Dhaka to push for climate refugee plan in Male’

Bangladesh, which fears rising seas displacing 200 million people by 2100, will push for a climate refugee plan at the conference of vulnerable countries in Male, foreign minister Dipu Moni has said.

The Maldives is organising the first ever conference for 17 countries most affected by climate change on Nov 9-10, ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December.

Dipu Moni will attend the two-day meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum.

Rehabilitation of climate refugees has not received required level of attention at the 14 previous climate change conferences, says Dhaka.

The declaration of the forum will be placed at the Copenhagen summit with a view to putting pressure on the biggest emitters to reduce green house gas emissions and provide adequate resources to the victims of climate change.

"We will discuss rehabilitation of the environmental refugees at the Male conference," Dipu Moni told bdnews24.com at her office Thursday.

She said the vulnerable countries were not responsible for global warming, but victims.

"We have been demanding free movements of people like free movements of goods in the world," said the foreign minister.

Dipu Moni said Bangladesh would contribute immensely to the Male conference.

Foreign ministry officials say they have prepared a paper on Bangladesh's vulnerability to climate change and possible damages caused by global warming. The paper has been prepared as per Bangladesh's climate change strategy and action plan, they say.

According to ministry sources, the foreign minister is likely to raise demands for adequate funds from the international community to recoup the possible damage to its infrastructures by sea level rise and frequent natural disasters—consequences of climate change.

The Maldives hopes that representatives from Bangladesh, Barbados, Costa Rica, East Timor, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, the Maldives, Nepal, the Philippines, Rwanda, Vanuatu and Vietnam are likely to attend.

According to the prediction of the International Panel Climate Change, chain island nations such as Maldives, Kiribati and Tuvalu may be wiped out from the world map by 2100 if the international community fails to reduce green house gas emission according to the present levels.

Bangladesh is the largest country in the forum in terms of population and Dhaka fears that over 200 million people may be environment refugees by 2100 if sea level rises by one metre.

Reaching an agreement, which will replace the existing Kyoto Protocol in 2012, in Copenhagen is seen very crucial as the developed and the developing countries are dissent on emission reduction targets.

Copenhagen summit will decide the future course of international actions in reducing emissions of green house gases mainly emitted by industrialisation and burning of petroleum products.