Climate change also violations of human rights

Bangladesh and its people are facing the worst impact of climate change, resulting in a growing number of climate refugees in the country. Marginalized people, women, children, old men with disabilities are the most affected by the adverse effects of climate change.

Due to climate change, the population of each region faces different types of risks while  young people are not getting the opportunity to build their future properly. Climate change not only causes natural disasters like floods, cyclones, tidal waves; also brings abnormal rise in temperature, unseasonal rains, excessive rainfall, sudden floods, salinity in the sea, increasing incidence of river erosion, etc.which have a serious negative impact on the lives and livelihoods of the at-risk population. Thus, the impact of climate change on marginalized peoples is ultimately a violation of human rights.

According to various media reports, climate refugees are migrating not only from one district to another within the country, but also abroad. Recently, the President of Bangladesh Abdul Hamid urged the South Asian countries to work together for a solution to the crisis on climate change and food security. The head of state made the call at an international conference on climate change and food security in South Asia. Speaking on another occasion, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that about 1.5 billion people were facing an emergency situation due to climate change. She called upon the developed countries to fulfill their promise of finance and technology exchange in tackling the crisis.

Climate change is constantly harming on the lives and resources. This is putting a negative impact on all aspects of human food security, nutrition, health, education, housing, etc,  which is increasing the despair of marginalized people. The profound impact of climate change is widening the inequality between rich and poor.. Owing to the facts, proper attention should be paid to the poverty of marginalized people caused by climate change. It is important to respect the universal human rights of the people and to implement the principles of human rights. When it comes to human rights, we are generally vocal against civil and political rights violations, but not against the causes of climate change. Not even against those responsible for it. Those who are responsible for the destruction of the environment inside the country are continuing their activities day after day without any hindrance!

Discussions on global climate change include adaptation to climate change, mitigation and disasters as a result of disasters. The developed world is vocal about a variety of initiatives to reduce or accelerate mitigation of greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. But they pay less attention to adaptation rather than mitigation; this is because the marginalized peoples of the countries most at risk of adaptation failure. At the same time, another major context is that the world community has not yet fully paid attention on the effects of climate change from a human rights perspective. What is being discussed is the role of service providers or the state in tackling the adverse effects of climate change. It seems that the world community is apparently failing to look at the problem of climate change in the light of human rights principles. In many cases, politics is divided between civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights. As a result of climate change, the emphasis on realizing the economic, social and cultural rights of the world's underprivileged people is not getting the attention it deserves and in many cases, it is trying to evade responsibility which is making the lives of the poor more helpless and risky to the effects of climate change. The issue of climate justice is very relevant. Where it speaks of a role against climate change as well as justice against global injustice and inequality. In addition, global justice can only be achieved when climate issues are viewed in the light of human rights abuses. It is important to remember that people at risk due to climate change have to struggle to survive. Of course, they  needs cooperation to survive and win this struggle. It should be taken into consideration that it deserves all the initiatives to the helplessness of the risky population at risk due to climate change. As they are not responsible for climate change, someone else is responsible. How to ensure the education of a child who is being forced to take shelter in a slum in a city displaced by river erosion today? Who will ensure the food security of the farmer who is unable to produce any more food on his land due to salt water? How to ensure the health protection of women and adolescents who face reproductive health and mental health risks due to lack of access to safe drinking water and effects of salt water? These are the basic questions. And this is where the responsibility of the state and the service provider comes in. At the same time, there is no chance for the world community, specially the rich countries, to avoid this responsibility.

Various UN documents state that adaptation and mitigation initiatives in the context of climate change must be adequate as well as ambitious. At the same time, these initiatives will be non-discriminatory and in line with human rights. Now we all know that as a result of human activities, the amount of greenhouse gases in the world is increasing and the climate is changing rapidly. Each of us has a role to play in climate change. Some of the problems are those who have the least role in climate change, those who are marginalized suffer the most. As the adverse effects of climate change are not equal for all, the issue becomes more relevant with the protection of human rights principles. Experts say the adaptation process to tackle the effects of climate change must be such that it plays a role in realizing the rights of marginalized and at-risk people at all levels. Recognition, protection and realization of the rights of people living in risky areas such as river erosion areas, coastal areas and  `haor’ areas is especially important. In particular, the current inequalities in education, health and livelihoods need to be addressed. We need to consider the adaptation process that is associated with the acquisition of skills of marginalized people as well as if the affected areas do not have the necessary infrastructure or related services, it will not play any role in adaptation. In addition, the needs of women, children, the elderly, the disabled, the youth, the tribals and other disadvantaged groups need to be taken into special consideration in ensuring these services. According to a recently published study, rural women in Bangladesh suffer more financial losses in the face of the effects of climate change and natural disasters. Women have to spend a maximum of 30 percent more to deal with these effects. This information came from a study conducted by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). According to the study, rural households in Bangladesh have to spend an average of 15 percent of their monthly budget to deal with disasters. However, the amount spent in a household where women earn is almost double. This is because women earn less than men. In addition, many men in northwestern Bangladesh move to other cities each season, leaving women in charge of the household. Then these women have to take care of the house. The study looked at the impact of storms, floods, droughts, salinity and heat on household spending. Of these, 43 per cent are affected by floods, 41 per cent by storms and 63 per cent by long-term disasters such as drought or salinity.

Researchers say the Bangladesh government and development partners should spend more of their funds on these people in areas to climate change and disasters. The four major indicators of climate change have reached record highs in 2021,  The United Nations recently reports. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the global energy crisis is wreaking havoc on mankind. Last year, the concentration of greenhouse gases, sea level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidity increased, each setting new records. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has highlighted these issues in its report titled 'Global Climate Situation in 2021'. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: `The global energy process is not moving in the right direction and It is pushing us towards climate disaster. We must put an end to the pollution of fossil fuels. If we don't want to deplete the only habitat, we need to speed up the transition to renewable energy.'

The report confirms that the last seven years are the hottest seven years on record. Last year, global temperatures also had a chilling effect. But the year was still one of the warmest on record. Last year's global temperature was about 1.11 degrees Celsius higher than in the pre-industrial revolution era. The goal is to keep it within one and a half degrees. `Our climate is changing right before our eyes,’ said Petri Talas, head of the WMO.

Md. Abu Sayed is a Freelance Journalist