PREFACE
The Coastal Zone of Bangladesh is one of the richest and high potential regions of Bangladesh. The region consisting 14 districts in about 40,100 square kilometre area with the 780 kilometre long seashore, and world’s biggest sea beach and largest single-track mangrove forest, the Sundarbans. There are hundreds of strips and islands in the river and Bay of Bengal including Saint Martin’s Coral Island. The region is very fertile as its lands were constructed by sediment. A unique ecosystem had been developed here through interaction with upstream fresh water and saline water. Moderate temperature (maximum 34.10c and minimum 12.90c) and rainfall (average annual 2,486 mm) help the region to be a highly productive agricultural area. The coastal region is famous for its diversified fish, fine rice and huge forest cover. However, several ecological problems had been raised due to human settlement before completion of land formation.
The population of the region is around 35 million, accounts 21.79% of the country. Most of the people depend on natural resources. 4.6 million Farmer, 2.5 million agro-labour, 370 thousand fisher, 300 thousand forest dependant people, 45 thousand indigenous people and 2 million other labours contribute a large portion of the country’s labour force. Though the coastal region is a producer of country’s large portion of food and fish products, since a long it has become ecologically critical area due to unplanned development activities. Construction of coastal embankments without considering the environment and ecology, unquestioned brackish water shrimp farming, degradation of the Sundarbans and other mangrove forests and corporate tourism have affected the biodiversity of the region. Agriculture dependant livelihoods are threatened due to denudation of natural resources.
Climate Change has simply doubled the problems. Frequently sea-depression, cyclone and storm-surges, widespread riverbank erosion, salinity intrusion, raised high tide and long-lasting summer has increased the vulnerability in alarming level.
Frequent depression and cyclone in the sea caused death of hundreds of sea-going fisher. After loosing boats and nets, trapped by cyclic usurious loan and loosing homestead lands thousands of fishermen are becoming float some. At last, when they try to migrate illegally in other countries they face death or torture.
The most of the embankments of coastal region were collapsed by the hit of AILA in May 2009 and it cannot be reconstructed even after seven months. Most of the areas of three Upazilas under Khulna and Satkhira districts are still under saline water. In the mean time, crops, livestock and poultry of these areas totally damaged. Most of the trees died and communication system totally broke down. The civilizations of these areas, which have developed since 300 years, are going to destroy. Without effective measures in short, the areas may become barren land.
According to the predictions of IPCC, if global warming remains unchanged 17 percent area of Coastal Zone of Bangladesh is in risk of sinking under seawater by 2050. If the prediction will come true, at least 250 million people will have to migrate from the zone. More than 100 thousand people have already become Climate Refugee due to natural disaster.
The Kyoto Protocol has taken in 1997 and its application period of will ended up in 2012. The world leaders have gathered at Copenhagen city of Denmark in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-15) to decide a fair and legally applicable Plan of Action for the future. To sensitize heads state and governments about sufferings of Bangladesh, and to create grassroots level public opinion and ethical pressure to the government of Bangladesh, number of Climate Poverty Hearing organized under the umbrella of CSRL.
Like other regions, Coastal Campaign Group has tried to raise awareness and voice of grassroots people through 13 local and one regional level hearing in the region. More than 20 thousand people directly participated in the hearings.
The Recommendations from Regional Climate Poverty Hearing is attached in this Booklet as Climate Change Declaration from Coastal People of Bangladesh. Summery of Quotes from local level hearing attached after the regional hearing. Name of the testimony givers are not mentioned here to respect other testimony givers.
I want to pay my thanks to the member Organisations and chiefs for organizing local hearings and support in regional hearing and staffs of humanitywatch for documenting including report, photo and video. Special thanks go to Oxfam officials for playing vital role of technical and financial support and secretarial work as well. Thank you all for your support and best wishes.
Regional Climate Poverty Hearing of Coastal Zone
After completion of 13 Local level Climate Poverty Hearings, Regional Hearing has organized on 14 November 2009 with compilation of recommendations and testimonies. A comprehensive recommendation on the adverse impact of Climate Change has declared in the regional hearing. The hearing panel members heard Farmer, Fishermen, Forest People, Indigenous People and Women Representatives from all corners of Coastal Zone represented the millions of Climate Victims and declared a set of 18-point demands in their declaration. More than 4,500 people including Climate Victims, Civil Society Representatives, Development Organisations, Mass media and Public Representatives participated in the Regional Hearing.
