Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University
On April 20, 2024, we had the 174th JASID Kansai Seminar on “Climate Change and Vulnerability Assessment in Bangladesh” delivered by Professor A. S. M. Maksud Kamal, the honorable Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The hybrid seminar took place at ZOOM and the main conference room at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University. In addition to the houseful audience at the venue, participants from all over Japan and Bangladesh attended the seminar via Zoom.
Firstly, Professor Kamal gave a brief overview of climate change, where he talked about the causes and effects of climate change. In discussing the causes of climate change, Professor Kamal explained both natural and manmade causes of climate change with relevant examples. Then, he discussed the impacts of climate change on economy, ecology, health, and overall quality of life on earth. As an example of the impact of climate change, Professor Kamal showed how agricultural productivity decreases between 1980 and 2020 due to climate change. Connecting adverse effects of climate change, Professor Kamal explained how climate change poses threats to poor countries, which are the innocent victims of climate change.
Secondly, Professor Kamal discussed climate change vulnerability, mitigation, and adaptation in Bangladesh. Mentioning Bangladesh as the “Supermarket of Natural Disasters”, Professor Kamal explained how Bangladesh is geographically, historically, demographically, and economically vulnerable to climate change. He then discussed the effects of climate change on the natural environment in Bangladesh with relevant examples such as sea level rise, coastal area vulnerability, extreme weather events, etc. In addition, he explained how climate change induces migration and poses threats to food security, agricultural productivity, and overall development of the country.
Professor Kamal then explained climate change mitigation initiatives like “National Action Plan on Adaptation (NAPA)” of 2005 and “Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP)” of 2009. In addition to climate change mitigation initiatives, he described climate change adaptation in Bangladesh, mentioning that there is a transition from disaster prevention to risk reduction. Moreover, Professor Kamal showed some of the key international cooperations to fight climate change issues, such as climate funding commitments, Copenhagen Accord (COP 15), Paris Agreement, etc.
Finally, Professor Kamal explained climate modeling and data analysis for Bangladesh, exemplifying Global Climate Models (GCMs), Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), etc. Then, he discussed the procedures for assessing climate vulnerability in Bangladesh. Professor Kamal then demonstrated and briefed some selected empirical studies conducted by him and groups on climate change in Bangladesh.
The seminar ended with the active participation of the participants in the question-and-answer session facilitated by Professor Keiichi Ogawa. Professor Kamal’s insightful responses to the questions reflected his expertise on climate change and vulnerability assessment in international arena and Bangladesh. It was really an invaluable opportunity for us to learn about climate change and vulnerability assessment in Bangladesh from an expert like Professor Kamal.
Authored by: Rakibul Hassan (Master Student)
