Bangladesh's coastline bears the brunt of climate change

While something is happening elsewhere very quietly, the impacts of climate change in Cox's Bazar coastal area is brutally vibrant.


"Now we are like refugees," says 62-year-old Sona Ali.

Like Ali some 4,000 people of Penchadip village of Himchhari in Cox's Bazar district have experienced the similar fate. Nature's furor has forced them to leave their ancestral homes.

Ali was the owner of 40 bighas of land more than a decade ago. Now his 10-member family live together elsewhere, at a makeshift structure at the foot of a hill, and his original home has been washed away by the Bay of Bengal.

"The beach was 2 kilometers away from our home even three years ago. But now it is approaching toward Cox's Bazar-Himchhari road," Ali said as fellow villagers nodded his statement.

His neighbors Lal Miah, Kuddus Ali and Rahim Khan have similar stories to tell.

Talking to the villagers, who are bearing the brunt of the impacts of climate change, was part of a visit arranged by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The UNDP sponsored a two-day workshop on "Climate Change and MDGs" for journalists last on August 29 at a hotel in Cox's Bazar.

Experts at the workshop said climate change is a very crucial for Bangladesh to talk about.

"Increasing global warming for high emission of green house gases has caused unusual rise in the sea level," Dr Aminul Islam, assistant country director (environment) of UNDP, said. "This is one of the causes of erosion," he said.

Apart from sea erosion it is the cause of violent river erosions, frequent floods, heavy rainfall during off seasons, heat waves, drought and cyclones.

They said such disasters triggered by the climate change are finally obstructing the efforts by developing nations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The impacts of climate change are often enormous in coastal areas compared with effects in plain lands.

Displacement of people from their lands and homes is regular in the coastal area while people's livelihood is at stake, they said. Loss of fresh water sources because of saline water intrusion is common.

"Under such circumstances a big population of the country is becoming poorer. They are deprived of basic education and basic healthcare. So it will be difficult for a country like Bangladesh to achieve the MDGs if adequate measures are not taken to deal with climate change," Dr Atiur Rahman, chairman of Unnayan Sammunnay, told the UNDP workshop.

Atiur said preparing a long-term action plan to face the challenges of the global climate change is the need of the time.

"Bangladesh will have to reinforce its supports to the global fight against high emission of greenhouse gases. The country needs to mainstream climate change issue in the national development policy. Steps should be taken for exploring alternative resources of power and energy while massive forestation across the coastal belt must be implemented," Atiur said.

Ainun Nishat, the IUCN country representative, said food security of the people would be hit hard by the climate change.

"Crop lands are being reduced because of salinity intrusion while other disaters like floods, droughts and unusual rainfall are likely to increase. All these will hit the food production. So there will certainly be food crisis in future," Nishat said.

He talked of modern technologies which would spur industrialization but would not harm the environment.

"We can't deny the need of industrialization," he said.

Nishat said Bangladesh would need huge funds to adapt to the impacts of climate change. He said Bangladesh and other developing nations are not responsible for the crisis but "we are the worst victims of the impacts of climate change".

"The developed nations must compensate the poor countries so that they can equip them with technologies and other means to tackle the crisis," he said.