By Alhaz GK Mushahid
This is an original environmental artwork by renowned Bangladeshi artist, inventor, and researcher Alhaz GK Mushahid. It presents a vision of a sustainable, nature-based, and climate-resilient city where human settlements, rivers, trees, birds, and natural ecosystems exist in harmony. Inspired by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11): Sustainable Cities and Communities, the artwork illustrates how Palmyra Palm trees, waterways, vegetation, and biodiversity can be integrated into urban planning to support environmental protection and sustainable development.
A central feature of the model is the Palmyra Palm tree, presented as a multifunctional nature-based solution to various environmental challenges. The artwork highlights its potential roles in carbon storage, oxygen production, reducing urban temperatures, protecting riverbanks from erosion, conserving groundwater, supporting biodiversity, and providing potential natural protection against lightning and cyclone winds. Through the statement “The Palmyra Palm Tree Is the Only Tree Capable of Solving Eight Problems Caused by Climate Change,” the artist emphasizes the multiple environmental benefits attributed to this tree and encourages further consideration of nature-based solutions in climate action and urban development. Hand-painted on real thin-tailed sheepskin using Keratin-Collagen Lock Technology, developed through the artist’s research, the artwork combines artistic expression, environmental awareness, and technological innovation. Through this conceptual model, Alhaz GK Mushahid conveys a message for present and future generations: Cities can become more sustainable and resilient when humanity works with nature rather than against it.