12 November 2012; Noakhali, Bangladesh:
'Congrats Obama! Ensure Climate Justice, It's your first assignment!',
'Congrats Barak Obama, Learn from Sandy - Keep the Promise'. Hundreds of youths
and civil society members carried these festoons and banners in a rally in
Noakhali today (12 November 2012) demanding climate justice in upcoming UN
Climate Conference in Doha. They urged to fulfill 10-points demands including
deep cut of emission, stopping debt-business by using climate-catastrophe,
ensuring rights of climate migrants and adequate funding for vulnerable
countries. Observing 42 years of cyclone Gorky in 1970 Participatory Research
and Action Network (PRAN) and Humanitywatch jointly organized the rally in
front of Noakhali Press Club before 18th COP (Conference of Parties) of United
Nations Climate Change Convention.
People of Bangladesh are the worst victims of climate change. Smallholders
and marginal people's lives and livelihoods are in peril due to aggraded
impacts of natural disasters. But the global leaders are silent on climate issues,
the speakers said in the Condolence & Protest rally. Recalling recent
attack of hurricane Sandy in USA, the speakers said that, Bangladeshi people
are facing Sandylike cyclones every day. But the developed countries are
ignoring death and destruction in Bangladesh. They blamed that the Annex-1
countries neither cutting their excessive emissions, nor supporting us to adapt
with the rapid change of weather. They stressed climate justice in upcoming UN
Climate Conference and urged US President to take proactive role.
The rally organized
as a part of countrywide Climate Justice Week 2012 from 11-17 November. Among
others, Lawyer Emdad Hossain Koishore, cultural activist Pronab Acharya, youth
organiser Asadul Haidar Chowdhury, Abdullah Al Arif and PRAN chief executive
Nurul Alam Masud addressed the gathering.
