The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Politicians, economists, environmentalists and experts at a meeting yesterday in the city stressed that developed countries must back Bangladesh with fund and grants to enable it to bear expenditures of the adaptation works and acquire ability to mitigate sufferings from future natural calamities as consequences of the global climate change.

Bangladesh will not compromise on the issue of realising funds from the developed countries as global warming is increasing alarmingly due to uncontrolled urbanisation in those countries, they noted.

The discussion meeting on 'Climate Change Adaptation Financing' was jointly organised by Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL) and People's Empowerment Trust (PET) at Hotel Sonargaon.

Raja Devasish Roy, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government, who was present as chief guest, said, "We will not approach the developed countries with a 'begging bowl' for financial assistance. It is our right to get the fund."

"Developed countries are responsible for the global warming, but Bangladesh has become the worst victim of global climate change," he added.

He further said at the London meeting on global warming in June, Bangladesh will reiterate its demand for compensation to face the challenges of the global climate change, present how the country is falling victim to climate change and press for necessary fund for facing the challenges in future.

He, however, expressed doubts whether the donors would keep their promise to fund Bangladesh.

"Bangladesh has the right and also the scope to get funds but the previous experiences make me sceptical about the donors," he said.

He suggested formation of a national committee headed by Prime Minister to monitor the coordinated efforts to be taken against the future impacts of global warming in the country.

Presenting the keynote paper at the meeting, Ziaul Haque Mukta, a researcher, said if global warming continues to increase at the present rate some 30 million people of the country will become 'climate refugees' in near future.

Highly industrialised countries are supposed to compensate the least industrialised ones according to the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement signed among the member countries of the United Nations in line with the objective of reducing greenhouse gases. But the United States has not yet signed the agreement that expires in 2012.

MK Anwar, former agriculture minister, Suranjit Sen Gupta, Presidium Member of Awami League, GM Kader, former MP, Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, economist, Rezaul Kabir, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Heather Blackwell, Country Programme Manager of Oxfam GB, Hyder Akbar Khan Rono, Workers Party leader, Md Abdur Razzaque, former MP, Abdus Shahid, former chief whip of the opposition, Lt Gen (Retd) Mahabubur Rahman, Standing Committee Member of BNP, among others spoke, while Khushi Kabir, Chairman of CSRL, chaired the session.

Developed countries including USA, UK, Japan, Netherlands and Denmark and development agencies like World Bank and Asian Development Bank at the 'Bangladesh-UK Conference on Climate Change' held in Dhaka on March 25 promised to help Bangladesh financially for mitigation of greenhouse gas and adaptation to the climate change, the speakers mentioned.

The development partners at the meeting had assured that they would work jointly to create a 'Multi Donor Trust Fund' for Bangladesh, they said.