Sunday, April 28, 2024
Experts have suggested that devastating climate change hazards should be solved through regional cooperation by putting aside all internal tensions and frictions in South Asia and joining hands in the combat to increase and promote economic cooperation.
They have also stressed the need for the role of civil society and think tanks in shaping and influencing the political settlement processes in South Asia.
Experts made the observations at the parallel session of the closing ceremony of 14th South Asian Economic Summit (SAES) titled “Reframing South Asian Regional Cooperation in the New Context of National and Global Dimension,” held in the capital’s Hotel Sheraton on Sunday.
D M Asaduzzaman, former research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), presided over the session on ‘Climate Change and resilience’. Florian Hollen, head of cooperation, embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, attended the event as the special guest.
Florian Hollen said, “One essential step to ensure the functionality of regional institutions is to establish a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities, clarifying who is responsible for what.”
The experts also suggested that the region should join hands to raise the issues of climate change, loss, and damage at the upcoming COP28.
Asaduzzaman said,” The question we face now is how to tackle climate change impact in South Asia.”
“Each country in South Asia directly or indirectly is shocked by climate change consequences, though the countries are not very resilient which leads impinge on the human system most importantly perhaps food and nutrition security through agriculture, health, labour productivity industries and manufacturing, transport sector and ultimately employment, poverty, income, well-being of the people,” he added.
According to the Global Climate Index published by German Watch, Bangladesh itself is the 7th most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change, while Pakistan, Nepal, India, Afghanistan are also part of 20 most vulnerable countries to adverse effects of climate change.
Md Anisur Rahman, senior urban planner, CRISC project, GIZ Bangladesh said, “Cities expanding in inappropriate or unplanned locations are disproportionately experiencing the devastating impact of climate change and the local didn’t understand the vulnerabilities though they are affected most by it.”
“As climate and development are interlinked, social security, disaster preparedness, and cooperation among the states is a must,” he added.
Dr Sabyasachi Saha, associate professor of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), India said that his country has taken up the climate agenda to global level at the last G-20 summit which has a lot of bearing for the region. “The rise in carbon emission inequality is likely to lead to a higher incidence of poverty from the impacts of natural disasters.”
“We have to measure the challenges statistically and find out where we are now and where we should belong, perhaps more knowledge sharing among the region is necessary.”
In addition, he said, access to climate finance, including the contribution of the private sector, is imperative considering the fact that funding necessary to win the combat against climate change outstrips by far the funding available in the region and even that which can be provided by bilateral and international development partners.
Dr A Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), Bangladesh said, “Our survival depends on geographical planning though the regional tension is political but climate change is a worldwide problem. The key to addressing climate change lies in efficient energy management.”
Researchers and stakeholders from South Asian nations, including representatives from public and private sectors, non-governmental organisations, civil society bodies, think tanks, academia, media and development partners from South Asia and beyond attended the event.
A set of recommendations made by the panelists are: Lowering the cost of climate financing, implementing policies effectively, implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies, forging partnership between different vulnerable cities in South Asia, developing climate resilience framework and financial structure, implementing an enhanced early warning system, and managing the energy system more efficiently.
Professor Rehman Sobhan remarked, “We have to work for building a South Asian community where civil society organisations along with the state machinery should make collective efforts towards that direction.”
