In memory of Professor Saleemul Huq

It is with great sadness we learned of the death of Professor Saleemul Huq (October 28th).

It is hard to comprehend his loss for all those at the frontline of the Loss and Damage movement at this time, especially as we move towards the critical COP. He was central to so very much of the Loss and Damage strategy, negotiations and activism.

Prof. Huq was the Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Associate of the International Institute on Environment and Development (IIED) in the United Kingdom, Chair of the Expert Advisory Group for the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF)l and Senior Adviser on Locally Led Adaptation with Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) headquartered in the Netherlands.

He was an expert in adaptation to climate change in the most Vulnerable developing countries and was a lead author of the third, fourth and fifth assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and he also advises the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In addition he is affiliated with the UN Food System Summit for 2021 as co-chair of the Action Track 5 on Building Resilience to Vulnerabilities, Shocks & Stress.

He published hundreds of scientific as well as popular articles and was recognized as one of the top twenty global influencers on climate change policy in 2019 and top scientist from Bangladesh on climate change science. Nature named him one of 2022’s top 10 scientists. Recently he had been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to combating international climate change.

We had the honour of Prof Huq’s contribution to our Transform Defence briefing on military spending and emissions that had been prepared for the UN Stockhom+50 gathering last year. It was a new topic for Saleemul, and in the midst of an ever busy schedule, he immediately embraced our request for a foreword.  His support gave us a huge boost in our efforts to link the topic to Loss and Damage.

We had hoped so much to develop this conversation with him. New York Times journalist Andrew Revkin, who had interviewed Prof Huq many times said: “Saleemul Huq, who just died far too soon, was uniquely informed, humane, determined and open minded in pursuit of justice for those most vulnerable to climate impacts and least responsible for human-driven climate change.”

He was.

And he is truly gone too soon, at the age of 71, having suffered a massive heart attack. For this devastating loss, we send all our love to Saleemul’s family, his colleagues and the climate activism community – both in his home country Bangladesh as well as around the world.

He gave so very much to the movement. But no doubt, even as so very many mourn him, they will be fighting for climate justice even harder, with his hand at their back.

Deborah Burton & Ho-Chih Lin