SciDev.net: The opposition street protests that have been damaging Bangladesh’s key textile sector and threatening the forthcoming O and A-level examinations have claimed another scalp: the field trips which were to precede the annual International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA7). In order to ensure the safety of participants the visits to projects on 19-21 April,

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IIED: The poorest communities (and poorest countries) are leading the world in learning about and practising adaptation to climate change. The rich would do well to learn from them. The flood plain of the Ganges river in southern Bangladesh is only around two metres higher than sea level. Rising floodwaters can wipe out crops and

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The Hindu: Chinese reticence about projects on its stretch of the Brahmaputra do not assuage Indian fears about diversion of the river’s waters. By raising the Brahmaputra dams construction issue during his first meeting with the new Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was following a two-pronged strategy. On the one hand, Dr.

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USAID: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg and Bangladesh’s Minister of Environment and Forests Dr. Hasan Mahmud jointly announced the launch of the new USAID Climate-Resilient Ecosystems and Livelihoods (CREL) program.  U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, Dan Mozena and USAID Bangladesh Mission Director, Richard Greene also attended the launch. Since 1998, USAID has worked with the

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IIED: New systems for tracking the social impacts of efforts to adapt to climate change could soon be in place in Africa and South Asia. Working with policy and research partners in these regions, the International Institute for Environment and Development (with partners Adaptify and Garama 3C Ltd) has designed a framework and tools that

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Scidev.net: Policies should be designed to support internal movements as a form of adaptation to climate change, write Dominic Kniveton and Max Martin. What do farmers in the tropics do when their land remains parched for years, or the delta islands on which they live are flooded more frequently because of a changing climate? If you think, like many

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ClimateAdaptAsia: Determinants and Effectiveness of Local-Level Adaptation to Climate Change: Case Studies of Two Bangladesh ministries, including the ministries of agriculture, environment and forest, water, health, rural development, food and disaster management, children and women affairs, relevant departments and NGOs have been implementing a number of local level adaptation (LLA) projects with their limited resources

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Scidev.net: Reducing risks and losses from natural disasters calls for collaboration between social and natural scientists, who in turn must work with policy makers, communities and development groups, an international expert has said. For example, Bangladesh scientists had forecast the current devastating floods but local communities did not heed their warnings. In the 2010 Pakistan

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Alertnet: Bangladesh is about to release five new drought- and salt-tolerant rice varieties to help farmers cope with rising salinity and more frequent droughts – but some scientists and researchers say the yields are little better than those of current types and will not be sufficient to meet rising demand in the face of climate

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Guardian: Economic impact of global warming is costing the world more than $1.2 trillion a year, wiping 1.6% annually from global GDP Climate change is already contributing to the deaths of nearly 400,000 people a year and costing the world more than $1.2 trillion, wiping 1.6% annually from global GDP, according to a new study.

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The Daily Star: The climate talks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bangkok ended on September 5 in preparation for the eighteenth conference of parties (COP18) which will be held in Doha, Qatar in December 2012. Although not much moved forward in the Bangkok talks, one new topic that gained

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Scidevnet: Climate change may have a profound effect on the world’s ability to produce wheat — one of its staple crops — and adaptation efforts must take into account both the positive and negative effects of climate shifts, say wheat experts. Production in some regions, such as India and Mexico, is predicted to be negatively

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Think Progress: Understanding The Historical Conflicts Behind Violence In Assam, And How Climate Change Could Make It Worse.Recent violence between the Bodo tribe and immigrant minorities in the northeastern Indian state of Assam has cost the lives of at least 96 people and caused more than 300,000 residents to flee their homes for refugee camps.

