Development, Sustainability and Environment
The Great Debate
in association with
WORLDwrite and RSA
present a day of workshops and discussion on
Development, Sustainability and Environment
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Saturday 15th October 2005
Devonshire Building
University of Newcastle
Location Map
In the last 20 years environmental thinking has become very much a part of
our every day lives. The term 'sustainable development' has entered the
mainstream and is used to guide policy in both the developed and developing
world. Yet whilst we in the West enjoy a safe, clean, pleasant environment
coupled with high living standards the developing world is being discouraged
from aspiring to anything more than basic needs. So what is sustainable
development and what are its consequences? What is current in environmental
thought?
Combining a workshop on Film training with a global edge,
documentary footage from Africa and the Middle East and a series of
discussions this conference will examine the relevance of
environmentalism in the new millenium and will ask if development
to western standards is possible for the developing world.
Discussion sessions include
Energy Futures with
Sir Bernard Ingham, Keith Barnham and Ian Burdon;
Aspirations for the Developing World with
Ceri Dingle and Geoff Parkin; and
Keynote debate sponsored by the RSA:
What Future for Environmentalism? with
Viv Regan, Roger Higman and Tony Gilland.
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Booking
Day Ticket -
£5
includes buffet lunch and drinks reception
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PRE-BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL AS NUMBERS ARE LIMITED
Please note that the film workshop in the morning is now fully booked
Booking enquiries:
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Development, Sustainability and Environment
Session Outlines
Morning:
10am Film training with a global edge
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Practical workshop on the media run by WORLDwrite:
This challenging and exciting session will get your creative juices flowing,
your brain twitching and tickle your film making fancies.
Hosted by the UK based education charity and NGO WORLDwrite and led by a
documentary film crew fresh off the plane from Ghana this session will include:
A first screening of the rushes for the film - The New Missionary Position
- and a chance to quiz the crew
A screening of the documentary short on Fair Trade - The Bitter Aftertaste
A five minute glimpse of Corruptababble and Flush it and see,
two volunteer made films which question contemporary development speak
A hands on hour with Director of Photography (Chew on it Productions) and
film tutor Ian Foster where participants will learn the elements of broadcast
quality camera work for documentary using Mini DV and PD170 DV CAMS.
Participants will have a go with the crew at conducting interviews and
developing a short presenter led piece. Unlike Geldoff's claim to speak for
millions in the developing world, we will consider ways to ensure the truth
gets told, objectivity is assured and well meaning but ignorant ideas like
"advocacy" are outlawed. As participants get miced up with the latest in
wireless radio kit this session could produce a three minute wonder fit for a
film festival or Channel 4 open slot. Forget fortune get ready for infamy!
The crew are:
Ceri Dingle - Director of WORLDwrite
Ian Foster - Director of Photography,
Chew on it Productions
Helen Sewell - WORLDwrite volunteer
since school
Andrew Hirst - Camera
Sadhavi Sharma - Researcher
Viv Regan - Producer
This workshop is part of The Great Debate schools programme
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10am Energy Futures: Tilting at Windmills
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Chair: Dave O'Toole, The Great Debate
The debate over how we should generate our power to best tackle global
warming continues to divide opinion. The EU has set a target for renewable
energy of 22 per cent by 2010 but moves to build wind farms continue to meet
opposition in the UK. Germany is already the world's largest wind power
producer but the news that the German parliament has approved plans to double
the country’s 15000 turbines over the next 16 years has been met with angry
protests.
In May 2004 James Lovelock the noted environmentalist put forward the proposal
that if we were really serious about tackling global warming we had no
alternative but to embrace nuclear power. So what is the future of power
generation and why does this issue so divide opinion?
with
Click here for further details including statements by speakers
Tilting at Windmills:
proceedings of the Energy Futures debate
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11:45am Aspirations for the Developing World
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Chair: Pauline Hadaway, Director,
Belfast Exposed
Do people in developing world want what we have? Is it reasonable to
encourage them to aspire to a Western standard of living? What does the
term ‘sustainable development’ offer for developing countries?
Today nearly half of the world’s 6 billion people lives on less than $2 per
day and between 1 and 2½ billion people do not have access to safe drinking
water. Three million people die each year from water borne diseases. According
to the 2003 Human Development Report 54 countries became poorer during the
1990s. While the Millennium Development Goals include halving the proportion of
people living in extreme poverty by 2015 there is an implicit acceptance that
countries in sub Saharan Africa will not reach the goals for poverty eradication
until 2147, and for child mortality until 2167. Yet there are no plans for
major international investment in developing countries, especially for
essential infrastructure related to, for example water supply, water and sewage
treatment. Rather the urge in both the developed and developing world is to
consume less. We are told that large scale bold schemes which offer developing
modern Western style water provision should be avoided. Why? What is wrong with
the approach to water supply established in the developed world? What does this
imply for the aspirations of people in the developing world? Is this acceptable?
Is there anything that can be done?
with
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Afternoon:
2.15pm
Debating Matters Extra
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Sixth Form Debate on pollution in association with
Institute of Ideas
"Reducing pollution should be society’s top priority"
Chair: Jon Bryan, The Great Debate
Judges: Sir Bernard Ingham, Tony Gilland, Jon Pugh
Click here for full details of the
Debating Matters competition
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3.30pm What Future for Environmentalism?
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Plenary debate sponsored by the RSA
Chair: Caspar Hewett, The Great Debate
Is the environmental debate dead? Today environmental ideas are taught in
schools, discussed in the House of Commons and debated at world summits.
We are so used to hearing that the global environment is getting worse thanks
to human activity that we rarely, if ever, question it. Everyone from engineers
to Presidents call themselves environmentalists.
What does this mean?
As enviromental ideas have become mainstream they have been less and less open
to critical scrutiny – we are increasingly expected to accept claims made about
the environment on faith rather than scientific evidence and any questioning of
such claims is seen as beyond the pale. This session will scrutinize the current
state of environmental thought and will ask questions about the consequences of
its dominance for our future.
with
Click Here for
part edited transcript of this debate
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WORLDwrite
WORLDwrite is an education charity with a difference. Its mission is to
challenge prejudices and stereotypes by giving young people a unique
opportunity to see the world from a fresh perspective through a first hand
investigative experience. The charity helps create links between young people
across the globe, encouraging them to learn from their peers, expand their
horizons and champion the aspirations of newfound friends.
WORLDwrite runs programmes with young people across the UK and has exchange
partnerships with Ghana, Brazil, Uganda, South Africa, India, Germany and Japan.
The WORLDwrite Crew
website: www.worldwrite.org.uk
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RSA
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA) was
founded in 1754 to encourage the development of a principled and prosperous society.
Today the RSA runs a programme of projects and lectures based around five manifesto
challenges:
1. Encouraging enterprise
2. Moving towards a zero waste society
3. Fostering resilient communities
4. Developing a capable population
5. Advancing global citizenship
website: www.rsa.org.uk
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