Lack of coordination hurt climate change policy execution

ClimateChange_AnneHolmes

Absence of coordinated planning in tackling the fallouts of climate change may badly hurt Bangladesh’s food production despite having adequate knowledge and good practices, professionals have said.
The final draft copy of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change’s 5th Assessment Report published on Monday expressed fears that extreme events such as drought, flood and cyclones would change ecosystems and disrupt food production and water supply across the world.
The IPCC report recommended that the governments mainstreamed climate adaptation actions in to the national development plan, warning systems and water resources management.According to previous IPCC reports, flood, drought and salinity were the major headaches for Bangladesh.
The IPCC is a scientific body under the United Nations which produces reports that support the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the main international treaty on the issue. It does not carry out its own original research; rather it bases its assessment on the available published literatures.
Echoing the IPCC report, Bangladeshi professionals said the government needed to incorporate climate adaptation measures into the plans for disaster management and agriculture and the overall development activities.
Referring to the 2009 Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, said lack of proper planning had meant that climate initiatives had mostly been off track.
Under the policy, the government has created two funds – Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund and Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund. The source of finance of the first is domestic while the second is contributed by development partners.
Dr Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of the Centre for Global Changes, criticised the government for taking up projects such as sea beach conservation, which have little relevance with developing climate change resilience.
Citing Brri Dhan 53 and Brri Dhan 54 as examples, Dr Ahsan said Bangladesh not only needed to develop more of these saline tolerant varieties of paddy, but also make sure that the coastal farmers extensively grew these crops. For this, he said, the Department of Agricultural Extension must get a move on.
Mohammad Abdul Wazed, director general of the government’s Department of Disaster Management, said Bangladesh had adequate knowledge to not worry about rescue and rehabilitation after cyclones and flood.
The government had been working to build a linkage between disaster and agriculture to curb the risk of crop damages, he said, adding that the issue had already been incorporated in the sixth Five Year Plan.
Lack of coordination hurting climate change policy implementation Abu Bakar Siddique Extreme events such as drought, flood and cyclones would change ecosystems and disrupt food production Bangladesh is most vulnerable to tropical cyclones. The picture was taken after the Cyclone SIDR Photo- Syed Zakir Hossain Absence of coordinated planning in tackling the fallouts of climate change may badly hurt Bangladesh’s food production despite having adequate knowledge and good practices, professionals have said. The final draft copy of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change’s 5th Assessment Report published on Monday expressed fears that extreme events such as drought, flood and cyclones would change ecosystems and disrupt food production and water supply across the world. The IPCC report recommended that the governments mainstreamed climate adaptation actions in to the national development plan, warning systems and water resources management. According to previous IPCC reports, flood, drought and salinity were the major headaches for Bangladesh. The IPCC is a scientific body under the United Nations which produces reports that support the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the main international treaty on the issue. It does not carry out its own original research; rather it bases its assessment on the available published literatures. Echoing the IPCC report, Bangladeshi professionals said the government needed to incorporate climate adaptation measures into the plans for disaster management and agriculture and the overall development activities. Referring to the 2009 Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, said lack of proper planning had meant that climate initiatives had mostly been off track. Under the policy, the government has created two funds – Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund and Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund. The source of finance of the first is domestic while the second is contributed by development partners. Dr Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of the Centre for Global Changes, criticised the government for taking up projects such as sea beach conservation, which have little relevance with developing climate change resilience. Citing Brri Dhan 53 and Brri Dhan 54 as examples, Dr Ahsan said Bangladesh not only needed to develop more of these saline tolerant varieties of paddy, but also make sure that the coastal farmers extensively grew these crops. For this, he said, the Department of Agricultural Extension must get a move on. Mohammad Abdul Wazed, director general of the government’s Department of Disaster Management, said Bangladesh had adequate knowledge to not worry about rescue and rehabilitation after cyclones and flood. The government had been working to build a linkage between disaster and agriculture to curb the risk of crop damages, he said, adding that the issue had already been incorporated in the sixth Five Year Plan. – Resource Spring