Mobilization to Save the Arctic

Artists for Social and Political Awareness (ASPA) invites you to join us for a special screening of the new award winning film OIL ON ICE (57 min.) that came out as part of a nationwide mobilization against the Bush administration plan for oil extraction in the Arctic.

film screening will be followed by suggested actions to take.

OIL ON ICE is a vivid, compelling and comprehensive documentary connecting the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to decisions America makes about energy policy, transportation choices, and other seemingly unrelated matters. Caught in the balance are the culture and livelihood of the Gwich'in Athabascan Indians and Inupiat Eskimos and the migratory wildlife in this fragile ecosystem.

OIL ON ICE exposes the risks of oil extraction in this extreme environment. What happens if another oil spill occurs on the coastal plain or under an ice-covered Beaufort Sea? How can one rationalize development of irreplaceable wilderness areas or ignore the cultural survival of indigenous populations? Already, Eskimo residents and leaders of the North Slope Borough are criticizing the impacts of oil development to their lands and seas. Gwich'in Indian residents of Arctic Village, on the southern boundary of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, fear their community's caribou hunting will be severely impacted by oil development in the Refuge.

OIL ON ICE also examines the effects that improved fuel efficiency standards for vehicles and development of alternative sources of energy will have on this nation's oil consumption. The issue of oil extraction from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge brings into sharp focus the broader debate over energy conservation vs. unbridled consumption. It also dramatizes the choice between technologies based on fossil fuels and those that draw upon renewable, efficient, and non-polluting energy resources.