Invitation to a screening of MEAN SEA LEVEL, 58 Minutes, Stereo
Friday, July 16, 2010
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Alliance Francaise De Bangalore
Thimmaaih Road, Vasantnagar
Bangalore, India
Mean Sea Level [58 minutes]
Around 7500 Kms from the heart of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] in Geneva or the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC] secretariat in Bonn, Ghoramara and Sagar islands are going through their own testimony of climate change related phenomena.
Mean Sea Level takes us through the story of the inhabitants of these small islands at the southern tip of the Indo-Gangetic Delta. Almost 7000 inhabitants have been forced to leave Ghoramara in the last 30 years, as the island has become half in size. The biggest island, Sagar which hosted refugees from other islands all these years is witnessing massive erosion now. 70000 people in the 9 sea-facing islands are at the edge of losing land in next 15 years. For these people climate change is real.
Rising Sea level, 2mm a year is resulting in daily insecurity for home and livelihoods. Experience of this new breed of climate refugees are a little different from simplistic explanation of sea level rise that will cover their islands with water. The rivers in this delta have to meet the sea at a higher level and they need extra space to hold the water. These rivers break islands 24/7 to create the extra space. People face a constant loss of their land and home to erosion, and keep on moving inside the islands till there is no space.
Sheikh Lalmohan lost his home in an island Lohachara 18 years ago, and lives in a refugee camp in Sagar island. Kavita Shil keeps on moving her house inside island in Ghoramara as the water eats up her house. All these happened while we debated climate change.
There is a greater irony. These poor people got nothing out of the economy that created climate change, nor do they contribute to global warming. Mean Sea Levelâ is a testimony of reckless political economy of our times. Climate change is real, and only a sign of our recklessness.
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Comments
A must attend documentary
Climate change though such a monumental issue has the least impact when compared to the traffic vows for any common man in Bangalore. I have made a note in my diary to attend. Thanks for putting this event Dr. Vishwanath sir.
Decreasing land in the islands due to the rising sea levels or overcrowding of the state capitol with unwanted industries / people has similar effects. [BMP -> BBMP]
common man, and explanation
Common man reacts to issues that he can understand. We geeks do a real bad job of it (explaining things down well), and then complain that common man has misplaced priorities.
However, using mass media, like the way such documentaries aim to do, helps. whether Activists, or politicians, you can't take common man for granted by not explaining things well enough to him. Otherwise, he/she will react to whats easiest to see and understand .