International migration from climate change-affected areas in Bangladesh is far below than that of the internal migration, according to a new study.
It said only 4.30 per cent of the respondents from different climate change-affected areas migrated internationally while 95.70 per cent accounted for internal migration.
Due to lack of access to liquid money and services from the government agencies, the climate-affected people cannot plan to go abroad, according to the findings of the study shared at a national consultation in the city's CIRDAP auditorium on Monday.
Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) conducted the study titled 'Climate Change and Migration Dynamics in Khulna and Bagerhat districts in Bangladesh' with support from HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation Bangladesh during the six months from June to December.
Akib Anwar, project manager of OKUP, presented the findings at the programme.
The outflow of workers going abroad from the climate-affected areas is much lower as they cannot arrange the migration cost and they also do not get necessary services from the relevant government offices.
Mr Anwar said people from most of the surveyed areas are deprived of necessary migration loan facilities.
Probashi Kallyan Bank has only one branch in Khulna. So, majority of the people in surveyed 14 unions like Kapilmuni, Raruli, Koyra Sadar and Morrelganj Sadar were not getting access to the bank's services, he added.
A total of 490 households were surveyed under the study.
However, the research showed that Dhaka saw most of the internal migration followed by Khulna, Chattogram, Gopalganj, Feni, Jessore, Barishal and Bagerhat.
Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, additional secretary at the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, said climate change became a reality for Bangladesh.
So, they would give priority to the overseas job seekers from the climate change-affected areas, he added.
OKUP Chairman Shalirul Islam said the government should address the huge internal migration taking place due to the climate change.
In last 30 years, Bangladesh had been hit by more than 100 tropical cyclones and 60 flash floods. The coastal zones of Bangladesh are especially susceptible to climate change-srelated hazards, according to the OKUP study paper.
Rights activists said on Monday Bangladesh needed to build climate resilience, as the recently held CoP-24 negotiation hardly yielded any positive outcome for the most vulnerable countries (MVCs).
They also said the outcome of CoP-24, held on December 01-14 in Poland, was frustrating and hardly incompatible with the Paris Agreement.
The Civil Society Organisation (CSO) representatives expressed these opinions at a press conference, held at National Press Club in the capital.
They also criticised the proposed 'Paris Rule Book', as it ignored interest of the MVCs.
There is no specific decision and text regarding reducing global temperature up to 1.5 degree Celsius, financing, displacement, and loss and damage, which were the key points of demand of the MVCs.
M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, chief moderator of EquityBD, moderated the press conference, and Syed Aminul Hoque of the same organisation presented the keynote paper.
Mr Aminul Hoque said, "The outcome of CoP-24 negotiation is frustrating, and there is hardly any particular text in the proposed 'Paris Rule Book' on financial commitment, technology and capacity building issues for the vulnerable countries."
He also condemned the developed countries for backtracking from their commitment to provide these supports.
The refusal of the developed countries to take the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report would seriously undermine the implementation of Paris Agreement. In fact, it would further aggravate the sufferings of the MVCs, he added.
Mr Rezaul Karim opined that the country's leaders should be more serious about the environmental issues in future, and political parties should also state their position in this regard in their election manifesto.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
