The River

Sadiya and Sarah are part of Stop Adani. It is an environmental movement working to block the development of the Adani Carmichael coal mine in the north of the Galilee Basin, Central Queensland, Australia. Last episode, Sarah told a story for Sadiya to reflect on. In this episode, Sadiya tells us a story, about a Bangladeshi farmer who lost livelihood and home to river erosion. Sarah pulls out the themes of loss and displacement in this story. For Sarah, this is a human story of the suffering already experienced by extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and global warming. Climate change is not just an issue of environmental justice, it is an issue of social justice. Sarah reflects on the increase in child marriage associated with climate change, as families are forced to make horrendous decisions to keep their children alive. "We know that burning coal, no matter where it's burnt, is going to keep fuelling global warming and climate change and Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries, although no matter where you live in the world, we're all going to be effected by it."