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India Water Portal: This article provides a brief background of the situation of floods in Assam, their impact and possible solutions, through a video interview with Dr. Partha J Das, Programme Head, ‘Water, Climate & Hazard (WATCH)’ Programme, Aaranyak. Background The north-eastern region of the country receives a large share of the summer south-west monsoon’s

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Alertnet: Bangladesh is planning to introduce crop insurance based on a weather index to reduce farmers’ economic vulnerability to shifting climate patterns and extreme weather events. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping the South Asian country develop the new insurance scheme. The bank considers climate change and weather variability as a big challenge for

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New Age: There has been very little discussion on the potential negative social and environmental consequences of promoting a green economy. Furthermore, nothing is being said about the need to reduce demand and over-consumption by wealthy nations. The sceptics are therefore defining ‘green economy’ as repacking of consumption-oriented neo-liberal economics, Mohammed Abdul Baten and Humayun

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Alertnet: Malnutrition is worsening in developing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and India because of the impacts of climate change – particularly on water resources, a key input for producing food for more than a billion people in the region. Climate change and rising temperatures have now badly disturbed food production patterns and have deepened

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New Internationalist: At the frontline of climate change, the people of Bangladesh are using every ounce of their creativity to adapt. Hazel Healy assesses whether it will be enough. It is hard to believe the village was built from scratch. It looks as if it has always been here. Tidy kitchen gardens sit next to thatched

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UNECE: The Third workshop on water and climate change in transboundary basins: Making adaptation work will bring together more than 140 participants from all over the world on 25 and 26 April 2012 in Geneva to discuss how to prevent conflict in transboundary basins over dwindling water resources by cooperating at the transboundary level in

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The Daily Star: South Asian nations should converge on stronger climate change negotiations in the global levels to protect hundreds of millions of people being affected in this region, suggested experts. They also recommended that South Asian countries actively collaborate among themselves in sharing knowledge and technologies to increase food productivity, energy efficiency and reduce

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Thursday announced a new global initiative to reduce short-lived climate pollutants. Working together as the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States will conduct what Secretary Clinton described as “a targeted, practical, and highly energetic global campaign to spread solutions to the

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Guardian: Three years after it was decimated by cyclone Aila, Bainpara in south-west Bangladesh is being rebuilt with UK assistance. On 25 May 2009, the village of Bainpara, in the district of Khulna on Bangladesh’s south-west coast, was wiped off the map. Driven by the 120km/h winds of cyclone Aila, a 12ft wall of sea

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Earlier this month, Bangladesh’s foreign minister chided the world’s developed nations for failing to honor their pledge to help this low-lying, water-logged nation adapt to the effects of climate change. Of the $30 billion that poor countries were promised three years ago, just $2.5 billion have been disbursed. “Our achievements — social, economic, environmental —

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IOL Scitech: There are simple, inexpensive ways to cut back on two major pollutants – soot and methane – and taking action now could slow climate change for years to come, international scientists said on Thursday. When it comes to fending off global warming, the focus often is on harmful carbon emissions from burning fossil

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Guardian: Efforts by developed countries to redistribute promised funds to help poorer parts of the world avoid environmental disasters have been described as “dismal” by the foreign minister of Bangladesh. Dipu Moni said wealthier nations must begin immediately delivering the billions of pounds’ worth of aid they have earmarked for climate change projects. “Our achievements

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The New York Times: With its massive chalk-white face of ice and snow, Thorthormi glacier in northern Bhutan looms high against a bright blue sky, nearly 4,450 meters above sea level. At the glacier’s base, a wide lake of murky water completes the dramatic scene at the rooftop of the world. But the beauty of

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The Bhutan Climate Summit for A Living Himalayas was successfully convened in Thimphu on 19 Nov 2011. Presided over by the Honourable Prime Minister of Bhutan, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley; Environment Ministers from the four countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal adopted a declaration on behalf of their Governments wherein a regional ‘framework of

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Oxfam: Review of Climate Change Adaptation Practices in South Asia. Climate change is predicted to have severe consequences for South Asia, particularly in agriculture, which employs more than 60 per cent of the region’s labor force. Some of the predicted impacts of climate change include: increased variability in both monsoon and winter rainfall patterns; increases

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Washington Post: Amid regional tensions, only 4 of 7 Himalayan nations meet for climate summit on the mountains. Four Himalayan nations, faced with erratic weather and the threat of melting glaciers and catastrophic floods, are hashing out a plan for preserving the vast mountain range and helping millions living in the foothills cope with climate

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Environmental News Network: The soils and sediments at the bottom of rivers are rich in organic material. They can store carbon for thousands of years according to a study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Despite often high rates of erosion and sediment transport, the riverbed can hold organic carbon for 500 to 17,000

