Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman Calls for Urgent Action to Address Rising Sea Levels

NEW YORK, September 24: Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on the international community to take urgent and effective action to address the growing threat of rising sea levels. He said the crisis is not only a threat to coastal land and the environment, but is also linked to people’s homes, livelihoods, security and future.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister addressed the “High-level Meeting to Address the Existential Threats Posed by Sea-Level Rise” at Conference Room 4 of the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The meeting was held as part of the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, focusing on the risks posed by rising sea levels and international cooperation to address them.

At the beginning of his speech, Tarique Rahman thanked the President of the United Nations General Assembly for convening the meeting. He also expressed his appreciation to the co-facilitators who worked on the “Declaration on Sea-Level Rise” and called for its commitments to be translated into concrete action.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s reality, he said Bangladesh is an active delta, with hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea and a large number of people living close to water. As a result, the country’s prosperity and future are deeply connected to its coastal environment.

Referring to the potential impacts of rising sea levels, the Prime Minister cited a World Bank estimate. According to his statement, if sea levels rise by 25 centimetres by 2050, around 4 percent of Bangladesh’s land could be submerged. This could put the homes, livelihoods and human dignity of around 10 million people at risk.

Four Urgent Actions Called for by the Prime Minister

Tarique Rahman called on the international community to take four measures to address the risks posed by rising sea levels.

First, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced rapidly, deeply and fairly. At the same time, efforts must be made to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach.

Second, predictable and accessible financing must be ensured for adaptation efforts in climate-vulnerable countries.

Third, access to climate-smart technologies, information and early-warning systems must be expanded for vulnerable coastal countries.

Fourth, international cooperation must be strengthened to address displacement, loss and damage caused by climate change. He also called for safe and dignified opportunities for people displaced by rising sea levels to rebuild their lives.

Bangladesh’s Preparedness

Alongside international support, Bangladesh’s own initiatives were also highlighted in the speech. Despite limited resources, Bangladesh has developed early-warning systems, strengthened its capacity to respond to cyclones and invested in coastal protection.

Plans were also outlined to dredge around 20,000 kilometres of rivers and canals over the next five years, advance the Padma Barrage initiative for water conservation, and modernise the Teesta Barrage through a master plan. A plan to plant 250 million trees over the same period was also highlighted.

Emphasising green growth, the speech highlighted Bangladesh’s target of generating at least 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Initiatives to expand green industries and environmentally friendly transportation, establish a national carbon market, and protect forests, wetlands and vulnerable coastal ecosystems were also mentioned.

However, it was stressed that adaptation measures alone would not be enough to address the impacts of rising sea levels. The speech stated, “The ocean reacts to every tonne of carbon the world releases.” In other words, the ocean responds to the amount of carbon the world emits. Therefore, alongside reducing carbon emissions, there is also a need to rethink patterns of human consumption.

The speech also highlighted that although the risks of rising sea levels are particularly important for Bangladesh, this is not a problem for Bangladesh alone. The lives and futures of people in many low-lying, deltaic and coastal countries are connected to this crisis. The international community was therefore urged to work collectively rather than leave any country alone in the face of this growing risk.

Towards the end of his speech, Tarique Rahman called for the commitments made in the “Declaration on Sea-Level Rise” to be implemented, saying, “The sea is rising fast. Our ambition must rise faster.”

He further said, “Let our resolve rise with the sea, and let our action rise even faster.”

The core message of his speech was that as sea levels are rising faster, the world’s collective action to address the climate crisis must move even faster.

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