GUWAHATI, Dec 20 - The Climate Compatible Development Film Festival was held at the NEDFi House here on December 18.
The three films produced by the Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), London, were screened on the occasion.
The objective of the festival in Guwahati was to motivate a discussion on climate change and its impact on the indigenous communities in the North East, highlight issues such as lack of representation of women in climate change negotiations and the power of film to spur discussion and action on climate change, especially among youth groups. The screening was organised by the Assam Times Foundation.
The three films tell stories on the impact of climate change on diverse communities from Uttarakhand to Karnataka. Loss of livelihoods, distress migration, destruction of crops and fisheries are the reality that many face on a day-to-day basis.
The panel discussion following the film screenings facilitated in bringing up the diverse environmental and climate change issues in Assam and the North East.
The young audience engaged with the speakers on the role of the civil society in climate change, the changing landscape of the North East and the realities of people�s lives in Dhemaji district. A member from Dhemaji district told the audience how he spent 4-5 years living on the embankment of the Gai river after being displaced in flood. Increased sand deposition in the district has led to drastic changes in the geography and the livelihoods of the district.
Dr Shalini Sharma of the Department of Ecology & Environment, Tata Institute of Social Science, Guwahati, said that �environment is a hardcore political issue� and explained that media houses and institutions in the region were disinclined to cover serious environmental issues � something that needs to change.
Dr Shalini Sharma highlighted the politics of women�s participation in climate change negotiations and the need to open up political corridors for women�s representation in these spaces.
Dr Polly Vauquline, Women�s Studies, Gauhati University, stressed the need of more informative research on the gendered dimensions of climate change and in particularly representing the diversity of North Eastern women.
The film screenings drew consensus from the audience that similar films were needed to showcase the impact of climate change on the women of the North East and the role of oral storytelling in bringing to the fore women�s perspectives on climate change policies.