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Daily Star: 17th Saarc Summit ends in Maldives with 20-point Addu Declaration; South Asian leaders also agree to forge effective cooperation for full implementation of Safta, better connectivity and steps towards Saarc Market for Electricity. The 17th Saarc summit ended at Addu in the Maldives yesterday with the adoption of a 20-point Addu Declaration to

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CLIMATE 2011: Relatively little scholarly work has focused on comparative evaluation of South Asian countries’ environmental performance (EP) in addressing issues of vulnerability to climate change. It is an accepted fact that climate change induced problems in South Asia have been increasing over many years, but their effects largely have been blamed on extreme poverty

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WWF: Himalayan nations must move rapidly to commit to efforts that build resilience to the impacts of climate change and generate resources for adaptation, capacity building and technology transfer. The Himalayan glaciers are the water towers of Asia, and the source of many of the world’s great rivers: The Yangtze, the Ganges, the Indus and

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Business Bhutan: As the global summit for climate talks approaches, vulnerable countries make a point to form a united voice. A group of 32 vulnerable countries, which created the Climate Change Vulnerable Forum, including Bhutan is set to meet in Dhaka, two weeks ahead of UN climate talks (the 17th Conference of Parties) in Durban,

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Mega dams have the multipurpose applications and considered as the greener energy source than most alternatives. But as compensation to this development it may result a wide range of environmental degradation. This study aims to search the fact of environmental impacts due to the existing and proposed mega dams of the Himalayas and also to

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All Headlines News: Bangladesh as the most at risk due to extreme levels of poverty and a high dependency on agriculture, while its government has the lowest capacity of all countries to adapt to predicted changes in the climate. A new global ranking of climate change finds most Asian countries including Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Vietnam

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Telegraph: A third of humanity, mostly in Africa and South Asia, face the biggest risks from climate change while rich nations in northern Europe will be least exposed, according to a report released Wednesday. Bangladesh, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are among 30 countries with “extreme” exposure to climate shift, according to

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Kuenselonline: The summit next month will not discuss complex climate change issues. Climate change being closely linked by geography, history, culture, economy and ecology, the impact of climate change would be felt by all four countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal. To discuss concerns and fine-tune the framework of cooperation, the delegates of the

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Digital Journal:  Journalists from India, China and Bangladesh agreed to share information on climate change in Yarlung Zangbo/Brahmaputra river basin A group of journalists from India, China and Bangladesh have agreed to cooperate and share information in reporting effects of climate change on Yarlung Zangbo/Brahmaputra river basin. The decision followed a three days’ interaction among the group

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The Daily Star: Climate Change is ‘increasingly recognized as a public health priority’ according to WHO (2009) and Lancet (2011). Lancet, mentioned that climate change will have its greatest impact on those who already are the poorest in the world, and it will deepen inequities, and the effects of global warming will shape the future

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Bangladesh among 28 developing countries ranked fifth most vulnerable to climate change and hunger, said a new report. The ActionAid research report styled ‘On the Brink: Who’s Best Prepared for a Climate Change and Hunger Crisis?” reveals that Bangladesh is more vulnerable than its neighbours India, Pakistan and Nepal, who ranked 7, 14 and 16

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Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation: MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Bangladesh joined forces for an initiative in the United Nations Human Rights Council to urge the international community to address the adverse effects of climate change on human rights. Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Evan P.

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International Rivers: When the World Commission on Dams reviewed the development effectiveness of dams, multipurpose projects with large dams, power plants and irrigation schemes had the worst social, environmental and economic track record. As the world is grappling for appropriate answers to climate change, influential actors such as the World Bank want to give these

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Multi-American: Will climate change contribute to migration in the future as people are displaced? Many experts believe so, and the Migration Policy Institute is the latest to produce a report detailing how. According to the report, climate change stands to displace people in a number of countries as weather changes affect basic necessities like the

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Telegraph India: Project to promote better understanding of management of natural resources. Scientists from India and Bangladesh have joined hands for an integrated understanding of the Brahmaputra and how river systems affect lives of people under an International Union for Conservation of Nature project. The project, Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative, is a civil

