The damage caused by climate change is one of the challenges of the time: Environment Minister, Bangladesh
Md. Shahab Uddin, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Bangladesh, said, “The damage caused by climate change is one of the challenges of the time, which has threatened the existence of human civilization and affected millions of people.
However, the developed world is mainly responsible for this. Disasters are increasing in Bangladesh due to the rise of global temperature and climate change. Due to this, the amount of loss of people and property is increasing day by day.
The Government of Bangladesh has spent BDT.30.852 billion until the fiscal year 2020-21 to reduce climate risks. There is a plan to allocate more money from the next financial year to implement the project under the Bangladesh Climate Trust Fund.’
He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at the Shadow Parliament of Debate for Democracy in Dhaka, Bangladesh held recently. Mr. Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran, Chairman of Debate for Democracy, presided over the event.
Mr. Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said, “The economic loss due to climate change in Bangladesh in the last 40 years is 12 billion dollars which is 1.3 percent of our GDP lost yearly due to climate change.
About 6.8 million people are at climate risk in different regions of Bangladesh. Currently, one in every seven people in the country is internally displaced due to climate change. If the climate risk remains unmitigated, there is a risk of displacement of 2.6 million people in Bangladesh by the year 2050.
The Bangladesh government has presented a 27-year National Adaptation Plan (NAP) at COP-27. The implementation of this will require 230 billion dollars. If this plan gets implemented, rice production in Bangladesh will increase by 10.3 million tons per year.
As a result, it will be possible to ensure long-term food security in the country. The livelihood security of 4 million marginal fishermen families will be secure.
Due to the introduction of environmentally friendly vehicles, the expenditure in the transport sector will reduce by 10 percent.
About one and a half million people will save from the risk of internal displacement. Bangladesh is working internationally to protect the interests of countries affected by climate change.
Bangladesh is also playing an active role in climate diplomacy. Prime Minister boosted Bangladesh’s image by leading the Climate Vulnerable Forum.”
The debate for Democracy recommends 8 points to mitigate climate risk in Bangladesh. The recommendations are as follows-
- Ensuring domestic financing, including financial and technical assistance to development partners for the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan
- Formulation and implementation of Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan-II for the next five years
- Undertaking projects through Bangladesh Climate Trust in the light of the National Adaptation Plan
- Formulating strategies to engage the private sector in climate finance
- Ensuring maximum transparency and accountability in projects financed by the Climate Fund
- Taking measures to ensure that the employment of workers has not reduced due to the use of Green Technology
- Launching Public-Private-Partnership projects (PPPP) to address climate risks
- Increasing expenditure on research in climate change issues and involving universities located in coastal areas in research work.
The Minister of MoEFCC also said that world leaders started working to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030. However, the member countries needed help to reach a consensus on some issues.
Therefore, Bangladesh is working with like-minded countries at risk of climate change. Although positive progress has been made regarding creating the Loss and Damage Fund, its implementation still needs to be fully implemented.
However, COP27 has given some hope for climate finance. This year’s conference has pledged $70 million for LDC countries and $211 million from the Adaptation Fund.
