The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Decades of development in many countries including Bangladesh will be reversed by climate change, threatening the lives of millions of people, environmentalists and civil society organisations warned yesterday.

Developed countries are responsible for this and they must compensate the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) an amount of $50 billion a year for adaptation to climate change, they said.

The demand was raised at the inaugural function of the Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL), a platform of Oxfam International and its partner organisations, at Sheraton Hotel in the city yesterday.

Environment and Forest, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser of the Caretaker Government Dr Chowdhury Sajjadul Karim attended the function as chief guest. Chairperson of the campaign Dr Khusi Kabir presided over the functions.

The participants viewed that mere adaptation will not protect the people of LDC countries if there is no remarkable progress in mitigation including reduction of green house gases by the developed countries immediately.

They demanded implementation of Kyoto Protocol and a cap on the emission of green house gases. Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change in the form of flooding and droughts they said, adding, Sidr is a specimen of it.

Over 3 million people in Bangladesh live near the coast, putting them in danger from sea-level rise, while more extreme weather patterns threaten the whole country.

The main impacts of global warming that scientists predict in Bangladesh include: rising sea levels, leading to salination of the soil; rising temperatures; changing rainfall (becoming more intense during the monsoon season); more droughts and floods; and more intense storms.

The function was organised in preparation for Bali Conference of Parties (COP-13) under the United Nations Framework Convention Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held on December 3-14.