Debates
Guilty: is our western lifestyle destroying the world?
14th December 2011
In recent years environmental issues have appeared to recede into the background and become a minor issue in contrast to other global matters such as the economy and the ‘war on terror’ which have dominated the media and debates within college.
This week, the Debates Society had its annual guest speaker from local Charity, Concern Universal.
In his presentation to students at college, Baai Jaabang aimed to demonstrate the remaining significance of global warming and the devastating effects it has, and continues to have, upon his native country, the Gambia.
Baai has had first hand experience of the destructive forces of global warming, having been brought up in Gunjur, a large fishing village which is about 30 miles South West of the capital Banjul. After studying agriculture at college he went on to help villages improve their farming techniques and then to work for a refugee project, “Worldview Gambia”.
The knowledge and expertise Baai brought to his presentation, coupled with his passion for his country and its livelihood were inspiring; an inexperienced speaker from a local charity could not have fully conveyed the immense effect global warming has on agriculture, trade and families as Jaabang did.
Effects on trees, crops, rivers and family life were just some of the areas Baai covered and his thought provoking question to the audience ‘is Western society responsible for global warming?’ ensured a captivated audience and an enthusiastic question time.
This event was extremely enlightening and Baai’s enthusiasm and lively personality set this debate apart from others. The message of ‘the butterfly effect’, for me, has provoked further thought: that even the smallest action that we, in our relatively privileged and often ignorant stance of the world, can be responsible for life changing results in less fortunate countries.
The college has built up close links with Concern Universal which has hosted students building work experience for their CVs and university applications. We look forward to hosting further guests from Concern Universal.
Rachel Dixon