Royal Society of Edinburgh ‘Avatar’ debate for school students in March 2011. ‘Should all living species be preserved’
Released in 2009, James Cameron’s fantasy narrative hinted at a great many environmental issues including the conservation of indigenous peoples and the planet’s biodiversity.
Combined with the movie’s popularity amongst people of all ages, the film is a great starting point for a debate on these important issues.
On the 15th of March 2011, the Royal Society of Edinburgh played host to the Avatar Debate LIVE. Two expert speakers, including one from the BioTIME project, were on hand to introduce the pupils from Douglas Academy and Braes High School to the issues at hand. The pupils were then divided into four groups with each group set a for or against stance on one of the two questions. Discussion and research time was given to each group to allow the consolidation of ideas and formation of cogent arguments. The resulting presentations from each group formed the basis of a fascinating debate