In solidarity with the global climate march a people’s climate march will be organised in Dhaka on 28 November. The National Committee for Saving the Sundarbans, NCSS, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, BAPA, Water Keepers Alliance, WKA and AVAAZ Bangladesh, have jointly taken up the programme.
The march will originate at the Central Shaheed Minar at 11 am and end at the National press club.
Climate change threatens us all – not only in Bangladesh but all across the world, and the pace of action by governments has been too slow to ensure our protection, for too long.But there is reason for hope – all across the world we are now seeing a citizen uprising calling for and demanding change, and governments, businesses and investors are being forced to follow.
Last year, the People’s Climate March brought 7,00,000 people out on the streets in cities across the world, including in Dhaka – and now countries including US, China and many other major economies have agreed to cut their emissions ahead of the crucial Paris climate conference in December 2015. Big companies like Apple and Google are going 100% renewable – and investors managing trillions of dollars are shifting away from dirty fossil fuels. Much more needs to be done, but the momentum is building.
Even more importantly, we are seeing different movements connecting like never before – greens, labor, leftists, human rights and faith groups, youth and indigenous people all marching together for change to unjust systems. As the slogan goes, The People, United, Will Never be Defeated.
This year, on November 28th, people are coming out to the streets again, all over the world, just before the Paris conference starts – to fire the starting gun towards the race to a zero-emissions world powered by safe and clean renewable energy.
As Bangladeshis at the front lines of climate change, it is our responsibility to lead in this global fight, to show that we will not watch from the sidelines fearing our land going underwater, but raise our voice and march together with the world.
So this letter is to invite you to join this movement by joining the march on the streets, and provide your leadership in this fight of our time. We all have one shared home, and we all must protect it for the sake of everything we love.
We have just a month, and a lot to do – finalize the details, spread the word through postering all across Dhaka city, prepare colourful floats and other materials to make the march visually powerful and attractive, and mobilize our networks to generate a high turnout of many thousands of people from all walks of life.
This march is one that can be joined by everyone – and all can feel free to bring their messages, banners, and slogans and organize activities as long as it relates to the vision of the march, says a press release issued by Bapa secretary general Dr. Abdul Matin.
