Oak Ridge church to host video series on environmental and climate crisis

The videos will be shown at 7 p.m. April 22, 24 and 25

Starting on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, a series of hour-long videos, called “The Week,” will be offered to the Oak Ridge area community in the fellowship hall of First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

They will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, April 22, 24 and 25.

Participants will spend 30 minutes discussing each video on the causes of and responses to the world’s environmental and climate crisis.

The series explores the collapse of life (e.g., the wild mammal, bird, and insect populations have declined greatly), pollution that is causing cancer and otherwise harming human health (possibly including microplastics) and the climate crisis, according to a church news release.

Warming of the climate could likely trigger a rising number of billion-dollar weather-related disasters and increased migration. The reasons cited on the first video: long droughts will cause food shortages and sea level rises will destroy parts of coastal cities.

According to The Week’s website, “The environment is breaking down and the climate is changing rapidly. The Week is a group experience to help us see what’s coming, and what we can do about it.

“Too often, the environmental crisis feels abstract and overwhelming. The Week is a way to engage this issue, for real, with our friends, family or colleagues. It doesn’t tell us what to do but empowers us to make up our own minds so that we can say down the line, ‘I knew what I needed to know, I did what I needed to do and I have no regrets.’”

The community is invited to the free showings and discussion, and light refreshments will be available.