The recent eastern floods in Bangladesh serve as a stark reminder of how climate-induced loss and damage continue to threaten the country, with devastating impacts on both people and ecosystems.
As Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change, these floods are not isolated events but part of a larger pattern of increasing climate variability that has intensified in recent years. The interplay between extreme weather events like these floods and underlying social vulnerabilities exposes the deep cracks in global climate justice.
Escalating economic and non-economic losses
Bangladesh’s recent floods have once again demonstrated the acute economic and non-economic losses caused by climate change. Homes, infrastructure, and agricultural lands were submerged, disrupting the lives of millions and resulting in enormous economic losses.
According to initial assessments, thousands of hectares of crops were destroyed, wiping out entire livelihoods in the rural heartlands. Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) already declared that Tk14,000 crore is nearly economic loss of this flood. The country’s economic resilience is already strained, and these floods add to the cumulative burden of rebuilding, which repeatedly diverts resources away from long-term development goals.
More troubling, however, are the non-economic losses that remain underrepresented in discussions about climate finance and recovery. These include the loss of cultural heritage, delayed or drop off from education, community cohesion, and traditional knowledge, which are difficult to quantify but are critical to the identity and social fabric of the affected populations.
With families displaced, ancestral lands lost to water, and local economies disrupted, entire communities face a future of displacement and dispossession. This adds to the already rising number of climate refugees in Bangladesh, which is likely to increase as the frequency of such events escalates.
Insufficient global response: A justice deficit
This flood, like many others in the past, exemplifies the growing injustice embedded in the global response to climate change. Bangladesh, contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, is disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change.
Yet, international climate negotiations, particularly through the lens of COP and other multilateral forums, have historically sidelined the issue of loss and damage. Developed nations have focused on risk-centric approaches like prevention, mitigation, and retention, which have effectively stalled additional funding commitments for addressing the irreversible impacts of climate change.
The Paris Agreement introduced the concept of "averting, minimizing, and addressing" loss and damage, but these commitments have largely remained rhetorical, with little substantial financial backing. While COP 28 secured $760m in pledges for the Loss and Damage Fund, questions persist about the fairness and adequacy of this funding.
The floods in Bangladesh highlight the shortcomings of these approaches, as they fail to account for the full scale of destruction, particularly non-economic losses. For millions in Bangladesh, the notion of averting or minimizing damage is insufficient; they are already grappling with the severe impacts of climate change -- impacts for which they hold minimal responsibility.
The urgent need for financing and accountability
Bangladesh's eastern floods reinforce the call for a more robust, just, and accountable framework for climate finance, particularly in addressing loss and damage. The current mechanisms -- limited to disaster risk reduction and humanitarian aid -- are not designed to deal with the long-term impacts of slow-onset events and cumulative losses from recurring disasters.
The lack of dedicated funding for loss and damage leaves countries like Bangladesh in a precarious position, where they are forced to rely on loans and international aid to recover from climate disasters. This cycle of dependency not only deepens their economic vulnerability but also undermines their sovereignty and ability to build long-term resilience.
In the wake of these floods, the call for climate justice becomes even more urgent. Developed countries, which are historically responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, must recognize their moral and financial responsibility to address the irreversible impacts on the Global South.
This requires moving beyond risk-centric approaches to a holistic view of loss and damage that includes adequate financial compensation for both economic and non-economic losses. The recent establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund during COP27 is a step in the right direction, but it must be operationalized swiftly and with adequate resources to meet the scale of the crisis.
A turning point for global solidarity
The recent eastern floods in Bangladesh are not just another climate disaster; they are a turning point that demands urgent action. They expose the limitations of the global community’s current approach to loss and damage and call for a transformation in how we understand and finance climate resilience.
For countries like Bangladesh, the future cannot be one of endless rebuilding and recovery. It must be one where the global community, particularly the wealthier nations, step up to take responsibility for the damage they have caused and provide the financial and technical support needed to secure a just and sustainable future.
This moment offers an opportunity to right past wrongs and reshape global climate negotiations around justice, equity, and solidarity. The stakes are clear: Without immediate and robust action, the climate crisis will continue to deepen the divide between those who have caused it and those who suffer its most severe consequences. The recent floods in Bangladesh are a clear call to address this injustice before it’s too late.
Shahnawaz Whara is Technical Advisor-Humanitarian and Resilience, Concern Worldwide in Bangladesh.
