Climate change

"The poorest people, who are not responsible for carbon emissions into the atmosphere, will be the worst hit by the devastations of climate change - but the climate change discourse has so far not been people-centred."

"To come to Bangladesh is to see that climate change is most severely affecting the people who have contributed least to causing the problem" said Mary Robinson during a keynote speech Wednesday, at a roundtable meeting on 'Climate Change: Rights and Justice' hosted by BRAC University in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

Every leader knows that we face uncertain times, driven by unprecedented change. Whether it’s continued volatility in global capital markets, political upheavals in the Middle East or technology-driven transformations that reshape and reverberate across industries, uncertainty is the “new normal.”

. The use of fossil fuels to meet the world's energy needs is a contributor to an increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs)—mainly carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane—in the Earth's atmosphere. There is a widespread view that this increase is leading to climate change, with adverse effects on the environment.

Bangladesh is a central point of reference for the injustice of climate change.

Rising sea levels threaten inundation and saline intrusion in the southern coastal region

With 40% of coastal land already affected by salinity

Climate change: building smallholder resilience

Smallholder farmers are the backbone of the rural economy – but they are bearing the brunt of climate change. Worldwide, there are 500 million smallholder farms supporting some 2 billion people.

These farmers inhabit some of the most at-risk landscapes, including hillsides, deserts and floodplains. Climate change multiplies the threats facing smallholders, endangering the natural assets they depend on and accelerating environmental degradation.

The recent initiatives to strengthen links between the climate change and development communities are also described. These are of particular importance as climate change impacts will significantly affect national development.

The world’s climate is changing and will continue to change into the coming century at rates projected to be unprecedented in recent human history. The risks associated with these changes are real but highly uncertain.

The problem of rapid climate change is inextricably entwined with the challenges of development. Although high-income countries first created the problem through the unbridled emission of heat-trapping gases, poor people in the developing world are feeling the impacts first and worst. Moreover, some developing countries are now major emitters, and the developing world accounts for more than half of all current greenhouse gases. To be effective, responses to climate change must address developing countries’ needs, including their right to development.