Smart politicians bet on green jobs and clean economies: Ex-Maldives president at BRAC Frugal Innovation Forum

As developing nations reel from the impacts of climate change across the world, smart political leadership is now rooted in bold climate action, former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed told an audience today (25 July), as the eighth Frugal Innovation Forum (FIF) kicked off in Savar under the theme 'Climate Adaptation in Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihoods'.

Joining virtually as the keynote speaker, Nasheed – who also serves as the Secretary General of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), a coalition of 74 climate-threatened countries – said the world is still pumping "poisonous gases" into the atmosphere.

However, he remains "optimistic" that many political leaders now recognise the urgency, and that many of the technologies needed to solve the crisis already exist.

"Smart politicians now bet their country's future on creating clean economies with green jobs and smarter infrastructure," he said, citing progress across the CVF network, including Bangladesh, in designing Climate Prosperity Plans.

Photo: TBS

The two-day forum, hosted by BRAC at BCDM in Savar, convened over 200 national and international experts, development practitioners, researchers, and entrepreneurs to explore cost-effective, community-driven climate adaptation strategies for the Global South.

The opening address was delivered by BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh. The sessions that followed focused on regenerative agriculture, climate-risk financing, and innovations helping vulnerable farmers survive erratic weather, declining yields, and rising uncertainty.

Nasheed said that the developing world, despite contributing little to climate change, suffers the most brutal consequences in the form of erratic weather patterns, flash floods, droughts, sea level rise, salinity, and more. However, despite the industrialised countries causing the most damage, they fail to commit anywhere near the amount needed in climate finance.

"The adaptation needs of the CVF's 74 member countries, which are all developing and located in the Global South, are enormous. Our countries need some $490 billion a year in climate finance… Our requirement is five times the current flow of climate finance," Nasheed said.

He said developing nations need huge amounts of investment to cover the extra costs of addressing the losses and damage caused by climate change, but, as a result of the developed world's lacklustre commitment, "many of our members are in, or at risk of, debt distress".

"We take a loan to buy, build a bridge, to build a house, to build a school. The bad weather takes away the home, the bridge, and the school, but the loan remains. The debt remains," he said. "But developing countries that make up the CVF did not cause the climate crisis. We did not get rich filling the skies with pollution. The industrialised, rich world did that, but we are suffering the impacts of that pollution, and our costs are rising – just as our ability to pay is being constrained."

Nasheed also emphasised the importance of local solutions when it comes to adapting to the impacts of climate change. Pointing out that political leadership often undertakes the wrong projects in the wrong places – ultimately harming the ecosystem – Nasheed said, "Nobody bothers to consult the local community… when it comes to adaptation, local knowledge is so important. You can't impose cookie-cutter solutions from outside and expect them to work."

The Maldivian economy relies heavily on coral reefs, which protect the islands, support marine life, and buffer sea level rise. But rising ocean temperatures have severely damaged these fragile ecosystems. Nasheed highlighted scientific solutions like coral IVF – pioneered by Professor Peter Harrison – which boosts reef regeneration by fertilising coral eggs. He also noted innovations like micro-fragmentation, where corals are split into tiny pieces to accelerate growth. "Whether it's drought-resistant crops or stronger coral reefs, I think we need to be led by science," he said.

Nasheed also pointed to the Maldives' success in protecting its seagrass, which has tripled over the past two decades. Seagrass meadows support marine life and help reduce erosion. Citing mangrove conservation efforts, he said, "Protecting our mangroves and growing them where possible on coastlines to act as green sea walls are important adaptation innovations. Mangroves are some of the best defences we have against storm surges and coastal erosion."

At the opening of the Frugal Innovation Forum 2025, BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh urged action grounded in urgency, dignity, and human ingenuity.

Pointing towards an intersecting crises – climate, economic, and political – hitting the Global South, Asif said, "In Bangladesh, families in disaster-affected areas now spend half their annual income just to prepare for and recover from climate disasters."

Saleh called for innovations that are frugal, fast, and human-centred. He linked climate adaptation to broader development needs, particularly job creation and food security through a transformation of agriculture.

Saleh emphasised combining AI-driven targeting with community trust and local know-how to scale effective solutions. "Communities just need the tools," he said.

"We know what's possible when innovation is rooted in trust, in community, and in dignity. We've seen it before. Now we must rise again – and together – to confront this crisis," Asif said.

Different sessions on Day 1 of the Frugal Innovation Forum delved into locally appropriate models for climate risk insurance; resilient seed systems; digital advisory services; and financing options for climate-resilient agriculture.

The closing session, to be held tomorrow (26 July) at the same venue, will feature remarks from Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the interim government on Environment, Forest and Climate Change. BRAC Chairperson Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman will deliver the concluding address.