Disaster Displacement

From the ticking time bomb of our thawing planet to an emerging underground railroad of refugees fleeing to Europe, it seems like some of the world's greatest challenges are becoming more dire by the day.

Climate change is warming the Arctic at an alarming rate. The permafrost that covers nearly a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere's landmass is beginning to thaw, and the greenhouse gases trapped in its layers—more gases than all human fossil fuel emissions since 1850 combined—are escaping into the atmosphere. On another continent, borders continue to tighten across an increasingly nationalist Europe, and for the more than 180,000 refugees who arrived this past year in Italy alone, an underground pathway at the Italian border is one of their last hopes of relative safety and—if temporary—security.

A new episode of the Emmy-winning news magazine series VICE on HBO presents both these stories of disaster and displacement side by side. In "When the Earth Melts," VICE correspondent Ben Anderson travels across the Arctic to see the devastating impact of thawing permafrost—and the astonishing solution that might keep it frozen—and "The Displaced" follows VICE correspondent Gianna Toboni as she tracks the swells of refugees still left in limbo.

For the launch event of a new monthly series, join New America NYC and VICE at Lincoln Center for the premiere screening of VICE on HBO's "When the Earth Melts & The Displaced" and for a discussion with the episode's producers, along with climate and migration experts, on these global warning signs of a volatile future.

PARTICIPANTS

Alex Waterfield
Producer, VICE on HBO

Ninette Kelley @Refugees
New York Director, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Marc A. Levy @marc_a_levy
Deputy Director, Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University's Earth Institute

Beverly Chase @beverlychase
Supervising Producer, VICE on HBO

Seating is general admission and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.