Pressure developed countries to implement Kyoto Protocol

Sustainable infrastructure development planning must be initiated to minimise the losses caused by natural calamities in coastal areas, said the speakers at a seminar yesterday.
They also called for creating pressure on the developed countries to implement the Kyoto Protocol to help save low-lying countries including Bangladesh from natural disasters.
The seminar titled 'United Nations Climate Change Conference-Bali: Risk and Compensation of Climate Change' was organised jointly by Coast Trust and Equity and Justice Working Group, an alliance of over 25 NGOs of coastal areas, at the National Press Club in the city.
The alliance organised the seminar prior to the Bali Conference scheduled to be held in Indonesia on December 3-14 to create pressure on the UN body to implement Kyoto Protocol, an agreement on environment and sustainable development.
In a keynote paper titled 'Climate change, disaster and coast of Bangladesh' at the seminar, Equity and Justice Working Group Secretary Samsuddoha highlighted the risks for coastal areas covering 32 percent of the total land area of the country.
Around 54 percent of total families living in coastal areas are landless and people of these areas are less privileged than the people of main land regarding living standard, education, healthcare and social security, he said.
"The incidents of hydrometeorological disasters like draught, flood and cyclone have been multiplied than that of geographical ones like earthquake and tsunami due to climate change," he said, adding, "Disasters in Bangladesh round the year stand as best example."
Samsuddoha called for increasing budget allocation in rehabilitation sector for sustainable infrastructure development in coastal areas to minimise the losses caused by natural calamities in future.
He also underscored the need for extensive plantation of trees including Palm and Coconut, which will protect land from devastation during natural disasters in coastal areas.
Bangladesh Arthaniti Samity President Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed urged the international donor agencies to give donation instead of loan for the rehabilitation of Sidr-affected people.
Linking Sidr to impact of climate change Dr Kholiquzzaman, also a member of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said, "Long-term action plan is needed for disaster management in coastal areas."
He also laid emphasis on creating pressure at Bali Conference on those developed countries which are yet to ratify Kyoto Protocol and implement it completely.
Coast Trust Executive Director Rezaul Karim Chowdhury demanded compensation for the affected countries from the countries responsible for climate change.
He called for launching 'compliance mechanism' in the upcoming Bali Conference to help implement Kyoto Protocol.
Disaster Forum Convener Naim Gawhar Wara, Awami League Forest and Environment Affairs Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud and former lawmaker Shamsuzzaman Dudu also spoke on the occasion.