Maxwell School News and Commentary

“The installation of [Nobel Laureate Muhammad] Yunus as interim head is what Bangladesh needs at this time. His first speech called to ensure the protection of all religious and ethnic minorities, prevent violence and strengthen  democratic processes to keep rebuilding Bangladesh,” writes Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

“This is a massive flooding event...and the floods were quite rapid in their onset. There are over 5 million people who are marooned or stranded and devasted across 11 districts, 23 reported deaths now but those figures will rise and relief cannot reach many people,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. 

Matthew Huber, professor of geography and the environment spoke, spoke to The Guardian on the Inflation Reduction Act’s residential tax credits and how the programs have disproportionately benefited wealthier Americans.

“The country’s democratic revolution is being targeted by both external and internal sources of misinformation and propaganda,” writes Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

“This revolution movement was led by very young students, the youthful generation. And they have called upon Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus to be the chief advisor of this interim, caretaker government. And they've called for peaceful transition,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

Professor of Geography and the Environment Farhana Sultana, concerned about how her work may be repurposed, says, “All this occurs while our intellectual property is woefully inadequately compensated, since there is abuse and profit off our mostly free intellectual labor by private corporations reaping profits in the billions of dollars annually from the sale of our books.”

Edwin Ackerman, Marc Garcia, Timur Hammond and Alex Rothenberg have been promoted to associate professor.

Matthew Huber, professor of geography and the environment, highlights the infrastructural advantage France has to promote sustainability. “France is known for having one of the most decarbonized electric grids in the world because they have about 70% of their electricity coming from nuclear power, which is zero carbon energy,” Huber says.

“The Trump organization is a family business, but once he took office the first time, and then you could really see that he brought that into the political realm and into the White House,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.

Such hero worship benefits both the mythologized leader and followers, says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. “By building up that cult and joining that and being part of that, they get a sense of community.”