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ACT: Dr. Urs Herren, Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh, celebrated the National Day of Switzerland by addressing the government and citizens of Bangladesh in a published letter that highlights Swiss dedication to assisting with adaptation to climate change. The letter acknowledged that Switzerland and Bangladesh share the challenge of mitigating, and adapting to, climate change:

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Alertnet: Bangladesh is getting involved in carbon credit trading with the certification of a recycling plant that converts organic waste into compost. “We collect some 100 tonnes of vegetable waste from two city markets daily and recycle it in our plant in the city’s suburbs through composting. If that waste had been dumped in the

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SciDevNet: Houses that rise on floats could provide safer homes in areas prone to floods and tsunamis, according to a Bangladesh-born US architect. Two such ‘amphibious’ house designs are being tested in Bangladesh, where proximity to the Ganges delta means that flooding is a frequent problem. When flash floods last occurred, in 2010, more than

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The Financial Express: There is no way to look at agricultural research as having secondary importance, the first one being production and related activities. This is for the crucial reason of higher productivity to meet the even bigger demands for agro-products from accelerated consumption by the growing population of the country. But research in agriculture

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The Financial Express: Civil Society Organiza-tions (CSOs) Sunday suggested for ensuring transparency and social audit in implementing the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategic Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009. The CSO representatives recommended five action plans in this regard which includes need of high level political coordination, incorporation in the sixth five year plan, institutional reforms of different

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TheJournalist: WHEN THE four countries, Nepal, India, Bangladesh and including Bhutan, came together for the “Experts’ Group Meeting on Biodiversity” each country presented its own regional issues on the impacts of climate change. The agriculture and forests’ minister, Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho said that a sound biodiversity was crucial for all aspects of human existence. However,

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IBTimes: A senior United Nations official warned that climate change could become a catalyst for “sudden and abrupt” shocks worldwide and have “far-reaching implications for global stability and security.” Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environmental Program, told the U.N. Security Council Wednesday that natural resources are at risk. “There can be little doubt

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Alertnet: At the intersection of two of the world’s most vulnerable groups – children and women – adolescent girls may end up bearing the biggest burden of climate change impacts, according to a new report. In times of economic hardship – often caused by droughts, floods or other natural disasters – girls regularly suffer from a

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Plan International’s new report, Weathering the Storm: Adolescent Girls and Climate Change, calls for better integration of the needs of adolescent girls in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes. The findings presented in the report are based on interviews with girls involved in Plan International’s programmes in Ethiopia and Bangladesh. We

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The Ganges BDC R4D program was launched in Bangladesh on 1 June 2011. The event sponsored by the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC) was held in their conference center and chaired by the BARC Executive Director Dr. Wais Kabir.  Presentations on the CPWF and the Ganges BDC were given by Boru Douthwaite of the CPWF

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Gulftimes: Bangladesh has sought more British assistance in facing the impact of climate change in the South Asian country, one of the most vulnerable nations to global warming. President Zillur Rahman sought co-operation when outgoing British High Commissioner Stephen Evans paid a farewell call on him at the President’s Secretariat in Dhaka yesterday. Evans noted

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NewsToday: Agriculture is always vulnerable to unfavorable weather events and climatic conditions. Despite technological advances such as improved crop varieties and irrigation systems, weather and climate are still key factors in agricultural productivity. Often the linkages between these key factors and production losses are obvious, but sometimes the linkages are less direct. The impacts of

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HuffPostGreen: Over the next few decades, tens of millions of people will be driven from their homes. Braving violence and poverty, they’ll roam desperately across continents and borders in search of work and shelter. Unlike other refugees, though, their plight won’t be blamed simply on the familiar horrors of war or persecution; they’ll blame the

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Bhutan Govt.: It is a common knowledge that climate change is happening in the Himalayas with the rapid melting of glaciers, erratic and unpredictable weather, changing rainfall patterns and increasing temperatures. In order to build resilience to the impacts of climate change, the need was felt not only to address it at the national level

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UNDP: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have recently introduced energy efficient, smokeless brick-making technology to curb greenhouse gas emissions in Bangladesh. The new device, known as the Hybrid Hoffman Kiln, was originally developed in Germany to replace the older, highly pollutant brick-making technology. It was later modified in

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