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Global General

Bangladesh takes long-term plans to face climate change impact

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-21 22:47

DHAKA: The Bangladeshi government has undertaken immediate and long-term plans to protect the country from the impact of global climate change, State Minister for Environment and Forests Hasan Mahmud told the Parliament Thursday.

"Due to the global warming, the sea level can rise by 0.8 meter to 1.3 meter by 2021. As a result, 20 million to 25 million coastal people may be displaced after 2050," he was quoted as saying by national news agency BSS.

For a coordinated strategy, he said, the Department of Environment has floated a Climate Change Cell under the Coordinated Disaster Management Program in the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management. The cell has been implementing various programs to face the affects created by the climate change, he said.

"The government has also formulated Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Workplan-2009 and been able to include the issue of sea-level rise and migration in those documents for which the government is working at international level," he said.

Mahmud also said that the government has already set up a seven billion taka (US$100 million) climate change trust fund to reduce the risk of adverse impact of climate change.

The state minister said a project has been undertaken for afforestation in coastal areas at a cost of 4 million U.S. dollars from the Least Development Country Fund of the UNICEF. Besides, new coastal belts will be brought under the construction of embankments, he added.

He hoped that these steps will contribute a lot in reducing the risk of the climate change.