The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Cox's Bazar

Experts at a media workshop on Friday stressed the need for formulating a long-term action plan for Bangladesh to face the challenges of the climate change.

Participating in the inaugural session of the two-day 'Media Workshop on MDGs and Climate Change' at a local hotel here, they said the country's food security will be the most affected area by climate change.

"The country should explore new fund, its own resources and foreign aid to formulate the action plan which will have to be friendly both to environment and the industrialization for sustainable development," IUCN Country Representative Dr Ainun Nishat told the workshop.

Organized by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the workshop was addressed, among others, by noted economist Dr Atiur Rahman, assistant country director of UNDP KAM Morshed, publicity adviser of UNDP Anir Chowdhury and its programme manager Kalyan Pandey as resource persons.

Ainun Nishat said there will be unusual increase in rainfall, drought, flood, cyclones, river and coastal erosion by the next 15 years.

"The situation is so critical that if all of the world stop breathing to reduce Carbondioxide, even then it will take 40 years to make a pollution-free world. The climate has changed clearly occurring heavy rainfall in unusual times" he said.

Ainun Nishat laid emphasis on using eco-friendly modern technology for development so that the country's industrialization is not hampered.

"There are some difficulties to ensure emission of green house gas and at the same time smooth industrialization. But it is not impossible. Bangladesh will have to import latest technology spending much more money," he said.

Dr Nishat said the government will have to take right and bold decision to face the challenges of the global climate change.

He said the huge fund that will be needed to implement the action plan will be materialized from the developed world, responsible for the present state of the underdeveloped and developing countries.

Quoting statistics, Morshed said 28,000 people die every day due to poverty-related causes and 11 million children die each year, mostly from preventable diseases.

To achieve the MDGs, he said, hunger and poverty should be eradicated.