The probable impacts of climate change on poverty - UNDP

7. Relationship among <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>, poverty, economic growth and sustainable development is
multidimensional and complex. It is recognized in the scientific and negotiating community that <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>
induced <strong>impacts</strong> will put additional challenges to many <strong>of</strong> the Millennium Development Goals and targets in
general, and poverty and hunger, and environmental sustainability in particular.
It is revealed from the National Adaptation Programme <strong>of</strong> Action (NAPA) <strong>of</strong> Bangladesh that different climatic
elements will impact different sectors in a different scale by different geographical areas. <strong>The</strong> following table
shows different climatic elements and their <strong>impacts</strong> by different regions and their link with different strategic
blocks <strong>of</strong> Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and Millennium Development Goals.
Table 7.1: Climatic Elements, critical vulnerable areas and impacted sectors and Links with PRSP and MDGs
Climate and
Related Elements
Temperature rise
and drought
Sea Level Riseand
Salinity Intrusion
Floods
Cyclone and
Storm Surge1
Drainage
congestion
Critical Vulnerable
Areas
<strong>The</strong> Probable Impacts <strong>of</strong> Climate Change on Poverty and Economic Growth and
the Options <strong>of</strong> Coping with adverse Effect <strong>of</strong> Climate Change in Bangladesh
Most Impacted Sectors Links with PRSP Links with
MDGs
North-west Agriculture (crop, livestock,
fisheries) Water
Energy Health
Coastal Area
Island
Central Region
North East Region
Char land
Coastal and
Marine Zone
Coastal Area
Urban South
West
Source: Modified from NAPA Bangladesh
7.1 Distribution <strong>of</strong> Poverty
Agriculture (crop, fisheries,
livestock) Water (water
logging, drinking water,
urban) Human settlement
Energy Health
Agriculture (crop, fisheries,
livestock) Water (urban,
industry) Infrastructure
Human settlement Health
Disaster Energy
Marine Fishing Infrastructure
Human settlement Life and
property
Water (Navigation)
Agriculture (crop)
Strategic Block I, II,
III, IV & V
Strategic Block I, II,
III, IV & V
Strategic Block I, II,
III, IV & V
Strategic Block I, II,
III, IV & V v
- -
Goal 1, 3 and 7
Goal 1, 3 and 7
Goal 1, 2, 3
and 7
Goal 1, 2, 3
and 7
Despite the recent macro economic achievements, poverty is still pervasive and endemic in Bangladesh.
According to the Household Expenditure Survey (HES) <strong>of</strong> Bangladesh Bureau <strong>of</strong> Statistics (BBS), using the most
commonplace definition, about half <strong>of</strong> the population could be considered poor in the mid-1990s, while a
quarter <strong>of</strong> the population could be considered extreme poor (WB, 1997). Among them, the bottom 10 percent <strong>of</strong>
the population are steeped in severe deprivation so much that they require substantial transfers to keep them
from starvation and to reach a level that is considered micro-credit worthy (Farashuddin, 2001).
Levels <strong>of</strong> poverty vary substantially across the country and strong correlation was found with spatial distribution
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