Khulna City Mayor Talukdar Abdul Khaleque was present in the Hearing as Chief Guest while Lawmaker Nazrul Islam Manju and Oxfam Campign Coordinator Khalid Hossain attended as special guest. The Hearing was chaired by the Panel Chief Professor Anowarul Kadir, Environmental Economist. Other Panel Members were Advocate Feroz Ahmed, Politician and Environmentalist; Dr. Monirul Islam, Director, Student Affaires, Khulna University; AK Hiru, President, Khulna Press Club and Women Activist Advocate Syeda Sabiha.
Declaration on Climate Change from the Coastal People of Bangladesh
14 November 2009, Saturday
Shaheed Hadis Park, Khulna, Bangladesh
We, the climate suffered people, and public representatives of coastal zone of Bangladesh are concerned that, frequent depression in the sea, storm, cyclone and tidal surges including recent Sidr and Aila devastated the lives and livelihoods of coastal people especially the fisher folks and forest dependent people. They have lost their traditional livelihoods for depletion of the largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans. Severe scarcity of fresh drinking water has become a daily difficulty for people due to increasing saline intrusion. Sea level rising caused the expansion water logged areas, collapsing embankments and flooding of cultivable lands turning the area into barren land. Thousands of people has become Climate Refugee and forced to migrate in nearby cities and in the neighbouring countries illegally. Seasonal change and irregular precipitation hampered the agricultural production seriously, causing intense food crisis and destroying any progress in the essential sectors such as education and health. Unplanned infrastructure, unethical shrimp farming, unwise development initiatives of the state under suggestion and assistance of International Financial Institutions (IFIs), donor countries, and lack of embankment management contributed to increased risk to live and livelihood of the people. Profit driven production and industrialization, food habit and overall excessive uses of fossil fuel by the developed countries are the major causes of GHG emission in the atmosphere, which is beyond the capacity of the earth. Excessive emission is the major cause of climate change and the developed countries have significant liabilities and responsibilities for adverse affects of it. The developed countries should bare these responsibilities both legally and ethically. The people of Bangladesh, especially the coastal people have been leading a zero-carbon or carbon negative life, rather than emission of excessive greenhouse gasses. So, We accuse the developed countries for these sufferings, and strongly urge the authorities, nationally and internationally, to implement the following recommendations:
1. Necessary measures of the Annex-I countries to reduce excessive emission to a tolerable rate;
2. Immediate actions for compensating the affected coastal people of Bangladesh for their livelihoods. It must be classified as Compensation, not loan or grant;
3. Allowing the Climate Refugees as legal migrants to developed countries as their localities are destroyed by adverse climate events;
4. Prohibiting involvement of IFIs such as WB, IMF and ADB in the Climate Change related funds;
5. Transferring environment-friendly sustainable technologies to Bangladesh free of cost. On the other hand, Aggression of Transnational Companies (TNCs) in the name of sustainable technology might be protested; and
6. Commitment of reducing carbon emission and compensation might not be progressive, but mandatory and legally applicable.
7. Immediate reconstruction of the collapsed embankments of coastal districts so that the cyclone Aila affected people can go back to their home;
8. Continuing food, drinking water and medical support and enhancing supports in agriculture and other sectors of livelihoods to the cyclone Aila affected people to recover their normal lives and livelihoods;
9. To Increase the height of the embankments to protect intrusion of raised high tide in the cultivable lands. Developing strictly implementing of Embankment Management Policy;
10. Establishment of an autonomous body to collect, manage and implement Climate Change Adaptation Fund with active participation of civil society, non-government Organisations and community representatives;
11. Regulating Shrimp farming as well as a extra tax must be imposed on shrimp farming to recover from environmental degradation;
12. Exemplary penalty must be imposed on any damage of the embankment, through amendment of the Embankment Protection Act 1952;
13. Redesigning and reactivating the recently closed Coastal Development Board;
14. Evaluating the development initiatives and construction of high infrastructures under suggestion and assistance of IFIs or Multinational Companies (MNCs) before implementation;
15. Establishment of forest and indigenous peoples traditional rights on collection and management of Sundarbans mangrove forests natural resources along with prohibiting trade base collection;
16. Allocation of special supports to the fishermen for risk reduction and rehabilitation;
17. Production and distribution of saline and natural calamity tolerant seeds for sustainable agriculture in coastal region inter alia protesting the Corporate Seed Companies aggression; and
18. Providing special support in essential services like education and health to the marginal farmer, day labour and industrial labour.
We are sure that the government of the poor countries like Bangladesh is unable to allocate enough financial supports to meet the recommendations. So, we call to the common people, civil society and the Government of Bangladesh to raise their voices to demand the needed compensation from developed countries and for a legally binding agreement. We urge the government to unite with other most vulnerable countries to ensure climate justice in upcoming COP15 at Copenhagen, Denmark.
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