Fierce debate on environmental issues
Students packed one of the University of Southampton’s main lecture theatres to discuss controversial topics in the latest lunchtime seminar organised by the Centre for Environmental Sciences. The Question Time session, chaired by Dr Malcolm Hudson followed the same format as the BBC TV programme and provoked lively debate.
Extracting shale gas, or ‘fracking' was the first question; a straw poll revealed 75 per cent of the audience opposed the idea. The panel and students also discussed the proposed high speed rail link HS2, the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and whether peregrine falcons should be allowed to nest on University buildings, disrupting mobile phone signals.
The panel consisted of Research Fellow Dr Francis Ongondo who specialises in waste resource management, particularly for waste electrical goods and waste and grew up in Kenya, Visiting Professor Terry Langford who has more than 25 years' experience in the UK's electrical power generation industry, PhD student Erin McMurtry who is researching the carbon footprint of international shipping second year undergraduate Jack Connors, President of the Environmental Sciences Students Society (ESSS) and Louise Ward, Students Union Academic President and third year undergraduate.
"This was our second Question Time and it went so well, we're planning more of them," says Malcolm. "It was good to get a range of views and encourage students to think widely around the issues."
The event was captured on a twitter feed #esqt