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Govt working to minimise climate change impacts


Published : 27 Jun 2019 08:50 PM | Updated : 04 Sep 2020 07:21 AM

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq Thursday said all should advocate for integration of human rights-based approach in any climate change adaptation or mitigation measures. “As policies and programmes are formulated, the main objective should be to fulfil human rights. Principles and standards derived from international human rights law – especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the core universal human rights treaties, should guide all policies and programming in all phases of the process,” he said. Anisul came up with the comment while speaking as chief guest at a seminar on ‘SDGs: Climate Change and Human Rights’, jointly organised by National Human Rights Commission and United Nations Development Program at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital on Thursday.

Citing dependency of the country’s people on natural resources, the minister said, “Threats like cyclone, deforestation and climate change will have dire consequences over the country as well as the world if we do not address the issue immediately.” “The country under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working on adoption of alternative energy resources, forest conservation and resettlement schemes and others to face the climate changes with achieving SDG’s,” he added.

“The developed countries are historically responsible for creating imbalance in the climate regime, as they are also held responsible to minimize the threats of climate change, he said adding, emitting carbon di oxide already reached its alarming position but still the developed countries are continuously emitting carbon which is effecting atmosphere badly. Sea level is also becoming a considerable thought of global warming,” the minister said. Dr Akther Hussain, member of NHRC Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper at the seminar.

He said sustainable development includes economic development, social equity and justice and environmental protection. In the last few decades, economic development for better standard living disregarded the preservation and conservation of nature and its resources, which led to degradation of the environment posing threats to sustaining development in the future.

“In this age of climate change, the country is one of the frontline states exposed to all kinds of negative impacts, there are alarming proportions of different types of natural disasters. This includes floods, flash flood, cyclones and Strom surges, salinity intrusion, extreme temperatures and drought. Besides there are also impact in areas like agriculture and fisheries,” he added.

“As the country is still heavily depended on agriculture, so the climate impact on the agricultural could be widespread and devastating. The keynote paper further stated that only one meter rise of sea level could lose up to 15 percent of its land area under sea water and around 30 million people of the coastal region could became climate change induced refugees. Among others principal secretary (SDG affairs) of PMO Md Abul Kalam Azad, Chairman of National Human Rights Commission, and Bangladesh Kazi Reazul Hoque also spoke on the occasion.