Ex-President Nasheed to head to Britain for 'Climate Change Debate'

Former President Mohamed Nasheed is to head to Britain to take part in the 'Climate Change Debate' at the Oxford Union.

The debate, which is to be held on 2nd November, will focus on the threats to the climate.

Under the heading 'individual apathy is the greatest threat to our climate', speakers will answer questions such as "is climate change denial to blame for the dismantling of environmental regulations and inaction on global warming, or is the indifference and apathy of voters the root case?" and "how complicit is our generation in the failure to address climate change meaningfully?"

The speakers in proposition are: Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade and former Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Labour MP Barry Gardiner; German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Minister Barbara Hendrinks; and current Special Advisor to the Foreign Secretary for climate change Sir David King.

Those in opposition are: former President Nasheed; current CEO and co-chair of the Nuclear Threat Alive, nuclear physicist, Ernest Moniz; and leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2012 to 2016, Natalie Bennett.

Nasheed had previously addressed at the Oxford Union, one of the oldest debating societies in Britain.

Speaking there in 2010, the former President noted that climate crisis "is the most potent threat we have ever faced", emphasizing that it is "happening much faster than we dared to imagine".

"To deny the existence of climate change in the face of overwhelming evidence is not skepticism. It is stupidity," he had said.

Former President Nasheed is recognized around the world for his environmental work, winning several awards in recognition, including Time Magazine's Hero of the Environment in 2009.

Also in 2009, he made a splash after holding a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the threat of global warming.