This blog post is authored by Ashik Iqbal
Photo by Ashik Iqbal
As a young researcher in the field of hydroclimatic disaster management, I have visited many remote and disaster-affected and worse-impacted communities. I have always been sad experiencing their incapability and lack of resources of government to tackle the situation. Last year, I had the opportunity to join the UN Climate Conference COP28, where I had some incredible experiences that are keeping my hope alive .
COP process and Loss & Damage fund
In the era of the climate crisis, the Conference of the Parties (COP) plays a major role in finding solutions. COP is the process that brings all parties together to solve the crisis. In COP, all the countries, along with the NGO, civil society, observers, private sector, and youth, meet to find a solution and how to contribute from their perspectives. In terms of cashing the goal into reality, COP28 is a milestone with the commitments of the Loss and Damage fund.
Source: COP28UAE Social Media
Usually, we have two groups one is the polluters who are liable for global warming and climate change historically, and the other is the climate change-impacted and vulnerable communities. Loss and damage refer to the negative consequences, arising from the risks of climate change, like floods, cyclones, rising sea levels, river erosion, prolonged heatwaves, and crop failures. In this context, the loss and damage fund is a global financial package that refers to the compensation that the polluting countries whose industrial growth has resulted in global warming and driven the planet into a climate crisis, pay for the damage that has been done to others and to help those impacted countries to be capacitated them to fight back from these loss of climate change.
Climate Vulnerability in Bangladesh
Among the climate-vulnerable countries, Bangladesh faces significant vulnerability and risk due to its geographical location, topography, and socio-economic condition. The country is prone to climate-related challenges, including cyclones, flooding, riverbank erosion, and rising sea levels. The impacts of climate change are particularly severe in Bangladesh, because of its high population density in the vulnerable areas.
Among the disasters, river erosion is a critical issue in Bangladesh, along major rivers like the Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, and also in the small rivers recently. Riverbank erosion not only affects the physical landscape but also poses threats to human settlements, infrastructure, agriculture, and livelihoods. The combination of climate vulnerability and river erosion makes Bangladesh one of the most at-risk countries globally.
Loss & Damage by River Erosion in Bangladesh
In the heart of Bangladesh, along the Jamuna River, the people and community live a very unpredictable life. They sleep at night not knowing if the lands where they have planted crops will be in the morning or on the riverbed. Sometimes people just wait to see their land being eroded in the riverbed, and they have nothing to do. Chouhali, of SIrajganj, also experienced the same loss and damage due to riverbank erosion in Bangladesh.
Photo by Ashik Iqbal
The Jamuna River, once a lifeline for the Chouhali, has become both a provider and a relentless force of destruction in 2015. Acres of land beside the bank of the Jamuna River were eroded. Families, without any warning, found themselves on the brink of displacement.
The human toll was profound, with approximately 1200-1400 families affected. Lives were uprooted, families displaced, and a thriving community was thrust into uncertainty. Their livelihoods, specially depended on agriculture, were washed away. The Upazila Parishad, schools, colleges, and mosques vanished into the riverbed. Many had to migrate to other areas, seeking refuge in the homes of relatives or makeshift shelters on roads and public places.
Fight for Adaptation and Resilience
Photo by Ashik Iqbal
Photo by Ashik Iqbal
The story of Chouhali is not merely one of loss and damage. It is also a testament to the spirit of a community refusing to be defeated. Being in a poor community most of the families didn’t have the capacity to buy land to build houses or for agriculture. Some of them could not even migrate to city areas.
Those families, losing everything their livelihood and a place to sleep, embarked on a new journey to coming back to life. Families, courageous amid adversity, sought refuge on roads and marketplaces. The once-bustling roads now bore witness to makeshift homes and livestock shelters, tangible symbols of the struggle for resilience.
Livestock, cows and goats have become their best friends in these days of struggle and providing some income. In the summer when the water in the Jamuna Rivers dried they cultivated in their old lands. The agricultural fields that once gave them rice and wheat now harbored the promise of a different harvest – nuts in the summer. The children go fishing in the river so that this little collection may provide some food for their family.
In this story of loss & damage, adapt, and rebuild, the people of Chauhali haven’t forgotten to smile. They always try to fight the struggle to rebuild with a smile and laughter. But it’s their poverty, and lack of resources that sometimes pull them back from their coming back to life and bringing back their smile.
Loss & Damage fund commitment at COP28
The announcements of loss and damage funding at COP28 by the developed countries (Germany, United Arab Emirates, France, Italy, Slovenia, Japan, United States) responsible for the crisis, are a positive start for the climate actions. Developed nations have collectively pledged just over $700 million to the loss and damage fund. Many considered the amount insufficient and far below the estimated annual losses in developing countries ranging from $100 billion to $580 billion.
In spite of the initial amount of the fund, a lot of people consider the agreement as a historic momentum to fight the climate crisis. The ease in functionality and proper distribution of the fund can be the means of helping to support the people afflicted with loss and damage to fight back to life by rebuilding their lives and livelihood.
Bringing back the Smile
The story of Loss and Damage such as Chouhali's plight became a focal point, emphasizing the need for support to rebuild the infrastructure and the lives shattered by the changing climate. The Loss and Damage fund, a beacon of hope, held the promise of restoration for a community. Picture the rebuilding of homes washed away by the river, the resurrection of schools that once echoed with laughter, and the empowerment of a community with sustainable livelihoods. Imagine the smiles returning to faces weathered by loss, as the fund becomes the catalyst for a community's renewal. In this symphony of resilience, the Loss and Damage fund emerges as the crescendo—a bridge between global solidarity and a local community's unwavering spirit.