Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, framed climate change as an existential threat to Bangladesh’s national security, territorial integrity, and social stability. She painted a dire portrait of a future where rising seas, vanishing coastlines, and climate-induced displacement could force Bangladesh to "redraw its map" within decades.
Environment Advisor said this in a lecture titled "Impact of Climate Change on National Security," held at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC), Dhaka on Monday.
Advisor warned that a one-meter sea-level rise—a plausible scenario by mid-century—would submerge 21 coastal districts, displacing millions and salinizing the rivers that sustain agriculture and fisheries. "When we speak of climate change, we are not just talking about sweet water turning salty," she declared. "We are talking about the surrender of sovereignty, the loss of national territory, and the erasure of communities." She cited projections that 52 small island nations, including the Maldives, could disappear by 2100. For Bangladesh, the stakes are even higher: 65% of the population relies on freshwater fisheries for protein, and saline intrusion threatens to collapse this lifeline.
Rizwana Hasan dismantled the notion of climate change as a distant environmental concern, reframing it as a multiplier of instability. Floods, cyclones, and droughts already cost Bangladesh 1% of its GDP annually—a figure set to double by 2050. But the cascading crises of crop failures, water scarcity, and mass migration, she argued, will ignite conflicts over dwindling resources. "Imagine a third of Bangladesh underwater," she challenged the military audience. "The remaining two-thirds, already overburdened, will face unprecedented pressure to feed and house millions. Instability will become the norm."
Lambasting the "tactical opposition" of oil-producing nations, Rizwana criticized the failure of the Kyoto Protocol and the voluntary loopholes of the Paris Agreement. While G20 nations emit 80% of global greenhouse gases, Bangladesh—ranked seventh most vulnerable to climate impacts—bears the brunt. She highlighted the grim irony of 2024 being the hottest year on record, with ocean warming and glacier melt accelerating at twice the rate of previous decades. "The world’s inaction is a death sentence for nations like ours," she said, noting that even if all countries meet their climate pledges, temperatures will still rise by 3–4.5°C—far beyond the 1.5°C threshold for survival.
Environment Advisor outlined Bangladesh’s National Adaptation Plan, which identifies 11 climate "stress zones" and demands $230 billion by 2050 for resilience projects. Yet she stressed that money alone is insufficient. "We must redesign our development model," she insisted, urging a shift from fossil fuels to regional renewable energy partnerships, like importing hydropower from Nepal. She called for architectural reforms—natural ventilation over air conditioning, daylight over electric lights—and stricter enforcement of environmental laws, admitting current measures are hobbled by corruption and understaffing. "Every time I order an enforcement raid, my team says they’ve only got six magistrates for the entire country," she confessed, appealing to the armed forces for support in regulating polluting industries.
The lecture crescendoed with visceral accounts of coastal women suffering skin lesions from saline water and farmers praying against untimely rains. Rizwana praised the Army’s rapid response to river erosion in Kurigram but underscored the need for long-term rehabilitation strategies. "The military’s role will evolve from disaster relief to managing climate refugees and securing water-sharing treaties," she predicted, citing tensions over transboundary rivers. Her closing appeal was unequivocal: "This is not about saving trees—it’s about saving our nation. If we fail, future generations will inherit a country unrecognizable on today’s maps."
Commandant of Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) Major General Chowdhury Mohammad Azizul Haque Hazary, OSP (BAR), SGP, ndc, psc, MPhil; Deputy Commandant of DSCSC Commodore Mustaque Ahmed, (G), NPP, ndc, psc, BN ; Chief Instructor of of DSCSC
Brigadier General Mohammad Mehedi Hasan, afwc, psc were also present in the occasion.
bd-pratidin/Rafid
