Loss and damage and the recent floods of Bangladesh
In May 2024, the first meeting of the Board of the Fund Responding to Loss and Damage was held where it was stated that “The establishment of the fund . . . marked a fundamental step in showcasing the joint commitment by all Parties to address the enormous challenge of responding to loss and damage,” said Daniele Violetti, Senior Director of Programmes Coordination at UN Climate Change.
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 President and UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change, addressed the nominated members of the Board and said,
“We must make this fund robust; we must make this fund efficient, and we must scale up this fund in order for it to deliver against its mandate,” he said. “And as you finalize the funding arrangements, structure, and governance, let us always remind ourselves what the mandate was for establishing this fund. It should help real people in vulnerable communities to recover from climate impacts. It should build back those communities better, stronger and with more resilience. And it should improve lives and livelihoods for the long term.”
Bangladesh, being a developing country particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, faces significant challenges in coping with the aftermath of such extreme weather events.
The country's vulnerability is exacerbated by factors like poverty, limited resources, and high population density, making it more difficult to recover from the loss and damage caused by the floods.
In the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report highlights the likelihood of exceeding adaptation limits. These limits can be “soft,” where adaptation options exist but communities do not have the financial resources needed or “hard,” where intolerable risks cannot be avoided.
In July 2024, the Board of the Loss and Damage Fund met for a second meeting in Songdo, Republic of Korea, where they discussed on the establishing funding windows that would address rapid response for quick release of funds post-disaster; slow onset events requiring long-term planning and transformative programming; and small grants, to support communities, Indigenous Peoples and vulnerable groups.
Simultaneously, the Santiago Network, launched at COP25, enhances technical support to developing countries, coordinating expertise and resources through the UNDRR and UNOPS. With new technical guidelines underway, the Santiago Network is poised to help unlock crucial finance, complementing the Fund’s efforts and empowering nations to effectively manage and mitigate loss and damage.
Together, these initiatives underscore a global commitment to not only understanding and addressing the multifaceted challenges of climate change but also equipping vulnerable communities with the tools and resources they need to build resilience and adapt to an increasingly uncertain future.
It is important to relate these discussion and commitments to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Its low-lying coastal landscape and heavily populated delta makes it highly susceptible to catastrophes, including floods, cyclones, and earthquakes, most of which are caused by human actions. In these disasters, it is the marginalised communities, both in urban and rural areas, who pay the highest toll.
In the coastal regions for instance, generation after generation, people have been living their lives within a vicious cycle of losing and rehabilitating and losing everything all over again. This loss surpasses economic damage and includes non-economic aspects, which, in most cases, are irreversible.
The climate change crisis is not gender neutral. Its impacts affect lives and livelihoods, disproportionately of women and girls, magnifying gender inequality globally. Women’s unequal participation in decision-making processes and the labour force prevents women from fully contributing to climate action. Young people are also hugely affected. We are therefore seeing young people to be at the forefront of social movements, seeking effective climate change actions and solutions towards achieving sustainable development. A strong reflection of it can be found in Bangladesh, where loss and damage has been a lived concept for years now.
In the context of recent floods in Bangladesh, the situation of loss and damage can be understood as follows:
Immediate Impact of Floods in Bangladesh:
The floods exacerbated by climate change, have led to devastating consequences such as loss of lives, destruction of property, and disruption of livelihoods.
The flooding has caused economic losses, including damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and homes, impacting the overall well-being of the affected population.
The recent floods in 11 eastern districts of Bangladesh have caused widespread devastation, with the death toll rising to 82. Health services are overwhelmed, as many Sadar hospitals, Upazila Health Complexes, and Community Clinics are either submerged or unable to handle the surge of patients suffering from waterborne diseases and flood-related injuries. Agriculture has been severely hit, with nearly 297,000 hectares of cropland flooded, and the fisheries and livestock industries reporting combined losses of over USD 155 million.
The WASH sector is facing a significant crisis, with more than 162,000 water points and nearly 300,000 latrines damaged, leaving entire communities without access to clean water and sanitation. In some areas, 100% of WASH facilities are submerged.
Additionally, over 7,000 schools remain closed, impacting the education of 1.5 million children, many of whom are displaced as schools are repurposed as shelters for flood-affected families. The scale of the damage underscores the urgent need for comprehensive relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Non-Economic Losses in Bangladesh:
Beyond economic impacts, the floods in the 11 districts of Bangladesh have resulted in non-economic losses such as displacement, and disruption of communities.
These non-economic losses can have long-lasting effects on the social fabric of communities, leading to challenges in preserving cultural values and livelihoods.
In the local context, the government needs to ramp up adaptation and resilience-building measures to counteract the negative effects of climate change. This would include making substantial investment in research and adaptation of fresh methods to lower the risk for disaster-prone areas.
Scaling up the existing flood management system by building shelters and embankments, strengthening the early warning system and its timely dissemination within the community during a disaster remains critical.
Promoting adaptive agricultural practices, such as climate-resilient sustainable agriculture and women-led climate-resilient livelihood, to assist farmers in adjusting to shifting climatic circumstances and minimising crop yield remains important as a measure to address the negative impacts of climate change.
The significance of improving coordination among the different ministries of the GoB to better implement disaster risk reduction strategy cannot be overstated!
The role of the private sector is central when we look at infrastructure projects. Therefore, increasing investment in building climate-resilient infrastructure, such as raised roads, bridges and service facilities calls for the required funds as well as partnering with private sector organisations to improve surrounding infrastructure and reinforce just transition.
Government needs to reinforce community resilience as well. It should amplify reach by leveraging the partnerships with the civil society organisations (CSOs), especially those who have been working in different disaster-prone or hotspots and communities for years. Such partnerships lie in the core of the development of best practices, building community resilience and women leadership. For example, post the flash flood of June 2022 in Bishwamvarpur, Sunamganj which is in northeastern Bangladesh, and when over 7.2 million people were affected in northeastern Bangladesh, local women leaders and young people played an active role in the response interventions of ActionAid Bangladesh and its local implementation partner.
In the global context, Bangladesh needs to continue highlighting the importance of actualising the loss and damage fund for the vulnerable countries like ours with immediate effect.
Need for International Support:
Given the scale of loss and damage experienced in Bangladesh due to the floods, there is a pressing need for international support and cooperation to address the impacts of climate change on vulnerable countries like Bangladesh.
International mechanisms for compensation and rehabilitation, as proposed in the document, could play a crucial role in assisting countries like Bangladesh in dealing with the aftermath of such disasters.
Importance of Comprehensive Framework:
A comprehensive framework is essential for addressing loss and damage in countries like Bangladesh, where the impacts of climate change are already being acutely felt.
Such a framework should focus on prevention, risk reduction, compensation, rehabilitation, and coordination at regional and global levels to effectively address the challenges posed by loss and damage in the context of extreme weather events like floods in Bangladesh.
In conclusion, the situation of loss and damage in the context of the recent floods in Bangladesh underscores the critical need for immediate action, international cooperation, and the establishment of effective mechanisms to address the adverse effects of climate change on vulnerable countries. We are walking on a very thin line when it comes to the global climate crisis and whether we have a sustainable and safe future or not depends on our choice of actions. Time has come for the global leaders to do their part now with serious commitments instead of just rhetoric!
Author:
Farah Kabir,
Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh