UN  Committee from Zonta Club of Dhaka IV hosts climate change awareness event

The U.N. Committee of the Zonta Club of Dhaka IV, Bangladesh, partnered with the Inner Wheel Club of Gulshan to host an awareness and advocacy session on climate change. The event took place at Gulshan Ladies Community Club on 25 September, with 25 pre-secondary level students attending.

The event's goal was to empower 12-14-year-olds with accurate knowledge, create climate change awareness and explain the catastrophic effects of climate change. The club also shared Zonta International's statement on climate change: we envision a sustainable and gender-equal future.

The club's targeted demographic is students because UNICEF's August 2021 report said that Bangladeshi children are at extremely high risk of climate change.

To make the event visually engaging and capture the audience's attention, the club showed an educational 25-minute animated video entitled "Tomorrow." The cartoon explained what climate change is and its cause and effects. The simplified message helped the children better understand climate change and its implications in the future. The video also cautioned how climate change impacts will get worse unless immediate action is taken.

The club paused the cartoons at intervals to create discussion among the students. The topics ranged from the socio-economic and environmental impacts of climate change to the increased vulnerability of women and girls.

After the video, the club stressed how it is the moral responsibility of every individual to cut down on their contribution to climate change. The students were encouraged to take environmentally friendly actions such as carpooling, recycling as much as possible, planting trees and not running unused water.

At the event venue, the club showcased artworks depicting natural disasters caused by climate change. The artworks were by ten female students sponsored by the club. There were also posters and placards with messages on climate change made by fifteen students of the Gulshan Literacy Program (GLP), a school for the underprivileged.