As a result, crops, fisheries, forests and livestock will be at high risk in the country.

This was stated by Prof Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, lead author of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s Working Group-2, at a press briefing organised by Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) and Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city yesterday.

"Though Bangladesh is committed to conserve the World Heritage Sites in the Sundarbans, those are at great risk due to climate change," he said referring that two of the total 104 islands of Sundarbans in the Indian side have been lost due to rise of sea level.

Prof Kholiquzzaman said due to climate change, around two crore people in flooded areas will lose employment and their socio-economic security and millions will be forced to become refugees and face various diseases like malaria, diarrhoea and skin diseases.

On the other hand, the climate change caused by global warming, will deepen drought in north-western region leaving agriculture and farmers at great risk, he added.

Citing researches, Prof Kholiquzzaman, also president of BEA, said a huge number of hardcore people will turn into beggars, the poor into ultra-poor and the lower income groups into poor.

"The consequences of ice-melting in the Himalayas caused by global warming will be devastating for Bangladesh," he said, adding, with more floods, there will be more people migrating to cities creating immense pressure on urban areas and compelling them to live an inhumane life in the slums.

In the wake of such research-based apprehensions, Prof Kholiquzzaman said Bangladesh as well as other developing countries should be united against the industrialised nations, which are mainly responsible for global warming, but are passing the burden on the developing ones.

According to a report of IPCC, on an average global temperature will increase from 1.8 degree Celsius to 4 degree Celsius, while sea level will increase by 18 to 59 centimetres by next century.

Another IPCC report, published early this year, said 120 crore people of Asia and 25 crore people of Africa will suffer from scarcity of water in the case of increasing temperature by 1 degree Celsius.

"And if the temperature increases by 2 degree Celsius, productivity of rice in China will come down by 12 percent, 20 lakh people will face coastal flooding in Asia and 160 core more people in Africa will suffer from scarcity of water," it added.

Increasing capacity of adoptability and controlling the global warming process are now very urgent, the report suggested.

BEA General Secretary Prof Abul Barakat and Prof Zahurul Karim, chairman of Centre for Agri Research and Sustainable Environment & Entrepreneurship Development, also spoke.