Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh could face multiple problems like malnutrition, impact on agriculture and increase of temperature by 2050 due to climate change.
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) 2022 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR), which was launched on Wednesday in a city hotel, highlighted that climate change threatens to impact over 750 million people in South Asia through climate hazards, primarily floods and droughts.
The report cites that climate change is also negatively impacting agriculture GDP and trade on Bangladesh.
Economic projections for Bangladesh for the short term estimate a modest decline of 0.11 percent of GDP by 2030 and a 1.23 percent fall in agricultural GDP.
If no adequate measures are taken, the projected loss of ecosystem services because of climate change could range from $18 to 20 million by 2050 in Bangladesh under low- and high-emissions scenarios.
As per the report, the average annual temperatures have increased in the last six decades in Bangladesh.
As global warming continues there will be induced increase in monsoon rainfall. Studies project that extreme precipitation events will be 1.7 times more likely in Bangladesh by 2050.
It is estimated in South Asia that food shortages caused by climate change could lead to a significant increase in the number of malnourished children.
In Bangladesh, near-term projections estimate a reduction of up to 17 percent in total calorie consumption by 2030 due to climate change.
South Asia has been the fastest growing sub-region in the world since 2014 to onset of pandemic in 2020, which is likely to continue in the coming years. While this is clearly a reason for celebration, the region is now confronted with an existential challenge due to the region’s climate vulnerabilities, the report noted.
South Asia has turned into a climate change hotspot, posing unprecedented risks to the sustainability of our food systems.
The report notes that food systems are impacted by climate change, and it plays an equally critical causal role. Globally, food systems, contribute more than one-third of the total greenhouse emissions. About one-fifth of total emissions come specifically from agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU). Investing in food systems transformation could thus result in stabilizing climate in the future.
Minister of Planning MA Mannan, who served as the chief guest for the launch event, laid out the national commitments on climate change.
“Government of Bangladesh is committed to promote sustainable agriculture. We are working to strengthen capacity, improve early warning systems, invest on climate smart technology and develop heat and salinity tolerant crop varieties,” the minister said
“As the chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), our Prime Minister has actively worked on promoting the interests of 48 climate vulnerable countries, and successfully advocated in turning into resilience and prosperity. Government has established climate trust fund and adopted a transformative plan called Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan.” said Ahmad Kaikaus, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
The report highlighted some recommendations including increased investment in agricultural R&D, improved budget allocations towards promising sectors which are growing their share in agricultural GDP, reforms on fertilizer subsidies, changes in energy policies to avoid wasteful usage of electricity and water for irrigation. Greater attention to the role of AFOLU as an emissions source and sink will be necessary to achieve a stable climate.
“There are several promising innovations that can be applied to adaptation but with more warming adaptation will become less effective. Eventually we will all want a stabilized climate,” said Channing Arndt, Director of IFPRI’s Environment and Production Technology Division.
“The global food sector will likely have to become not just zero emissions, but a net sink to offset positive emissions elsewhere, which are the big challenges that we need to address over the next 30 years.”
In Bangladesh, fish provides over 60% of the animal protein in the diet. In recent years, both in India and Bangladesh, increasing salinity in inland and aquaculture ponds has led to fish mortalities.
“Climate change is not confined to national boundaries and our member countries must consider trans-boundary action on mitigation and adaptation to address the impact of climate.” said Tenzin Lekphell, Secretary General, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
“Through the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate (BCWC), we are encouraging collaboration among member countries on various areas of scientific study and capacity building for weather and climate-related research,” he added.
“Climate risks in South Asia are amplified by existing vulnerabilities, which have been further compounded by the impacts of Covid-19. It has led to reduction in national income, overstretched social safety net programs, and disrupted livelihoods of millions of smallholders,” said Shahidur Rashid, Director South Asia, IFPRI.
“The Covid-19 along with the climate change will make it extremely difficult for the region to achieve the SDG goals of zero hunger by 2030.”
