After the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences refused to screen the documentary film, Shored Up, the film was shown at the James B. Hunt Library instead for a packed house. 

A host of students, faculty members, community members and environmental activists and others attended the event at 7 p.m., which discussed the troubling relationship between humans and the environment.

Environmentalists said the museum didn’t want to show the film because it’s funded by the state legislature, which has been “hostile to climate change science,” according to the News & Observer.

Ben Kalina directed the film which documents the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and the continuing battle between humans and nature. The documentary was filmed on the coast of New Jersey and showed the effects of urban development on the coasts and how these same issues have now traveled south to haunt our own shores. 

North Carolina’s coasts are being threatened by developers and coastal communities that are lobbying for reversals of North Carolina Legislature protecting our shores from any such development, the film claimed. Unlike North Carolina, New Jersey developed their shores and put in place measures to try and combat rising sea levels. Unfortunately, they have been fighting a losing war.  

With sea level rates projected to rise in the future due to a mix of global warming and melting ice caps, many shores are predicted to be submerged. Money has been used for filling beaches with sand and propping up barriers to slow the rising tides, but as Hurricane Sandy demonstrated, nature can be relentless. The hurricane destroyed numerous properties were destroyed, but development continues in such vulnerable places as money begins to play politics with our shores.   

Many people in the film were North Carolina residents, including professors and politicians that have a keen interest in seeing the preservation of our coasts. With the recent legislation changes that have occurred and the mounting scientific evidence of the sea levels rising, this issue will be a hot topic for the North Carolina General Assembly, the film said.    

Fortunately, for those who missed the viewing, the film will be played again Thursday at the Full Frame Theatre in Durham at both 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The event will be hosted by Capitol Broadcasting Co. and a feature a panel led by Kalina.