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| St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, hosted the Global Earth Summit II, 29-30 March, 2012. Organised by the Department of Environmental Studies, the topic of discussion was The Environmental Migrant – The Human Face of Climate Change. The primary focus of the summit was the Environmental Refugee or “Envirogee”, who have been displaced from their homes due to the natural and manmade disasters that are the result of human induced Global Warming. They are the most vulnerable to the changing weather patterns and it is they who suffer for the sins of their richer counterparts. Day 1
After the Inaugural session and Keynote address, there were technical sessions on “Climate Change and its Impact on food, habilitation and water” and “Disaster Management Response to Climate Refugees”. The speakers provided the students with an overview of the impact of natural and manmade disasters on people and their livelihood. They also spoke of the ways in which these disasters can be prevented and the emergency action plans that should be formulated in the event of an unpredictable disaster. The day ended with a panel discussion on The Irony of Climate Refugees where the speakers addressed the problem of the absolute deprivation and degradation of the environment refugees as well as the lack of proper rescue and rehabilitation policies in the country. Day 2
The second day of the summit began with a technical session on “Who are Climate Refugees” which focused upon the status and rights of those who have been displaced by environmental calamities, and what should be done in order to protect them and ensure their well being. The session was followed by a panel discussion on “The Green Options and Policy Initiatives,” which touched on the various legal measures that should be undertaken in order to ensure sustainable development. It shed light on the ineffectiveness of some of the ‘protocols’ that have been established for the welfare of the environment. The day ended with a debate on the motion: Who should pay for the sins of our rich cousins? Vineet Sharma, Radio Jockey with 93.5 FM, moderated the event. The team against the motion won the debate, though Xaverian Payal Motwani, who argued for the motion, was declared the Best Speaker.  © 2011 EarthSmiles.net . All rights reserved. Made from 100% recycled pixels. The second edition of the SXC green summit saw both blame game and rationality of the green debate.
SXC GES II - awareness towards change
By Charlene Hendricks
|  | | Green moments at St. Xavier's: The summit was Kolkata's Green Oscars... with a host of celebrities giving the talks and on discussion panels. | “Summits like these, in today’s day and age are very important, considering that they generate a sense of awareness among the throbbing young minds of student who have all the potential to materialise these changes in the real world. It was very enjoyable as well as informative. Overall, this summit has been a resounding success” said Sreejita Dey, 2nd year Political Science student at St. Xaviers College, who attended the events. The summit was presided over by Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker Dr. A. Atiq Rahman, Executive Director, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), Dhaka and attended by various eminent speakers from across the country such as Dr. Chakravarty Balaji, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, IIT, Madras, Dr. Janki Andharia, Professor, Tata Institute of Social Studies, Mumbai and Mr. Sandeep Dikshit, MP, East Delhi. Exhibition at GES II, Kolkata |
