez Music: David Jimenez Sound Mixer: Salmix Shot on location in Abashiri, Hokkaido Duration 6:34 minutes Developed and produced for United Nations University (UNU) by UNU Media Studio. *About the filmmakers* Luis Patron- Producer/Director/Camera/Editor Luis Patron works as an independent documentary filmmaker, producer, HD cinematographer and editor. He teams up with talented local professionals in Japan and around the world to craft factual films for cinema and television. Megumi Nishikura- Producer/Director/Editor Megumi Nishikura's life purpose is to use the power of media to enlighten and inspire individuals to make choices that build a more positive sustainable world. She has been producing documentary films addressing global issues since 2003. She has a BFA in Film and Television Production from New York University's Tish School of Arts (Sydney) and a Masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies through the Rotary World Peace Fellowship. Within UNU, her unit “Media Studio” (MS) has grounded expertise in online learning, interactive media and video production and in linking development issues with visual media and online content on social and environmental issues. United Nations University Media Studio The UNU Media Studio was established in March 2003 and works in collaboration with a global network of partners to develop and share open educational resources. Through a small team based in Tokyo, the UNU promotes innovation in the building of interactive content and video documentaries that engage, entertain and educate. The core creative team is comprised of specialists in web and graphic design, documentary and multimedia production, as well as educational technology and instructional design. In developing projects, this team collaborates with subject matter experts from within the UNU, from other UN bodies and from partner universities. The UNU Media Studio also collaborates with independent professionals in the area of documentary production, web application development, web design and instructional design. mediastudio.unu.edu For more information: Our World 2.0 ourworld.unu.edu To read more about this http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/2009/05/26/tourism-meltdown/ A high resolution version of this video, and additional language subtitles are available. Please contact us for details: Media Studio 53-70 Jingumae 5-chome Shibuya-ku Tokyo JAPAN 150-8925 Ph: +813 5467 1324 onlinelearning@unu.edu