Screening of the film- Mean Sea Level. Directed by Pradip Saha for CSE, Bangalore

07 Jul, 2010 . 2 mins read

Mean Sea Level

Organizer: Pradip Saha

Topic: Screening of the film- Mean Sea Level. Directed by Pradip Saha for CSE

Venue: Alliance Francaise De Bangalore

Description:

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.

Some past screenings:
School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS], London
Asia Pacific Environmental Journalists Meet, Tokyo
UN Climate Meet, Bonn
MMB, Kolkata
Weavers Studio, Kolkata
Rodos Ecofilm, Rodos, Greece
Lorient Film Festival, France.
Ecozine, Zaragoza Environment film festival, Spain

Crew:
Cinematography: Ranu Ghosh
Location Sound: Shalini Agarwal
Editing and Associate Director: Geetika Narang
Sound Design: Asheesh Pandya
Music: Rahul Ram, Amit Keelam, Aseem Chakravarty
Written, Directed, Produced by Pradip Saha