Bangladesh must formulate its own policies to save the environment, instead of depending on research by other countries, renowned climate change expert and International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) Director Prof Saleemul Huq has said.
The country has already established a reputation as a global leader in climate change adaptation and it is high time to use its own expertise, he added.
Prof Huq made the remarks at an event organized by the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) yesterday to celebrate his recent recognition as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Referring to the national investment in good quality research, the ICCCAD director said: “We have to give high priority to climate change issues, so we have to do our own research. We cannot depend on other countries' research. There is no need to ask an international consultancy firm to tell us what to do.”
He stressed that climate adaptation planning needs to be tailored to the specific needs of the country.
“I truly believe that Bangladesh has the ability to be a global leader on the impacts of climate change. We are not just victims anymore. We are not just facing the problem, but now we are in the mindset of solving the problem as well," he added, welcoming support from and collaboration with the government.
The climate change expert further said the UK and Bangladesh can work together to tackle the global issues of climate change and poverty.
State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said: “Bangladesh is the only country in this century to have prepared a 100-year Delta Plan to face the climate adversaries that will be upon us very soon. I worked together with Prof Huq while making that plan.”
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson said Bangladesh has been working as an extraordinarily influential and persuasive advocate on key issues of climate change.
“When the world is confronted by illegal acts of unprovoked aggression, as we are seeing tragically in eastern Europe at the moment, it is easy to forget the underlying challenge which really confronts all of us, that is climate change. The UK and Bangladesh can collectively work in this regard,” he said.
The envoy praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s efforts at COP 26 and the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), but mentioned that the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reminded that the work is not done,
“If we do the right things , there is still a window of hope that we can all step through. Prof Huq has done extraordinary work in this regard, and that is why the UK has given him the OBE honour,” he added.
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP and chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said: “The odds of moving the needle when it comes to climate change is not an easy task. The way Prof Huq perseveres is something that I have always found quite remarkable, especially when it comes to the matter of loss and damage for developing countries.”
He added that the OBE recognizes Prof Huq’s contributions to enriching the knowledge base of Bangladesh and preparing the young generation for future challenges.
Abul Kalam Azad, former principal secretary to the Prime Minister and currently a special envoy of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), said: “Prof Huq has always supported the CVF and all its presidencies for more than 10 years. For that, the CVF will be eternally grateful to him.”
IUB Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmed Khan and former chair of the IUB Board of Trustees A Matin Chowdhury were present, among others.
