Combatting climate change with nature-based solutions
Opening remarks
Robert Chatterton Dickson – British High Commissioner to Bangledesh, Government of the United Kingdom
Md. Shahab Uddin – Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of Bangledesh
Lord Goldsmith – Minister for Pacific and the Environment, Government of the United Kingdom
Moderators
Saleemul Huq @SaleemulHuq – Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Bangladesh
Simon Maxwell @SimonMaxwell001 – Senior Research Associate, ODI
Keynote speakers
Ainun Nishat – Professor Emeritus, BRAC University
Mike Morecroft – Principal Specialist, Climate Change at Natural England
Panellists
Saber Hossain Chowdhury – Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Honorary President Inter-Parliamentary Union
Rizwana Hassan – Advocate, Supreme Court, Bangladesh and Chief Executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association
Dave Tickner – Chief Advisor, Freshwater, WWF
Alastair Driver – FCIEEM, Director, Rewilding Britain
Description
As one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change, Bangladesh has experienced first-hand the devastating impact it can have on people, the environment and the economy. The UK’s climate is also changing. Its ten warmest years on record have all occurred since 1990 and the country is increasingly vulnerable to flooding and coastal change, water shortages, food insecurity, pests and disease.
This session examines how nature-based solutions are being used in parallel with engineered interventions in Bangladesh and the UK to provide a variety of mitigation, adaptation and environmental benefits by protecting and enhancing natural capital at the same time as supporting socioeconomic development. In addition to the many challenges related to delivering nature-based solutions at scale, we explore how nature-based investments have the potential to generate employment opportunities for large numbers of low-skilled, daily wage earners that have been adversely affected by the economic downturn.
This event is part of the UK-Bangladesh Climate Partnership Forum virtual series which is building momentum on the journey to COP26. Find out about other events in the series.
If you are unable to attend this event but would like to receive updates about the series, sign up for updates.