Prominent Bangladeshi artists on Wednesday joined forces with a group of climate activists to deliver original climate change-themed artwork to General Electric (GE) offices, calling out GE’s massive new fossil fuel projects in Bangladesh.
The artist and international activist groups are calling on major investors to question the fossil fuel magnate, especially during the company’s effort to rebrand into “GE Vernova” which is intended to deliver “sustainable energy”, says a press release.
Art is the focus of this climate protest, with paintings and exhibit-quality prints created specifically to target GE’s fossil fuel harms. GE will have to decide what to do with the artwork — and in what direction to take their company.
Ata Mojlish, Bangladeshi artist and climate activist, said: “The consequences of GE’s fossil fuel projects go beyond humanity's future. There are immediate impacts on the livelihoods of humans and animals, erasing identities, cultures, and histories. With this artwork, we’re reminding GE’s investors to urgently reconsider their stake in GE’s polluting projects.”
Artist Debashish Chakrabarty said: “Bangladesh, a country with its unique cultural tapestry and vibrant heritage, is an embodiment of resilience and strength. Yet, it finds itself precariously positioned on the outskirts of the global power landscape, where decisions are often made far removed from its own voices and aspirations. I would like to ask those people, who live in the centers of the global power landscape and have the right to speak, to ask GE about their greenwashing.”
GE recently spun off its power sector to a new company called “GE Vernova” which is intended to deliver “sustainable energy,” while continuing to invest in massive fossil fuel projects in Vietnam and Bangladesh.
In the Chittagong region of Bangladesh alone, gas or liquefied natural gas to power projects with GE involvement would add approximately 430 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) to the atmosphere throughout the plants’ operational lives. This is equivalent to almost double the annual national emissions of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh contributes very little to the globe’s fossil fuel emissions. But it is being hit hard as a low-lying country vulnerable to sea level rise and vicious cyclones. Bangladeshi communities are increasingly concerned and are taking climate action. Many are outraged by GE’s proposals for liquified natural gas power plants, locking the country into decades of polluting fossil fuels.
Yet GE has the opportunity to add wind energy instead as GE is one of the largest wind turbine manufacturers in the world, ranking fifth globally for additional commissioned wind capacity in 2021.
This action comes after an original art exhibition called “Electric Bangladesh: Fossil Free Futures” was displayed near GE headquarters in Boston highlighting the dangers of the company’s fossil fuel development in Bangladesh.