Saber calls forced choice between dev, adaptation
City Desk :
Saber Hossain Chowdhury spoke on Promoting Climate Justice through Youth Engagement.
He said: “We had the least to do with the creation of the problem, and yet we are the most impacted. So, that is injustice any way you look at it.
The other aspect is we are forced to adapt beyond our capacity, according to press release.
“We are also being forced to choose between development investment in health, infrastructure, education, IT, training, capacity building and investing in trying to protect our people from the impacts of climate change. That is yet another injustice,” he added.
Saber also said: “We planted a million trees all over Bangladesh on the centenary of our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
But the mortality rate [of trees] is high; we will lose 30% of the trees in the first year. But there’s still 70% left. Can we get young people to adopt a tree?”
“You water the tree; you see it grow.
This is how we have environmental stewardship. We don’t want the young generation to just listen, we also want to listen to them.
We want them to be partners in implementation. We also want them to do an audit on the value and impact of that implementation. That completes the whole cycle,” he added.
About Dr Huq, his longtime compatriot in the global fight against climate change, the minister said: “He has inspired a climate generation in Bangladesh. Many of the people I see in the audience today have been touched by his sincerity, commitment and outstanding ability to convince people, especially when he talked about climate science and attribution the fact that loss and damage are caused by human action.”
Professor Rodriguez-Garavito focused on promoting climate justice through litigation.
He said: “Last week, the Swiss women’s association, Klima Seniorinnen, won the first-ever case on climate change before the European Court of Human Rights.
So, one of the most prestigious regional human rights courts has now said clearly and unequivocally that not doing enough against climate change is a violation of human rights.
Heatwaves, cyclones, floods, sea-level rise these are all massive violations of human rights.”
“The youth movement had provided the energy, moral passion and the impetus that had driven most of the achievements in climate governance.
The law and social mobilization of the youth movement and the use of creative, expansive and rigorous use of the law go hand in hand.”
Reminiscing his interaction with Prof Saleemul Huq during the COP27 in Egypt in 2022, Prof Rodriguez-Garavito said: “One of the things that struck me very deeply was that I had access to him through the leaders of the youth movement. It was not like he was always hanging out with the celebrities and the personalities.”
Professor Dr Borhan Uddin Khan, advisor to IUB’s Department of Law, moderated the event.
