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Mitigating climate change impact Importance of research and monitoring

For transition to a climate-resilient future, government should immediately translate the national environmental policy into action and strengthen its urban planning. Furthermore, it needs institutional and financial frameworks, along with a good evidence base and monitoring and evaluation skills.

Shakeel Ahmed Ibne Mahmood
CLIMATE change is the most important issue facing this generation. Climate change is taking a toll of not only the ecology of nations around the world, but also of their political, economic and social stability, with the poorest nations and the poorest of the rich nations being the worst sufferers. It is also the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.
Bangladesh is a very low energy consuming country; it is pursuing a low carbon growth path, while building its resilience to climate change. Technologies do have the potential to help us adapt to changes in climate. But these technologies have to be developed out of greater research investments into climate change science, better understanding about how to deliver those technologies in the field and more complete appreciation of the social and cultural dimension into which those technologies might be implanted. Since the effects of climate change will hit the poor hardest, an immense task before us is to address the inadequacies of health systems to protect people in countries most at risk.
The challenge is political — creating the conditions for low carbon living. And there is the question of how we adapt our intuitions to make climate change the priority it needs to be. A recent conclusion from the Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic report of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), mentioned that there is likely global sea-level rise of close to a meter or more by the end of the century as a result of, for instance, faster melting of the Greenland ice sheets.
Identifying urgent and immediate research needs for evidence based action is an important step in reducing the risks including that or health in the face of climate change. Filling these research gaps requires a sustained process to mobilize resources and update objectives as needs change. Crucially important is to build an interdisciplinary research capacity, with a focus on the low income countries that are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and have a weak research base.
Natural disaster and displacement The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of the UNHCR noted that 'mega disasters’ like the floods in China and Pakistan, and the earthquake in Chile, and Haiti were responsible for the massive increase in the internally displaced people from 17 million in 2009 to about 42 million in 2010. It also noted that weather related hazards
like floods, and storms were responsible for more than 90 per cent of the disaster displacements.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated nations on Earth. It has more people than geographically massive Russia. Bangladesh is projected to be 0.5 to 0.20 C warmer than today by the year 2030. The 30 years mean summer temperature in Bangladesh is 27.50 C and it is relatively higher during the monsoon than during summer. Winter is the driest season. The 30 years mean winter rainfall amounts to about 64mm with a variability of around 53%. By 2030, the best estimate projection is for monsoon rainfall to increase by 10 to 15 percent and winter rainfall by 5 to 10 percent. Bangladesh is one of the top 10 nations most vulnerable to climate change.
Information and communication The people, in general, and the communities in the rural areas in particular, need to be given the information and knowledge about the impacts of climate change and matters concerning the mitigation of the problem, adaptation of knowledge, and how successful practices can be replicated. So that they develop resilience to combat it and adapt themselves. There should be a disaster Management & National Calamities Department
fully equipped with modern equipment and know-how, for long term training programme, and dissemination of information to the people to keep them aware and alert about possible climate disaster.
Bangladesh government has reportedly invested more than $10 billion to make the country less vulnerable to natural disasters. It has started taking measures to dredge major rivers, increase green belts in coastal areas and fortify embankments to cope with the rising sea level, building emergency cyclone shelters, and developing world class community based early warning system which have significantly reduced the loss of life and livelihoods and property damages caused by extreme weather events. To supplement its national programs, Bangladesh has successfully aligned its development partners to address the climate change challenge and established an innovative financing mechanism "the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BBCRF)". It is apparent that Bangladesh can continue to play an important and pioneering role with respect to monitoring, reporting and transparency of climate change fund utilisation in future.
Recently, environmentalists and experts called for integrating natural resource management, conservation, and climate change into national planning and budgeting to ensure sustainable development in Bangladesh. They also underscored the need for improving environmental governance alongside launching sensitisation campaign among policymakers and mass people so that best practices and success stories can be replicated and scaled up across the country.
The environment and forest ministry has already formulated national adaptation programme actions 2005 and 2009 and Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2008 and 2009. Now these plans should be integrated into five-year plan and national budget and it requires more direct involvement of the ministries of finance and planning. The experts on climate change and
key stakeholders are expected to explore ways in which migration issues can best be reflected in the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan document The government has set up an annual climate change trust fund of $ 100 million with its own resources. Bangladesh is also expected to receive a large amount of money from development partners for the climate change resilience fund. It should aim at building resilience of coastal communities along the Bay of Bengal by increasing their adaptability to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of hazards of climate change.
Role of India
Both Bangladesh and India are parties to the convention that obliges them to maintain natural water flow in catchment areas to conserve regional ecology and biodiversity. There are many transboundary rivers and ecological issues between Bangladesh and India that needs to be resolved.
India, being the neighboring country, will also be affected, if the ecology and economy of Bangladesh collapses under the weight of climate and environmental crises. It is therefore in the interest of both the countries to work together in directions that will enable Bangladesh to withstand the climate and economic challenges
that it faces.
Bangladesh and India should take into consideration and reach ecology-friendly, win-win solutions by monitoring strategies against climate change in order to adapt on a framework basis, which should include proper river water sharing. An integrated water management and development project on the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna should be taken to resolve the water catastrophe of Bangladesh. Both the nations should be united in the campaign for protection of the nature, ecology, and environment.
Conclusion
For transition to a climate-resilient future, Bangladesh government should immediately translate the national environmental policy into action and strengthen its urban planning. Furthermore it needs institutional and financial frameworks, along with a good evidence base and monitoring and evaluation skills. These national frameworks for climate compatible development with well prioritized areas for action should be fully driven and supported by a wide range of stakeholders and based on long-term commitment.
The writer Is member, Bangladesh Environmental Society and Bangladesh Porlbesh-Dhuson Andolon.
Email: Shakeel.mahmood@gmail.com