Local groups in coastal Satkhira plan climate-focused activities on renewable energy, mangrove conservation, sustainable farming and community participation.
A week-long programme has been announced in Shyamnagar, a coastal sub-district of Bangladesh’s Satkhira district, to mark World Climate Week and raise awareness about climate change, environmental and ecosystem conservation and climate justice.
The programme was announced at a press conference held at 11:00 am Tuesday at the coastal regional centre of the Bangladesh-based research organisation BARCIK in Kalbari, Shyamnagar.
The Shyamnagar Upazila Volunteer Association, Green Coalition and BARCIK are organising the activities.
K M Habibur Rahman, organising secretary of the Shyamnagar Upazila Volunteer Association, read out a written statement at the press conference.
“Climate change is no longer only a global crisis; its direct impacts are visible in the lives and livelihoods of people in coastal communities,” he said, highlighting rising salinity, shortages of safe drinking water, cyclones and tidal surges, biodiversity loss, pressure on fisheries resources and changes in agriculture.
He said effective social initiatives involving local communities were needed to address these challenges.
According to the organisers, the week-long programme will include a press conference, a climate strike, a board stack titled “Renewable Energy Now”, an awareness march titled “Walk for Stop Poison Fishing & Save Mangrove Ecosystem”, an intergenerational dialogue on agroecological practices, a webinar and online campaign and the submission of memoranda to the relevant authorities.
The organisers said the activities would seek to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and expand the use of renewable energy, conserve the Sundarbans and coastal mangrove ecosystems and raise public awareness about stopping fishing through the use of poison.
They said the programme would also promote environmentally friendly and sustainable farming practices by drawing on the experiences of local farmers and agricultural knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
The organisers said memoranda would be submitted to the relevant authorities with demands for action to address climate risks, protect the environment and biodiversity and ensure the rights and safety of local communities.
They said webinars and online campaigns would highlight the climate realities of coastal areas, the experiences of local people and the role of young people on a wider platform.
The organisers said the aim was not simply to observe World Climate Week for one week, but to turn climate and environmental protection into an ongoing social initiative linked to the lives, livelihoods and future of local people.
Those present at the press conference included Chandana Rani, president of the Munshiganj East Kalinagar Women’s Development Organisation, and Md Shariful Islam, organising secretary of the Burigoalini Union Green Coalition, along with representatives of local organisations and civil society.
The initiative to observe World Climate Week is receiving major support from BARCIK, a non-governmental development and research organisation that has received the National Environment Award.
BARCIK regional coordinator Md Shaheen Islam and associate regional coordinator Ramkrishna Jowardar were also present, along with others involved in the programme.
The event was moderated by S M Osman Gani and S M Jannatul Naim of BARCIK.
The organisers said they expected the week-long activities to strengthen the participation of local communities, young people, farmers, women, civil society, the media and government and non-government organisations in addressing the climate crisis.
They also expressed hope that the real-life experiences and demands of coastal communities could be presented more strongly in national and global climate discussions.
