Doha Debates - Environment and Freedom of Speech

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Meeting Announcement - Monday February 6, 2012

SustainableQatar would like to invite you to our monthly meeting to promote environmental awareness and action in the community.

When: Monday, February 6, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Where: Friends for the Environment Centre
Program Topic:

presentation on the Debates + experiences in and responses to debates on environmental issues followed by a lively discussion
"Doha Debates - Environment and Freedom of Speech" presented and discussion facilitated by Tanya Sakzewski, Series Producer of Doha Debates (please note that this is NOT a debate, rather a presentation about the Debates, experiences in and response to environmental issues followed by a lively discussion)

Tanya is the Executive Producer of The Doha Debates since the start of Series 6 and worked as Producer on The Doha Debates for four years prior. She has more than 20 years experience working in broadcast news and current affairs as a producer and reporter. Before moving to Doha, Tanya was based in London producing the BBC’s award-winning Hardtalk programme for more than four years. She also worked for several other international broadcasters and television news agencies including Bloomberg Television, APTN, and WTN.
After graduating from university with a BA in journalism, she started her career in her home country of Australia as a television news reporter for networks including the national broadcaster, ABC TV.

presentation on the Debates + experiences in and responses to debates on environmental issues followed by a lively discussion

Directions and Map on www.sustainableqatar.com


SIDE NOTE:
I am not a member of this organization but they seem a worthy cause, has interesting topics so kinda worth spreading the news around que?!

so hope you try to make it there - and she's kindly advising you carpool okies!??

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CHANGE OF VENUE: For those who are coming to this event, please check their website for there's a change of venue. The meeting will be held in another place, not quite far from the original place, it is going to be in Doha Youth Center.

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We attended this one and had a little drama. There was a guest who writes for the Guardian (among others) and he wrote an article about how Qatar, with all its plans related to environment, is among the top 10 "emerging" countries that seems to be developing an eco conscience. cant find the article right now but he wrote it for a dubai website and it got mentioned/spinned off in an article for the local papers. The issue one of the attendees had about this article is that apparently, by writing this, this might encourage Qatar to rest on its laurels and forget about its other significant impact on the environment.

On the writer's defense though, he said "emerging" with connotation that it is sort of crawling creeping out of some deep cave or something and among the countries it was lumped with are countries like ghana, brazil and other major polluters. The things is, the reason why they were in that group is that because they are implementing or planning to implement their projects to at least lessen their impact/pollution. and Qatar has lots of plans. we will just have to see how these plans push through and how much impact it will have, but the thing to note is that it has plans so it was on the list. not because they have already achieved something, but because it has big plans that are going to be implemented. but the writer got chewed off...haha. i mean, he afterall has not lived here and has only spent a couple of days' visit, so his views compared to those of who has been around here and are scraping for something have quite a chasm to cross for their ideas to meet.

As for the doha debates. It seems one of their challenges is to come up with a topic that can both generate as much interests to as much number of people as it has to be a topic and mode of discussion that can elevate the discussion at a higher level. it has to be interesting and presented with a whole lot of tact. so even though nature plunder is such a huge topic and with very catastrophic repercussions, it is hard to put out there on a debate.