Speakers at a seminar yesterday underscored the need to build capacity to adopt a sustainable climate change adaptation strategy.

Bangladesh is most vulnerable to climate change and an adaptation strategy must be adopted to offset the impacts of global climate change, they said.

"We have succeeded in coping with two devastating floods and the cyclone Sidr last year by dint of our strong determination. Besides, the country has managed to ensure food security in the wake of global food

crisis," Home Adviser Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin said as the chief guest.

Ministry of Defence and Bangladesh Meteorological Department organised the seminar on 'Capacity building on climate change and adaptation in Bangladesh' at the Sa arc Meteorological Research Centre in the city.

Defence Secretary Kamrul Hasan and Prof Dr Toshio Koike of the University of Tokyo were present as special guests while Brig Gen Shah Md Sultan Uddin Iqbal, joint secretary of the ministry, presided over the

seminar.

The seminar was organised under the auspices of Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and Asia Water Cycle Initiative (AWCI).

Defence Secretary Kamrul Hasan said the global average surface tern perature has increased by 0,74 degree Celsius in the last 100 years, which led to widespread melting of snow and ice and the rise in sea level.

Climate change is very complicated and catastrophic because of the wide range of ecological diver sities, he said and emphasised more action-oriented in-depth

study to help formulate a sustainable adaptation strategy.

Prof Dr Toshio Koike said the earth observation system has been built on the basis of a 10-year implementation plan.

The system will provide comprehensive, coordinated and sustained observations of the Earth system in order to improve moni toring of die state of the Earth, increase understanding of Earth processes, and enhance prediction of the behaviour of the Earth system.

Bangladesh became a member of GEOSS in December 2007,