Bill McKibben speaks at Paul Smith’s College in November 2023. (Provided photo)

LAKE PLACID — From the intense scenes of wildfires in Los Angeles to tornados in the Adirondacks, we live in a era of extreme weather and climate change.

Giving expression to the very human side of stories such as these, the Lake Placid Center for the Arts is hosting a Climate Future Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 31.

Bill McKibben, a well known friend of the Adirondacks, environmentalist and author serves as the honorary judge of the festival. The 10 award-winning short films on the program draw from different cultures and continents to explore human and artistic response to climate change.

As McKibben says, “there’s no way to protect particular places on this planet (like the Adirondacks) anymore without protecting the planet as a whole.”

Looking to the future, there’s a lot we can do locally right here, right now in Upstate New York to help accelerate the rapid transition to affordable, clean and renewable energy sources.

McKibben is also the founder of Third Act, a national movement of Americans over the age of 60 working together to safeguard our climate and protect future generations of life on earth.

At the film festival, Third Act’s Upstate New York chapter is holding a meet and greet in the lobby of the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, located at 17 Algonquin Drive, Lake Placid, at 6:30 p.m., prior to the screening, which starts at 7 p.m.

Festival attendees are invited to stop by the Third Act table and learn more about local efforts to help North Country communities move away from dependence on fossil fuels and toward clean energy and climate resilience.