Ambiguity regarding the impacts of climate change hampers development efforts in climate-effected coastal areas

Climate change has far-reaching impacts on our environment’s physical, social, and economic aspects, affecting plants, animals, rivers, forests, and soil, among other elements. In the South Asian region, reducing the cost of climate financing is crucial to make sustainable initiatives more accessible and feasible. The government should leverage its authority to implement policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change efficiently. A comprehensive approach involving the simultaneous implementation of adaptation and mitigation strategies is necessary to tackle the challenges of climate change effectively. This holistic strategy will contribute to the region’s resilience and sustainability in the face of climate-related issues.

Partnerships can be established between various vulnerable cities in South Asia that face similar challenges, facilitating regional learning and knowledge sharing. Cities that are situated in inappropriate locations or lack proper planning are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change. The cities of Sirajganj and Shatkhira are at a higher risk of experiencing severe damage and destruction because of floods, cyclones, and other natural calamities.

One of the important observations is that the actual impact of climate change in coastal areas and the actual cost of damage due to climate change are not well understood. This phenomenon hinders development in those areas.

People in these climate-effected coastal areas need to be relocated where employment opportunities created for them, and policies should emphasise land use.

These are some of the insights that emerged at the parallel session B1 of the Fourteenth South Asia Economic Summit (SAES XIV) titled ‘Climate Change and Resilience’ held on 5 November, 2023.

The Chair of the session, Dr M Asaduzzaman, Former Research Director, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), emphasised the critical issue of addressing the impact of climate change in South Asia.

Mr Md Anisur Rahman, Senior Urban Planner (Consultant), CRISC Project, GIZ Bangladesh, opined ‘Cities expanding in inappropriate or unplanned locations are disproportionately experiencing the devastating impact of climate change’.

‘The rise in carbon emission inequality is likely to lead to a higher incidence of poverty resulting from the impact of natural disasters’ underscored the Associate Professor of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), India, Dr Sabyasachi Saha.

Dr A Atiq Rahman, Executive Director, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) said that the key to addressing climate change lies in efficient energy management.

‘A key issue in the upcoming COP28 is to address loss and damage’ remarked Professor Dr Babar Shahbaz, Professor and Director, Institute of Agricultural Extension, Education and Rural Development University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Mr Florian Höllen, Head of Cooperation, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, recommended ‘We should join forces to implement environmental rules and regulation for pollution prevention’.

During the session, speakers emphasised that in the post-COVID-19 era, amid a backdrop of sluggish economic expansion, escalating emissions, and inadequate infrastructural frameworks, the shift from a focus on quantity to one emphasising quality has proven elusive. The Global South faces challenges in finance, technology, and trade, with significant implications for climate change. South Asian countries specifically require the transfer of technology, green tech solutions, and sustainable agriculture technology to address these pressing issues.

One of the important themes in the upcoming COP28 should be water and coastal security in climate-vulnerable countries in South Asia. The region should join to raise the issues of climate change, loss, and damage in the upcoming COP28. Since people’s lifestyles have an effect on the world, we should pay attention to how much water we use, how the land changes, and how we live.

To facilitate the adoption of eco-friendly behaviors among residents and mitigate the use of materials that contribute to carbon emissions, a range of resources and infrastructure are necessary. Additionally, consolidating means of implementation of low-cost finance is important for mitigating the impact of climate change.

Countries in the South Asian region have to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of their respective plans and strategies to determine their efficacy in effectively tackling the challenges posed by climate change. Despite Nepal’s substantial commitments and efforts to enhance climate resilience, the nation is confronted with notable obstacles, including insufficient climate data, constraints in capacity, and a lack of social and financial institutional frameworks.

A clear action plan, outlining specific targets, a climate resilience framework, and a developing financial structure will help to solve the country’s climate change issues. The action plan should be locally driven since every country has its own local solutions to problems.

The promotion of green energy is vital. In addition to the implementation of an enhanced early warning system, it is imperative to provide sufficient resources towards research and development efforts, as well as foster regionally coordinated investment. The sharing of resources across nations has the potential to address challenges associated with climate change, since countries with plentiful resources may provide support to more vulnerable nations.

Managing the energy system more effectively is of paramount importance in addressing the issue of climate change. The use of effective strategies may aid in the mitigation of the repercussions stemming from the accelerated process of urbanisation.

Moreover, South Asia should move from adaptation to resilience, and from a reactive to a proactive approach. A programme for developing urban resilience is also important since rapid urbanisation is posing a threat to climate change.

High-level policymakers, political leaders, academics, development practitioners, civil society activists from Bangladesh and the South Asian region attended the session and shared their valuable insights.