Given the perilous reality of climate change and the fragile geographical location of our country, it is imperative that we invest more into developing our coastal regions in a way that takes climate resilience into cognizance.
The coastal regions of Bangladesh are home to 35 million people, representing 29% of the population. Furthermore, it is proven that effective coastal resilience plays an important role in diverting natural disasters such as cyclones away from further inland -- where both people and livelihoods are at risk from such calamities.
As such, the World Bank’s recommendation that continued investment into strengthening climate resilience along Bangladesh’s coastal zones is absolutely well-timed.
In recent years, Bangladesh has emerged as a global leader when it comes to the fight against climate change. While, even a decade ago, the country would suffer a high death toll and critical damage to national infrastructure from natural disasters -- the devastation caused by Sidr in 2007 is a prime example -- nowadays, we are able to avoid almost all negative aftermath due to better climate resilience around the coastal belt.
But climate change is never static, it adapts to us just as we do to it.
The recent flooding and landslides, especially in the coastal areas, highlight clear flaws in our climate resilience system and should be studied as a blueprint for the way forward. Such natural disasters are a risk to both lives and businesses, and disrupts the progress that the country has made.
Natural disasters will only grow worse in the future. While we have to continue the fight at a global level, we also have to take necessary steps on a local level.
