Sea-Level Rise Highlighted at Meridian

As part of the Global Perspectives Film Series, Meridian, along with our partners ITVS and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP), hosted a screening and discussion of The Island President on Wednesday, April 3, 2013. The Island President is the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, as he faces the challenge of leading one of the most low-lying countries in the world, where a rise of three feet in sea level would submerge the 1200 islands of the Maldives enough to make them uninhabitable. His Excellency Winston Thompson, Ambassador of Fiji to the U.S. and Former Fijian Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forests, shared remarks following the film, and Lawrence MacDonald, Vice President, Communications and Policy Outreach, Center for Global Development, moderated the conversation and commented on current climate policies. The film’s director and cinematographer, Jon Shenk, participated in the discussion remotely and addressed the film’s epilogue and what’s happened since filming, including President Nasheed being forced to resign from power