It is heartening to note that while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day international conference on climate change adaptation in Dhaka on Wednesday, former UN General-Secretary and the current chairman of the Global Commission on Adaptation Ban Ki-moon termed Bangladesh as the best teacher in climate change adaptation in the world. Ban Ki-moon said the achievement of the people and the government of Bangladesh in the practice of
adaptation was nothing short of miraculous.
Bangladesh is recognized internationally for its cutting-edge achievements in addressing climate change. Despite the considerable progress that Bangladesh has made over the last decade, the country face continuous challenges associated with climate change. There is a growing comprehension that the adverse impacts of climate change will loom large to affect everyone sooner than we had estimated, and therefore investment in adaptation must be prioritised urgently around the globe.
Climate change affects the whole world but because of the geographic location, Bangladesh has long been in the eye of the storm. Here the curse of climate change hits in the forms of rising sea level, natural disasters, economic breakdown, prolonged monsoon, frequent changes in weather pattern and temperature and so on. World Bank reports say that in order to deal with climate change, on an average Bangladesh will need an estimated fund of more than USD 166 million every year till the year 2050. However, the irony is that Bangladesh has done almost nothing to cause global warming unlike first world countries like the USA, Australia and Canada who bear a great deal of responsibility for carbon emission already in the atmosphere, nevertheless, the country has to pay a much stepper price because of its geographical location. Currently at least of 33 districts in the country are under constant risk of flood due to the adverse impact of climate change. According to a World Bank report, Bangladesh’s average annual temperature is predicted to increase by 1.0°C to 2.5°C. Such a rise in temperature will cost Bangladesh 6.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product and lower the living standards of more than one-third of its population by 2050. If the current trend of climate change continues, a five-to-six feet rise in sea level by 2100 will displace 35 millions and submerge 20 per cent of the country’s coastal landmass.
Bangladesh needs a global commitment
to face the local problems posed by climate
change and in this regard, incorporating
‘glocal’ (global plus local)
interventions is very much required
Human settlements have been affected in Bangladesh due to extreme climatic events such as cyclon Sidr and Aila over the past years. One of the most adverse and prolonged impact of climate change in Bangladesh has been observed in the form of climate-migration. Research shows us that climate change will have a massive impact on environment, livelihood, irrigation, ecology and biodiversity.
In this circumstance, we feel the need for formulating coherent and research-backed policy, legal and institutional framework to address climate migration. Also necessary steps should be taken to protect people from environmental risks and reduce unwanted migration due to climate change.
Taking all into consideration, all stakeholders, including environmentalists, conscious people and NGOs should strive to minimize the adverse impacts of climate change. Authorities in charge should invest in protecting the development gains and increase budget for climate risk reduction. Also there is a need to increase investment in policies and programmes to protect people from environmental risks induced by climate change.
The impacts of natural calamities in Bangladesh have come down over the years due to the present government’s various timely and effective measures. Over the last decade, Bangladesh has spent on an average around USD 1 billion annually for adapting to climate change impacts. Furthermore, to achieve climate resilience, the government created a dedicated Climate Change Trust Fund in 2009 and so far, more than USD 420 million have been allocated from own resources to the fund for both adaptation and mitigation programs. Also Bangladesh has designed a farsighted project titled ‘Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100’ for combating climate change. Considering the adverse impacts of climate change, the government is currently constructing more 378 Mujib Kellas, 3,868 multi-purpose cyclone shelters across the coastal districts and planning to build 1,650 more shelters gradually. Also it has taken initiatives to increase tree coverage from 22 percent to 24 percent in the next five years.
However, still there is a lot to be done in order to combat the adverse consequences of climate change in future. It is envisaged that Bangladesh’s growth rate may lose its momentum in the coming days due to climate change consequences. This will hinder the country’s development gains unless proper mitigation and effective prevention measures are undertaken immediately. Bangladesh will need billions of dollars over the next decades to deal with the upcoming severities of climate change. As developed countries are accountable for the consequences of climate change, they should provide necessary financial, technical and intellectual support to the developing countries to tackle climate change. Echoing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina we urge the world community to put more emphasis on research and investment on this issue as the climate change is fast impacting on agriculture, life and livelihood.
Bangladesh needs a global commitment to face the local problems posed by climate change and in this regard, incorporating ‘glocal’ (global plus local) interventions is very much required. It is up to the authorities concerned including the policymakers to do the needful for increasing budget allocation to tackle the impacts of climate change. Also there is a need to prioritize the districts vulnerable to climate change and establish a district level funding mechanism focusing capacity building of women, young people and children, and promote green jobs at rural and semi-urban areas which will not only contribute to decreasing vulnerability posed by climate induced displacement and migration but also will fuel our national economic growth.
Sayeed Hossain Shuvro is Editorial Assistant, Bangladesh Post.