The Hungry Tide

Gr 10 Up—Kiribati, a Pacific island nation, is home to 105,000 residents living over 33 atolls. This program documents the challenges facing Kiribati as a result of rising ocean levels. As the ocean encroaches on the nation's land and turns their wells of drinkable water brackish and unusable, the residents look to more developed nations to bring aid and to alter their lifestyles to reduce climate change. The documentary follows Maria Tiimon, a crusader for Kiribati, who has relocated to Australia at the personal expense of leaving behind her ailing parents. Tiimon's story and emotion help elevate this production beyond the typical environmental piece. Viewers may feel her disappointment when her visit to a multinational environmental summit in Copenhagen results in more empty promises and no real help for her friends and neighbors who are losing their homes to the rising tides. The content of this program is sure to fuel classroom discussion and, perhaps, activism on the part of some viewers.—Ryan Henry, Daviess County Public Library, Owensboro, KY