Invest Now; Rescue the Drowning People

We may define Climate Change as a long-term change in the distribution of weather patterns over a periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. But for the country like Bangladesh it is a phenomenon that is making her the most vulnerable one in the world, due to the consequences of climate change. According to the new Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) Bangladesh holds the top most position in the extreme risk list countries due to high levels of poverty and a high dependency on agriculture. Moreover, the government has low capacity to help people to get adapted to the changes within climate. We all know that, the excessive emission of green house gases is one of the major causes to trigger the problems like global warming and climate change, which are mostly emitted by the people of developed countries.

According to the scientists leading the international Climate Congress in Copenhagen back 2009, the world now is likely to face temperature rises of up to 5-6 degree Celsius this century. Researchers also warned that sea levels are now rising 50% faster than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its 2007 report. The sea level will rise by 18 to 38 cm within the year 2100.  

For Bangladesh suffering will be massive in the form of increase in the force and frequency of tornado, tropical cyclone, flash flood, landslides etc. Additionally rise of the sea level in the coastal area will increase the salt concentration in land as well as in water, and the seasonal variation will initiate even like drought due to change. All of these effects of climate change will decrease the quantity of agricultural food production, amplify the number of displaced people, lessen the options in the daily livelihood, increase the vulnerability among women and children and will cause the ultimate destruction of overall development initiatives of the country. It was also been observed from a research that due to climate change induced coastal disaster and river bank erosion around fifty thousand to two lakhs people will face livelihood crisis and around sixty thousand people can be displaced in Bangladesh each year. These facts are barely noticed by the leaders of the developed countries.

Bangladesh is an agricultural country contributing 18.6 percent to the national GDP and providing employment for 50% of the total workforce. Due to climate change induced problems this sector will be confronted to irreversible damages. In this situation, the attitude of the developed countries is making the situation even worst and hard for our farmer to survive. The government of the develop countries offer incentives to their agriculture sector to improve production as well as the status of farmers. On the other hand they demoralize, sometimes force us not to provide any incentives to our agricultural sector. Those left our farmers vulnerable and agricultural sector a loss project.  In most of the cases bilateral and multilateral agencies place conditions in such ways that actually tie up our mode of choices of investment. These practices are not only harming our production but also making us economically susceptible. Under these circumstances, problems like natural disasters, salt water intrusion will hamper our national food security and people will be migrated towards the cities. Not only this, climate change also initiates growth of different infectious microorganisms that will leave the population vulnerable as well. It is also said that due to climate change and global warming the biodiversity will reduce by 30% round the world. This also will cause change in the livelihood pattern of the population.

Now we all know that, if the sea level rises a significant amount of land will go under water. We the people are drowning here and the leaders of the world are rather concentrating issues like The Internet: new challenges, G8 political and security Issues at the G8 summit. The profit of the poorest countries always gets lost under the big files of economic benefits. This year we come to know that one of the agendas of the G8 summit will be the peace and security components, but is it possible to ensure the peace components leaving one part of the mother earth under water?  We think it is time to break the silence and raise our voice to have our right. In the international negotiation tables promises are always made but not kept very often.  The negotiations should be more focused on the displaced people’s issue, which is to ensure place for us at their countries. More and more investment should be provided by the international community in the field of agriculture and food security. They should provide us the free access to their market without any condition.

Farmers of our country have limited land and if the sea level rises or salt water intrusion keep continuing the number of landless farmers will increase. This will not only create unemployment problem but also will\strike at our national food security.

In these backdrop, we some of the young people gathers under the name of Facebook Group ‘Agriculture’ and Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) are organizing a online petition campaign titled ‘Invest Now; Rescue the drowning people `

You are cordially requested to sign this petition, and we do believe that with your support we can make the Leaders to do some effective & realistic approaches & activities to climate change.

In this campaign we are raising following calls:

1. G8 LEADERS, you are not only the living beings on earth; so do not make the earth unfit to live in

2. কৃষি বাঁচাও, দেশ বাঁচাও!

3. Do not take futile ‘eye wash’ solutions, rather obtain realistic approaches to climate change

4. How many people you need to be drowned, Before you truly proceed on?

5. How many green you need to be burned, Before you make your turn?

6. খুব ছোট্ট প্রশ্ন আমার, কিন্তু খুবই কড়া! তোমার পাপে কেন শুধু আমার ডুবে মরা? Why do we have to pay for your SIN?

7. Reduce tariff and non-tariff barrier to export agricultural products, from least developed countries

8. Reduce tariff and non-tariff barrier to export agricultural products, from ENVIRONMENTALlY VULNERABLE countries

9. কৃষি ক্ষেএে অভিযোজন তহবিলের সিংহভাগ বরাদ্দ নিশ্চিত করুন

10. কা‍‍‌‌‍‍ব‍‌ন বাণি‍জ্যের নামে শাক দিয়ে মাছ ঢাকা চলবে না

11. Invest Now; Rescue the drowning people

12. How many times you need us to cry, Before you really making try?

13. START ACTING on the Climate Change issue immediately.

14. How many glaciers you need to be melt, before you clip up your belt?

15. How many rivers you need with salt, Before you ashamed for your fault?

16. Ensure public and private investment in Agriculture

17. কৃষিতে ভ‍‍তুকি হ্রাসের বৈদেশিক ষড়যন্ত্র বণ্ধ‍‌‍‍ কর

18. Stop influencing our authority from providing subsidies in Agriculture

19. Carbon trading cannot be the solution OF excessive green house gas emission

20. Your misdeeds has made the people homeless, now who will find the address for them? You are to provide them with shelter

21. Climate change consequences are striking our food security…who will offer us grains?

22. People who make our appetite full are themselves now starving, so give the farmers back their right

23. Let not expose the women and children in verge of extinction…let them breathe in green world    

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Facebook group ‘Agriculture’ is a group of young people of the whole world who has especial interest on agricultural issues. Through the group they share their knowledge, experiences, views and indigenous practices of their own countries. We are now over 3000 people who think alike are together in this group working to regain the golden era of agriculture round the world.

Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) is Oxfam's alliance in Bangladesh that involves more than 250 non-government organizations active on agriculture, climate change and trade policies and practices.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------