Lower-income Countries are highly Vulnerable to Climate change
The ratio of climate change vulnerability is higher in lower-income countries like Bangladesh. Developed countries lose US$1.135 billion yearly, merely 0.2% of their gross domestic product (GDP). On the contrary, Low-income countries lose US$40 billion yearly, approximately 5 % of their GDP.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) highlighted these pieces of information in their “World Economic and Social Survey (WESS)” report.
The report was released on June 1, 2021, at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Dhaka.
Peoples living in poverty due to discrimination are again victims of climate change, which was the main point of the report.
Generally, Poor peoples live in the coastal areas or beside the river banks as they have no money and power. Natural disasters caused by climate change hit them first and are mostly the sufferer by the cause of it and they have no sufficient resources to overcome it.
The theme of this year’s report is ‘Climate Change’. For this reason, it has been subtitled ‘Opportunity to eliminate discrimination ‘.
The report claims that helping climate change-affected people will contribute to the reduction of inequalities. Besides, the way everyone takes initiatives to tackle disasters, climate change risks have facilitated the same integrated initiative opportunities.
Reducing inequalities and tackling the risk of climate change are two Specific goals proclaimed by the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report also reveals that globally, 6,457 climate change-induced disasters have happened between 1995 to 2015. As a result, 0.60 million people have died, 4.2 billion were affected in various ways. In addition, the expenses also arisen due to the climate change phenomenon. Globally, climate change would cost US$64 billion from 1985 to 1994, which arises up to US$154 billion between 2005 to 2014.
Highlighting various aspects of the report in Bangladesh, UN-DESA Senior Economic Officer, S Nazrul Islam, said, “Multidimensional inequality stimulates such production and consumption that is not sustainable. Such production also increases the risk of climate change.”
Kyoko Yokosuka, Country Director of UNDP in Bangladesh, highlighted the information of their new research that 95 percent of poor people who live in the coastal areas are the victims of climate change.
Every year Four million people are migrating to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, 70 percent of whom have been affected by climate change. Zahurul Alam, president of the Governance and Rights Center, said, “Developed countries are responsible for climate change.”
“But lower-income countries like Bangladesh are suffering the consequences. Though they were committed to paying the climate change affected country to tackle climate change risk as per Paris Agreement, they aren’t paying much.” He added.
M Moniruzzaman, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Information Center, was present on the occasion.
“But lower-income countries like Bangladesh are suffering the consequences. Though they are were committed to paying the climate change affected country to tackle climate change risk as per Paris Agreement but they aren’t paying much.” He added.
M Moniruzzaman, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Information Centres, was present at the occasion.
