Strong local govt, social capital vital for climate change adaptation

Speakers at a workshop yesterday said fully equipped local government is imperative along with social capital for climate change adaptation.
Organised unity in society is termed as social power, which, in other words, is social capital.
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) organised the workshop on a study titled 'Gender, Social Capital, Local Government and Climate Change Adaptation in Bangladesh' at a city hotel.
Speaking as the chief guest, State Minister for Environment and Forest Hasan Mahmud said women are more vulnerable to natural disasters, which are more frequent now due to climate change.
It is the local government that can address the needs of the people during a disaster promptly. So, the local government should be strengthened, he added.
Hasan said, “Though it is found that people use their indigenous knowledge during natural disasters, we must have to incorporate science and technological innovations in their indigenous knowledge.”
Increasing awareness regarding climate change variables is also important. Besides the government, the community has collective responsibility, he noted.
“The well-off people in disaster-prone localities can build themselves an infrastructure which could be used as a cyclone shelter. Even the mosques and temples built by the community people can be designed in such a way so that these can be used during natural disasters.”
Hasan further said that the people of Bangladesh have created an example of climate change adaptation in front of the global community in Denmark.
“In the Copenhagen conference, we could place the vulnerability of the people of Bangladesh to the global community. The fate of the climate vulnerable people now depends on our next steps regarding climate change,” he said.
“It is yet to be made clear to us how the amount that Bangladesh will receive from the climate fund will be used,” said Nilufar Ahmed, representative from the World Bank.
Women and children affairs ministry also has the responsibility to monitor whether the climate-related investments are reaching the women who are more vulnerable than men, she added.
The methodology of the study was shared elaborately at the workshop presided over by Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman.
Dr M Asaduzzaman, Dr Iqbal Alam Khan and Dr Zulfiqar Ali of BIDS showed the climate change impacts in Bangladesh, conceptual and methodological scooping and context of the study.
Representatives from ministry of LGRD, educationists and researchers of different organisations were also present.