‘Sri Lanka 2048’ : TV debate series on creating a better future

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 among the many questions to be addressed in Sri Lanka 2048 -- a new, innovative series of television debates exploring prospects for a sustainable future for Sri Lanka in the Twenty First Century.

The series, which started airing on Sirasa TV on Thursday, 22 May, will be broadcast every Thursday at 10.45 pm. Each one hour debate will involve- as panel and studio audience - over two dozen Sri Lankans from academic, civil society, corporate and government backgrounds.

The debates are being co-produced by MTV Channel (Private) Limited in partnership with TVE Asia Pacific, an educational media foundation, together with IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The editorially independent series will accommodate a broad spectrum of expertise and opinion. Broadcast in Sinhala (on Sirasa TV) and English (on MTV), it is aimed at all thinking and caring Sri Lankans who crave for a better future for themselves and their children.

Sri Lanka 2048 debates in Sinhala will be based on topics including managing our waste, reducing air pollution, protecting biodiversity on land and in the seas, and buffering society from disasters. Two debates in English will be on business and the environment, and coping with climate change. All topics will be discussed at a non-technical level in the public interest. The series is based on the premise that Sri Lanka has abundant land and ocean resources that can be used to build such a future -- but it faces many challenges in taking the right action at the right time.

Sri Lanka 2048 will adopt an informal, talk show style format that allows ample interaction between the panel and active audience. Each debate will also feature 2 or 3 short video segments produced in advance, and played at key points during the debate to steer discussion.