Planning Minister Demands Environmental Justice for Bangladeshi Farmers
The Minister for Planning, Bangladesh Mr. ANM Mustafa Kamal, M.P. joined the University of Melbourne Round Table Discussion organized by Melbourne School of Design(MSD) presided by Professor Nicholas Low, a passionate environmental justice advocate and sustainable transport planning expert and Director of Australian centre for Government Managed Urban Transport at the University of Melbourne.
Director, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute Professor Brendan Gleeson, Melbourne School of Design Professor Don Henry, Urban Transport and Public Health Professor Mark Stevenson, , Urban Planning Academician Dr. Ole Fayed, and some Melbourne University Allumni and Professor, Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh Dr. Farid Ahmed, Geo Scientist Dr. Muhammad Alam, and Monash University PhD scholar of Monash Asia Institute Mr. Ifti Rashid, Global Health Justice PhD Candidate of Monash and Lecturer, Jagannath University Mrs. Suchana Sova, , past Director of Petro Bangla Mr. Khandokar Abdus Salek, Environmental Science student of Monash Ms. Jaferi Husain, Mr. Taj Uddin, Bangladesh Community Leader, joined the session held at level 3, Studio 4 of MSD.
In his speech, the Minister Mr. ANM Mostafa Kamal briefly provides the world economic history as background of global economic race and its impact on climate change. Then he claims that Bangladesh, as a poor developing nation are the recipient of environmental harms and burdens caused by economic activities of developed nations.
So, for fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, Australia as contributor of climate change and as a high level of carbon emitter should take some responsibility so that poor developing nations can lead a better quality of life. Thus he requested the Australian Governments to bring 10 thousands agriculture farmer families from Bangladesh who are victim of such climate change.
The Bangladeshi Farmer families will green Australian Cities and Economy and their earning from such work will contribute to keep green economic activities of Bangladesh. He also mentioned that this proposal has been discussed with the then Foreign Minister and Past Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Past Prime Minister John Hayward. The minister sought help from Australian academics to this matter.
In reply to another question from Professor Don Henry, the Minister invited all academics in his country to see how agriculture and transport are progressing using solar energy towards green economy. This will help Australia to acquire knowledge and experience that may help to develop green culture and direct their economy towards sustainable development. The Minister expressed his thanks for such an opportunity for Bangladesh.
Professor Nicholas Low also thanked the Minister and participants of the round table discussion and assured the minister that he will look at the proposal advanced by the Minister for achieving global environmental justice and Sustainable Development for which the University of Melbourne committed.
