While speaking at a roundtable on “Environment of Peace: Securing a just and peaceful transition in a new era of risk”, organised by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on the sidelines of the Stokholm+50 international meeting on Friday Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen rightly said that climate-induced displacement could lead to a global security risk in today’s interconnected world. Observing that the international community is not doing enough for millions of ‘climate migrants’ who often get subjected to various forms of security risks and exploitations he urged first world countries to share the burden of climate migrants’ rehabilitation.
There is strong evidence that deteriorating environments caused by climate change are driving millions of people to resort to mass migration in their search for a better life, both within countries and across borders. A recent World Bank report projects that climate change could push more than 200 million people to leave their homes in the next three decades and create migration hotspots unless urgent action is taken to reduce global emissions and bridge the development gap.
We need to devise immediate measurers to protect
people from environmental risks and stop unwanted
migration due to climate change
Human settlements have been affected in Bangladesh due to extreme climate events over past years. One of the most adverse and prolonged impact of climate change in Bangladesh has been observed in the form of climate migration. It is startling to note that global climate change may displace an estimated 20 million people of Bangladesh as 17 percent of coastal areas of the country may be submerged due to a gradual rise in seawater. Therefore, we must formulate coherent and research-backed policy, legal and institutional framework to address climate migration. We need to devise immediate measurers to protect people from environmental risks and stop unwanted migration due to climate change.
It is time to increase the investment in policies and programmes to protect people from environmental risks induced by climate change. The world is now going through a situation where the most vulnerable countries, which deserve the highest level of priority, are failing to access support that is being realised. Major emitters show extreme reluctance on mitigation, which may wreck the international climate regime and put the climate vulnerable countries like Bangladesh at peril.
As developed countries are accountable for the severe consequences of climate change, they must provide with necessary financial, technological and intellectual support to the developing countries following the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change. Moreover, developing countries like Bangladesh need a global commitment to face climate challenges.