NAP Expo 2024: How far has climate change adaptation come?
This year, Dhaka hosted the NAP Expo 2024, as partners and countries along with the UNFCCC secretariat sat and discussed different aspects of climate adaptation and planning. But the main aim of the event was to foster an exchange of knowledge, experiences and technology
As representatives of various nations gathered in Dhaka on 22 April to discuss their climate change adaptation plans, the capital was already suffering from a heat wave, while the country's maximum temperature reached 40.6°C jointly in Khulna, Jashore, and Chuadanga.
It was Bangladesh's turn to host the National Adaptation Plan Expo 2024, an event which promotes an exchange of experiences and fosters partnerships among a wide range of actors and stakeholders on how to advance national adaptation plans.
Organised by the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in collaboration with relevant bodies and organisations, the outreach event hosted several discussions by participants from various countries.
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But two large auditoriums at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC), designated for exhibition of various climate-change-oriented programs and products carried out by different ministries, the UN and INGOs, was where one could actually see what innovations Bangladesh has in store to combat our climate crisis.
Among various ministries and INGOs exhibiting their works, the stall by the Ministry of Agriculture particularly caught our attention. They brought in various prototypes of climate-change oriented and solution-driven agro-technologies.
One of the solutions exhibited was a 'mechanically mined solar powered dugwell'. They designed model plastic fields, solar panels and tanks where water was being channelled to the fields and maintained within a small space. It was a perfect prototype of how the technology functions in real agriculture fields.
The ministry's Assistant Chief Engineer Hussain Mohammad Khaledujjaman was explaining the dugwell to some faculty members of Jashore University of Science and Technology
"This is a solar-based irrigation system. What you can see here is a well. We set a solar panel on top of the well. The rain water gets inside through the well. And when we need water for irrigation during droughts, we run motors with solar power. The motors will get water to the water tank on top, and then water will be provided to agricultural land through its distribution channels," Khaledujjaman explained.
He said there are over 400 dugwells in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Bogura, and across the country.
One such project costs around Tk10 lakh and can cover three to five bighas of land. However, this method is not suitable for rice cultivation, which requires a lot of water. It is suitable for land where vegetables and fruits are cultivated.
The ministry also exhibited 'irrigation saving technology' that determines water levels in rice fields and signals farmers if water is needed, which eventually prevents them from wasting water. They also presented their climate smart agriculture village model, among others.
Khaledujjaman said expo attendees from different countries are taking their inventions positively and they are getting positive responses.
There were over 20 such stalls at the NAP Expo 2024 Bangladesh where groups were showcasing their works about climate change. Most other stalls, however, were mainly showcasing documents and booklets about their projects where exhibitors were explaining their works to the audience.
Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), for example, were distributing their takeaway documents which showcased their Resilient Homestead and Livelihood Support to the Vulnerable Coastal People of Bangladesh Project, their project about adapting to droughts, floods etc.
HYDROQUO+ was exhibiting how they teamed up with WASA in automation of water quality monitoring systems, which otherwise take a long time and effort. Winrock was showcasing their work about climate change and its connection to slavery.
We met Amr Seleem at the UN Climate Change stall. This stall was showcasing documents on how different countries advance their national adaptation plans. They had booklets, flyers etc. for the people at the expo.
Amr, an Egyptian based in Dubai, was surprised after landing in Dhaka for the heat that gripped Dhaka which baffled the man who had come from a desert nation.
"I was surprised to see it is very hot and humid here," Amr told The Business Standard.
A senior climate action specialist at the UNFCCC-WGEO Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) MENA and South Asia, Amr explained what happens at the NAP expos.
"Here, the countries — the governments to be specific — come together to share their adaptation plan… how they are addressing any [climate] challenges they come across and what they have learned. They get hands-on experience and training at this event. We also provide technical training for the countries," he explained.
"This is an opportunity for the expert groups as well as they come to meet the government side."
Amr said that after holding several conferences and holding the multilateral process of gathering all the countries together to discuss and negotiate on climate change, the UNFCCC started to consider different aspects to take action on climate change. One of the aspects was climate adaptation and the other one was climate mitigation.
"But on adaptation, they started to develop a complete framework, including the NAPs, for example. It is considered a very powerful instrument to give to the countries to build up their own institutional capacity," he said.
