Preparedness to access climate fund
Monday, 15 November 2010
The visiting chief of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Helen Clark, has thrown a challenge at the government of Bangladesh (GoB) by hinting that it depends much on the abilities and preparedness of GoB to get its act together to be able to receive a great deal of resources to cope with the effects of climate change. In this connection, she drew attention to the strong possibility of Bangladesh to be helped generously from a US$ 100 billion annual fund to be organized fairly soon at the conclusion of successful talks between donors to that end.
The UN is currently engaged in the formation of an ample fund designed to extend substantial assistance to countries which are likely to be threatened by extensive global climatic changes in the near future from emission of greenhouse gases and other factors. A series of international conferences held in recent years will hopefully lead to the formation as early as 2012 of a massive fund which is to be replenished on a year by year basis. Bangladesh has been recognized as the country most vulnerable to climate change. Thus, it can logically expect a big slice from this fund on a regular basis provided, as the UNDP chief has warned, it can show convincing proofs that it has a genuinely good plan in place as well as the resolve and, most importantly, the capacities to successfully receive and utilize the substantial flow of funds.
Apparently, Bangladesh has a 134-point programme to enhance the country's coping strengths against climate change. But there are concerns -- internal as well as external -- about how sound and appropriate these plans would be to raise Bangladesh's protection against the most serious threat from climate change which is sea-level rise. If the sea level rises by a meter in the present century in line with scientific predictions, the same would displace about 30 million Bangladeshis as climate refugees. The-134 point programme drawn up by GoB appears aimed at meeting mainly the short-term ill prospects of climate change like more storms, floods, tidal surges, etc. For coping with these the programme has stressed on improving carrying capacities of rivers through dredging, tree planting, building of cyclone shelters, etc. leaving aside the ultimate and most feared of the changes, sea-level rise.
But the possibility of sea-level rise is the area where Bangladesh needs to be proactive from now and concentrate its energies. It presently has some capacities and know-how on river dredging, tree plantation, building cyclone shelters, etc. But building barriers to a rising sea such as sea walls, dykes and associated engineering and physical works would require both funds and expertise on a large scale. This is the vital area where Bangladesh can gain the most by drawing from the UN-sponsored fund liberally, in time, to set up defences against the biggest challenge it would face from sea-level rise. It can specially benefit from the climate fund by accessing it adequately to hedge itself from the worst effect of climate changes. Presently, Bangladesh simply does not have the resources to take on effectively massive works as barriers against the sea. Therefore, it should look forward to readying suitable plans to make itself the beneficiary of adequate funds and supports from the climate fund and embark on completing projects before time runs out that would be designed mainly to keep the sea at bay.
For the time being, it is important for Bangladesh to convince the donors that whatever plans have been taken up in response to climate change are running efficiently with the least corruption.
The UN is currently engaged in the formation of an ample fund designed to extend substantial assistance to countries which are likely to be threatened by extensive global climatic changes in the near future from emission of greenhouse gases and other factors. A series of international conferences held in recent years will hopefully lead to the formation as early as 2012 of a massive fund which is to be replenished on a year by year basis. Bangladesh has been recognized as the country most vulnerable to climate change. Thus, it can logically expect a big slice from this fund on a regular basis provided, as the UNDP chief has warned, it can show convincing proofs that it has a genuinely good plan in place as well as the resolve and, most importantly, the capacities to successfully receive and utilize the substantial flow of funds.
Apparently, Bangladesh has a 134-point programme to enhance the country's coping strengths against climate change. But there are concerns -- internal as well as external -- about how sound and appropriate these plans would be to raise Bangladesh's protection against the most serious threat from climate change which is sea-level rise. If the sea level rises by a meter in the present century in line with scientific predictions, the same would displace about 30 million Bangladeshis as climate refugees. The-134 point programme drawn up by GoB appears aimed at meeting mainly the short-term ill prospects of climate change like more storms, floods, tidal surges, etc. For coping with these the programme has stressed on improving carrying capacities of rivers through dredging, tree planting, building of cyclone shelters, etc. leaving aside the ultimate and most feared of the changes, sea-level rise.
But the possibility of sea-level rise is the area where Bangladesh needs to be proactive from now and concentrate its energies. It presently has some capacities and know-how on river dredging, tree plantation, building cyclone shelters, etc. But building barriers to a rising sea such as sea walls, dykes and associated engineering and physical works would require both funds and expertise on a large scale. This is the vital area where Bangladesh can gain the most by drawing from the UN-sponsored fund liberally, in time, to set up defences against the biggest challenge it would face from sea-level rise. It can specially benefit from the climate fund by accessing it adequately to hedge itself from the worst effect of climate changes. Presently, Bangladesh simply does not have the resources to take on effectively massive works as barriers against the sea. Therefore, it should look forward to readying suitable plans to make itself the beneficiary of adequate funds and supports from the climate fund and embark on completing projects before time runs out that would be designed mainly to keep the sea at bay.
For the time being, it is important for Bangladesh to convince the donors that whatever plans have been taken up in response to climate change are running efficiently with the least corruption.