If current development trends continue, what would life in Sri Lanka be like by 2048 – when the country marks 100 years of independence?
How can Sri Lanka keep growing economically without triggering mass sickness and death due to poisoning of its air and water?
What smart choices do we need to make today so that the next generation can enjoy prosperity, good health and a clean environment?
How can we safeguard our island from extreme weather and natural disasters resulting from climate change?
These are just a few of the many questions to be addressed in Sri Lanka 2048, a new, informal talk show style format series of television debates exploring prospects for a sustainable future for Sri Lanka in the 21st Century. Broadcast in Sinhala (on Sirasa TV) and English (on Channel One MTV) every Thursday at 10.45 pm, it is aimed at all thinking and caring Sri Lankans who crave for a better future for themselves and their children. Each one-hour debate will feature Sri Lankans from academic, civil, corporate and government backgrounds.
The debates are being co-produced by MTV Channel (http://www.capitalmaharaja.com/mtvchannels.html), in partnership with TVE Asia Pacific (www.tveap.org), an educational media foundation, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (http://www.iucn.org/places/srilanka).
Mano Wikramanayake, Group Director, MTV Channel, said,
“Channel One and Sirasa TV are very pleased to partner with TVEAP in producing socially relevant programmes in which civil society can participate. This could be a forerunner to programmes which encourage public debate on issues that concern all of us.”
“IUCN, with its unique constitution of state and NGO membership, is well positioned to facilitate discussions amongst all stakeholders on issues of topical interest. It plays the ‘honest broker’ role to bring out the most current scientific and allied information on a broad range of subjects which are affecting the environment and our lives,” stated Dr Ranjith Mahindapala, Country Representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Nalaka Gunawardene, Director/CEO, TVE Asia Pacific, commented, “Sustainable development is not some utopian or technical ideal of environmental activists. It’s about creating a liveable society here and today – where everyone has an acceptable quality of life, ample opportunities to learn and earn, and the freedom to pursue their own dreams.”
For more information, log on to: www.srilanka2048.com
