PORT ANGELES — Olympic Climate Action will present a film screening of “The Reluctant Radical” and a discussion afterward at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The film will be shown at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
The film features activist Ken Ward, one of five people who shut down North Dakota the TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline, one of the major tar sands pipelines in the U.S., for a day in 2016.
The film follows Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change, according to a press release.
The screening will feature a special appearance by Ward’s fellow valve-turner, Michael Foster, who received the longest prison sentence of the group when he turned off the main pipeline. Foster, a Seattle activist, received a year in prison, with two years deferred, after he was convicted of misdemeanor trespass, felony criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief. He was acquitted of a reckless endangerment charge.
Ward received 30 days community service.
After 20 years leading environmental organizations, Ward has become increasingly alarmed by the scientific evidence of climate change and the possible repercussions, the release said.
“He pushes for a crisis-level response and when his efforts fail, he embraces direct action civil disobedience as the most effective political tool to deal with catastrophic circumstances,” the press release said.
The film follows Ward through a series of direct actions, culminating with the coordinated action of the valve turners who shut down all the U.S. tar sands oil pipelines Oct. 11, 2016.
For information, contact Ed Chadd by calling 360-775-9234 or email edchadd@olypen.com.