The relevant ministries, for example, when they submit their NAPs, they have to conduct a lot of consultations with different stakeholders, and the second part is they consider NAPs as a tool to attract projects.
Since 2012, when the countries started to develop their NAPs, instead of coming for the Conference of the Parties (COP) to negotiate everything about climate change, they considered a place where they could come together and discuss only their experiences on the NAPs. And that was the story of the NAP expo.
Orville Grey, the head of secretariat at NAP Global Network, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), was present at the NAP Global Network stall in the hall room. Over 20 such stalls by different NGOs and ministries of Bangladesh were also showcasing their best climate-driven projects and success stories there.
"The NAP Expo is a space where partners and countries along with the UNFCCC secretariat sit and have a conversation about different aspects of adaptation and planning, [discuss] what the [respective adaptation and planning process] look like, how things are progressing, what sort of support is behind the processes, and the push for resilience through adaptation planning," Orville said.
"Adaptation varies from country to country," he added. "The challenges that you have in Bangladesh, for instance flooding in monsoon, challenges with the increased temperature; I think the forecast today was 38 degrees, so you have a heatwave going on. There are other countries that may not be having the same challenges. Every county has their unique challenges."
Bangladesh, for example, faces an ample amount of climate induced challenges starting from rise in sea levels, increased salinity in coastal areas, extreme weather events like heat waves, droughts and frequent cyclones, flash floods, landslides, and many more challenges.
The economic loss of climate challenges too is massive. According to the World Bank, the average tropical cyclones cost Bangladesh about $1 billion annually. By 2050, one-third of agricultural GDP may be lost due to climate variability and extreme events — a devastating figure as the agriculture sector represents around half of employment in the country, a World Bank report says.
Besides, 13.3 million people may become internal migrants in next 30 years due to climate impacts on agriculture, water scarcity, and rising sea levels, with higher impacts on women. In case of severe flooding, GDP could fall by as much as 9%. The costs of environmental degradation and natural disasters are predicted to rise over time, compounded by higher heat, humidity, and health impacts.
To address these challenges, Bangladesh, like other countries, developed its National Adaptation Plan (2023‐2050), which envisions climate‐resilient agriculture for food, nutrition and livelihood security, climate‐smart cities for improved urban environment and well‐being, nature‐based solutions for conservation of forestry, biodiversity, and well‐being of communities, good governance through integration of adaptation into the planning process and transformative capacity‐building, and innovation for climate change adaptation.
The Expo also exhibited the NAP of other countries, Mozambique for example. This East African nation faces extreme weather events, cyclones, flooding, sea level rise, etc.
The UN Climate Change stall was showcasing a booklet on how Mozambique designed their NAP envisioning the development of urban resilience mechanisms, more resilient agriculture, mobilisation of climate finance, increased adaptive capacity, strengthening forest resilience, protecting the oceans and coastal areas, etc.
"NAP Global is here to understand the challenges that different countries are facing... and understand what sort of support we can bring to countries to help them to advance in their planning processes," Orville said.
Siveun Nhak, a National M&E Climate Change Adaptation Specialist for FAO in Cambodia, was exploring the stall areas when we met him. He arrived in Dhaka on Saturday morning. The Dhaka temperature was not an issue for him as Phnom Penh too is going through a heat wave that has gripped the nations along the Indian Ocean belt.
"Bangladesh is one of the countries with 'high level' implementation adaptation plans," Siveun told The Business Standard.
"Adaptation is size-specific. One size does not fit all. You live in Bangladesh, you have some specific context, but knowledge is not bound by this context. If it is possible here, the modified prototype can be applied in a different setting… so the setting can be different but the solutions can be adapted. Our goal is to work as a team to improve climate resilience on a global scale because adaptation is not just one country's responsibility, so we are here to work together," he added.
On Tuesday when we talked with Siveun, Bangladesh's Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury was giving a speech in one of the designated halls.
"Bangladesh needs $534 billion to tackle climate change by 2050," he said, emphasising on the international financial support for implementation of climate plans. He highlighted the importance of proactive measures, collaborative efforts, and innovative solutions in adapting to the challenges posed by climate change.
