Bangladesh
Combating Climate Risks Bangladesh's action to combat climate risk is an inspiration for vulnerable countries: World Bank
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, Sept 13: Post-independence Bangladesh has reduced the death toll in cyclones a hundredfold, which is an inspiration for other climate-vulnerable countries.
However, a rapidly growing population, environmental degradation, and increasing climate risks are putting pressure on the existing natural and infrastructure systems of the coastal region, home to nearly four million people. Bangladesh needs to take some more urgent initiatives to increase disaster resilience. These things were informed in a report published by the World Bank on Monday (September 12).
The organization believes that as climate risks increase, it is critical to continue investing in strengthening climate resilience in coastal areas for Bangladesh to maintain its development gains and for sustainable growth.
The report titled 'Bangladesh Enhancing Coastal Resilience in a Changing Climate' highlights Bangladesh's journey to combat climate change and recommends more actions to increase resilience in coastal areas. The report also analyzes what the drivers of risk are and how the government is mitigating these risks. At the same time, new perspectives and innovative solutions have been suggested.
The report states that while climate is at risk, Bangladesh is a world leader in climate change adaptation and is known for actively investing in coastal resilience. Bangladesh has shown how long-term investments in disaster risk reduction can save lives, reduce economic losses and preserve development gains. This has been made possible by initiatives in infrastructure investment, from field-level adaptation and community-based early warning systems to encouraging nature-based solutions and innovation under a strategic policy framework.
Dandan Chen, Country Director of the World Bank for Bangladesh and Bhutan, said that coastal resilience is not an immutable goal, but rather one of adapting to changing circumstances and finding synergies between development goals.
The World Bank has been helping Bangladesh improve climate resilience and disaster risk management for the past 50 years. Today, Bangladesh is gaining valuable experience in disaster preparedness and improving climate resilience, which is an inspiration for other climate-vulnerable countries.
