by ELISE HUGUS

Thanks to the UN conference currently underway in Montreal, climate change is on environmentally-conscious lips all over the world. As the rhetoric flies in the Palais de Congrès, Montrealers can voice their concerns in a variety of ways.

The SAT reshapes the debate with its new Panoscope 360º, a virtual projector designed to transcend bureaucracy and bring the concerns of global citizens to the fore. Messages, ideas and artwork will be transmitted as a “mosaic of concerns” to UN dignitaries at the Cool Canada Café in the conference centre until Dec. 9th. To add your two cents, go to www.mkyoto.org.

Join Canada’s coolest environmentalist, David Suzuki, and Kid Koala, the Stills and les Cowboys Fringants on Monday, Dec. 5 for Too Hot to Handle, an evening of “music and inspiration” and consciousness- and fund-raising, at the Centre Pierre-Péladeau (300 de Maisonneuve E., 7:30–11 p.m., $40). Call 987-6919 to reserve tickets.

The Cinémathèque québécoise (335 de Maisonneuve E.) puts the lens on the Earth with their Planet in Focus mini-film-and-video festival this weekend. Festival director Candida Paltiel, who spent the past six years bringing environmental cinema to Toronto, sees the festival as a way to reach out to disaffected audiences. “People can find a means through film to engage in public debate,” she says. “If we can make the issue digestible in a way that makes sense, people will start to adopt forward-looking approaches and behaviours.”

Saturday, Dec. 3 will feature The Great Warming (9:30 a.m.–12 p.m.), followed by a panel discussion, “Telling the Story of Climate Change.” Later in the afternoon, Washed Away and Trouble In Paradise (1:30–4 p.m.) will focus on the plight of the South Pacific archipelago nation of Tuvalu, whose 11,000 inhabitants are predicted to become the world’s first climactic refugees. The north-south perspective comes to a head with a panel discussion with the Tuvalu ambassador to the UN, reps from the Alliance of Small Island States and the filmmakers. Sunday, Dec. 4 features Wind Over Water, about a controversial offshore wind farm proposed off the coast of Cape Cod, and the British The End of the World as We Know It (9:30 a.m.–12 p.m.). The pre-apocalyptic gaze shifts to Canada with The End of Suburbia (1:30–4 p.m.). On Monday, Dec. 5, Robert Flaherty’s 1922 classic Nanook of the North screens at 8 p.m. All screenings are free, call 842-9763 for more info.

If winter in Quebec has you thinking global warming might not be such a bad thing after all, check your head at the Climate Justice ConvUrgence Centre. Daily workshops will explore the impact of melting ice caps on Arctic cultures, the correlation between hurricanes and oil wars, and how to become a more effective climate activist. Free films and discussions are offered at varying times over the week, with Monday, Dec. 5 and Tuesday, Dec. 6 designated as the Alternative People’s Forum. Drop by the Centre at 2074 Clarke or go to www.energyaction.net/montreal for a calendar of events.

Have an old beater leaking battery acid in the driveway? Scrap your car—and your guilty conscience—for a good cause. The Clear the Air! project aims to retire 2,000 emissions-heavy old vehicles from the road, with a $50 tax credit, monthly transit passes and the chance to win a trip for two to the Gaspé on Via Rail. If that’s not enough incentive, check out the public Hummer-crushing at the ConvUrgence Centre next week (time and place to be announced—call 588-0517). Proceeds will benefit the Kidney Foundation of Quebec. Go to www.aqlpa.com/faites/en/index.html for more info.

If global climate change seems like too much to tackle at once, the Canada Green Building Council is starting to build a post-Kyoto world one brick at a time. Sustainable design strategies by local architects are on display at Galerie Monopoli (181 St-Antoine W.), complete with thermographic map of the Island of Montreal on a hot summer’s day to demonstrate the greenhouse effect on a local level. According to project curator Richard Klopp, the building industry could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by using sustainable construction materials and energy-efficient designs. The exhibition features 27 current projects in Quebec and possibilities for creating urban micro-climates to combat climate change. Until December 11, open from 12–6 p.m.