The local government division (LGD) is implementing the country's first climate vulnerability index (CVI) that maps vulnerability to climate change impacts across the country.
They will implement this index under the current fiscal year.
The uniqueness of the CVI lies in its ability to map vulnerability down to the union level, the lowest tier of government, increasing its precision and usability, the LGD officials told Prothom Alo.
The CVI is developed by local government initiatives on climate change (LoGIC) project, under a joint initiative by the LGD and UNDP Bangladesh, UNCDF, the European Union and the embassy of Sweden.
The CVI includes different types of data exposure, climatic data with atmospheric hazards, land-sea hazards, and surface elevation, sensitivity, demography, household, infrastructure, livelihood, and hydrology; and adaptive capacity, such as education, employment, road network, disaster response and so on.
CVI will enable the local governments to allocate their budgets to the most vulnerable communities in Bangladesh, taking into account multidimensional vulnerabilities, such as exposure to climate change impacts and adaptive capacities.
Md Kamal, additional secretary of LGD, said, "With the help of this index, the LGD can ensure that funds reach the regions and communities that need it the most, enabling them to cope with, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of climate change. Moreover, it will enable us to easily identify patterns of climate vulnerability, from rural to urban settings, providing an important tool for policymakers."
The LGD ministry said they have decided to incorporate the CVI as an additional criterion in finalising budget allocations starting from the ongoing fiscal year.
As a result, institutions such as union and upazilla parishads, which serve as the primary recipients of these funds and are the first responders to the effects of climate change, will receive a greater allocation of resources in areas where vulnerability is particularly high.
According to the World Bank, Bangladesh stands among the nations at significant risk from the impacts of climate change, holding the seventh position in the 2021 World Climate Risk Index.
Despite its relatively low contribution to global emissions, it bears the brunt of extreme climate conditions. Climate-induced disasters, including tropical cyclones, storm surges, monsoon floods, flash floods, droughts, rising sea levels, salinity intrusion, ocean acidification, and more, are compounding challenges to the country's remarkable development path, hindering both socioeconomic advancement and human well-being.
While Bangladesh has been actively advocating for international climate finance to mitigate the impacts of climate change, it is also at the forefront of countries proactively investing in climate resilience.
As part of its annual budget preparation, the country consistently allocates a climate budget. Notably, the FY24 climate budget amounts to Tk 370.52 billion, constituting 8.99 per cent of the allocations across 25 ministries and divisions, 4.86 per cent of the total national budget, and 0.74 per cent of the GDP. The allocation needs to be strategically designed to ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive the maximum support.
The vulnerability to climate change isn't solely determined by natural hazards. Rather, it is influenced by a complex interplay of economic, social, geographical factors, which are, in turn, shaped by sensitivity and adaptive capacity.
Therefore, a system needs to be developed that localises climate data and takes into account various social contexts, lifestyles, livelihoods, and adaptive capacities to effectively address these challenges.
Stefan Liller, UNDP resident representative of UNDP said, “Vulnerability to climate change is not evenly distributed. Some regions and communities are more affected than others. It is our responsibility to ensure that the most vulnerable areas of Bangladesh receive the funding they need to build resilience within their communities."