Voices from Bangladesh Speaking Tour in Melbourne this Friday

The people and ecosystems of Bangladesh face many of the most devastating consequences of climate change and sea level rise – at the same time as international financial institutions continue to finance projects such as the Phulbari Coal project that directly contribute to climate change and threaten developing communities. This national speaking tour aims to raise awareness of the unequal impacts of climate change and to voice the urgent need for Australia to support development projects that are socially and environmentally just, rather than destructive.
The people and ecosystems of Bangladesh face many of the most devastating consequences of climate change and sea level rise – at the same time as international financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank continue to finance projects such as the Phulbari Coal project that directly contribute to climate change and threaten the environmental health human rights of developing communities.

This national speaking tour aims to raise awareness of the unequal impacts of climate change and to voice the urgent need for Australia to support development projects that are socially and environmentally just, rather than destructive.

Speaker:
• Prof Anu Muhammad is a Professor in the Department of Economics at Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka and has been integral in leading the civil society campaign against the Phulbari mine.

International development projects financed through institutions like the ADB can, and have played a significant role in exacerbating climate change and locking Majority World countries into unsustainable, fossil-fuel intensive paths of development. Urgent action is required to direct development efforts away from projects such as the Phulbari Coal project that have potentially devastating social and environmental impacts, and offer no real benefit to affected communities.

The Phulbari Coal Project is currently under consideration for funding by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), yet would require the forced relocation of between 50,000-150,000 people and further affect between 100,000 and 2 million people through increased regional pollution and dewatering of the Barind tract. The mine's current owners, Asia Energy, have already generated controversy after five protestors were killed and 200 injured when authorities opened fire on 50,000 demonstrators opposing the mine in August 2006.

The tour will visit Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Katoomba and the Hunter Valley.

The tour is hosted by AidWatch, and supported by Friends of the Earth, Australian Ethical, the Mineral Policy Institute, Oxfam Australia and Rising Tide.

MELBOURNE EVENT:
Public meeting: friday May 23, 6.30 - 8.30pm,
Northcote High School. St Georges Road, Northcote, 3070 (just north of Merri creek). Take tram line 112 towards West Preston, stop 27 (full details on tram timetables)
For details on Melbourne event, please contact Cam Walker: cam.walker@foe.org.au