More than a thousand concerned citizens marched over 200 miles in scorching heat to protest two planned coal-fired power plants that threaten the Sundarbans World Heritage Site.
Pressure is building on India to comply with the World Heritage Convention by protecting the precious Sundarbans through the rejection of a coal-fired coal plant proposal.
Sultana Kamal leads a coalition of environmental groups fighting to keep the governments of Bangladesh and India from building a giant coalfired power plant next to a vast wild estuary called the Sundarbans.
Two proposed coal-fired power plants threaten the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh, home to endangered tigers and dolphins, and sustenance for millions of people.
The future of priceless World Heritage sites depends on the immediate reduction of climate-change-inducing greenhouse-gas emissions, but many of the governments responsible for protecting these sites are failing to take strong climate action and are actively pursuing dirty energy projects.
Jessica Lawrence is a conservation biologist who has worked with Earthjustice since 2008 researching and presenting the most recent and compelling science for our international climate and energy cases. She also supports environmental coalitions advocating for better protection for UNESCO World Heritage sites including Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (Canada/USA), Papahānaumokuākea (USA), Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Lamu Old Town (Kenya), and the Sundarbans (Bangladesh).