Recent severe storm damage to our towns’ infrastructure and many residences has brought home to our communities the urgent topic of climate change and rising sea levels. We invite everyone to join us at Harbor Theater on Tuesday, April 2 to engage with local town officials, climate action team members, scientists, and filmmaker/Boston Globe reporter David Abel whose film “Inundation District” will begin the discussion.

“Inundation District” is a 2023 feature-length film (79 minutes) about the implications of Boston’s decision to ignore the threats posed by climate change and spend billions of dollars on building a new waterfront district — on landfill, at sea level. In a time of rising seas and intensifying storms, one of the world’s wealthiest, most-educated cities made a fateful decision to spend billions of dollars erecting a new district. Unlike other places imperiled by climate change, this neighborhood of glass towers housing some of the world’s largest companies was built well after scientists began warning of the threats, including many at its renowned universities. The city, which already has more high-tide flooding than nearly any other in the United States, called its new quarter the Innovation District. But with seas rising inexorably, and at an accelerating rate, others are calling the neighborhood by a different name: Inundation District. For more information: www.inundationdistrict.com/home.

Aware and concerned about the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels along Maine’s coast, our own local communities have been busy organizing and planning. The Boothbay Region Climate Action Team (BRCAT) is a group of local community members dedicated to connecting the region with the resources we need to adapt to changing conditions and ensure a sustainable future for all. Through community meetings, grant applications, and assistance with municipal resolutions, BRCAT has helped to establish community-driven priorities and connect them to funding opportunities. With our changing environment and its impacts on people, property, and community increasingly prevalent BRCAT hopes to continue engaging in the community to help the region navigate challenges and build a safe, sustainable future.

Members of BRCAT, including staff members or Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, local town climate action team members from Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay, along with town officials (select board members, town managers, code enforcement officers, and emergency managers) have been invited to answer questions and discuss the local implications posed by the issues raised in the film. Filmmaker David Abel will participate via Zoom to answer questions about his film and the research which led to its production.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with food, wine, and time to greet neighbors from our towns. The film “Inundation District” will begin at 6 p.m. and be followed at 7:15 by a Q&A discussion. Tickets for the event are $10 for adults; $8 for Harbor Theater members. The box office will open at 5 p.m.