International seminar on climate change

by Nilma DOLE

[email protected]
 

The British Council organised a seminar at the National Science Learning Centre in York (UK) titled ‘Climate change: influencing future citizens’ where policymakers, scientists, educationists and stakeholders from around the world participated to ‘examine the most effective strategies for giving pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding to make informed choices on climate change’.

At the British Council branch in Sri Lanka, Vice Chair of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Prof. Mohan Munasinghe gave a video-linked presentation on ‘Climate change and sustainability’. He spoke about how third world countries can develop in a sustainable manner with climate change policies. He said, “The rich growing richer at the expense of the poor isn’t good” and went on to give solutions for mitigation and adaptation.

He further commented that areas where people can make a difference are good corporate social responsibility and a proper carbon development mechanism (CDM). “Developing nations should be careful when they think of selling their carbon credits to the developed nations because they need to grow as well, by emitting carbon” he said. He hoped that all nations will come together by understanding the impacts of climate change and developing solutions to reduce their carbon emissions.

Various questions were asked and observations made by the participants of the seminar that good governance would make climate change a fundamental issue and how developed nations can help developing nations but with the condition that money should be spent in a systematic manner. Participants at the five-day seminar shared information, knowledge and experiences through smaller group discussions, workshops and feedback sessions.

The program provided individuals with periods for reflection and debate, as well as a social program that allowed discussions and networking to continue informally.

It was an opportunity where they built and developed networks internationally and with UK partners.

The Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Geographical Society and the Institute of Physics also supported this seminar which was conducted by Prof. John Holman, Centre Director, National Science Learning Centre and Dr. Rita Gardner, Director, Royal Geographical Society.