Climate budget allocation must put climate change issues at centre: Experts

Climate budget allocation is insignificant to allow societies and economies to adapt to the adverse effects and reduce the impacts of climate change, experts have said.

The climate change budget must incorporate climate-change-induced migration and loss and damages. On the other hand, the differential impact of climate change on women threatens to undermine the advancement of women’s empowerment in social development and politics. Thus, it is necessary to give attention to the gender dimension of climate change to develop specific and effective climate action plans that address the risks women face.

One significant challenge is that government ministries, departments, and agencies have a less conceptual understanding of the climate budget than of the more established gender budget and gender-responsive climate budgeting is a new arena for exploration.

Climate experts, stakeholders, discussants, and journalists made the above observation at a webinar titled ‘Stakeholder Consultation on Bangladesh Climate Budget FY 2021-22’ organised by ActionAid Bangladesh in Dhaka on Tuesday, according to a press release.

The budget allocation for the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change in FY 2021-22 stands at Tk 379.21 crore which has been decreased by Tk 19.83 crore compared to last year’s revised budget. There is also a significant budget reduction of Tk 427.19 crore for the Ministry of Water Resources. Climate budget allocation for the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has also decreased by Tk 113.32 crore, said the statement.

Speaking at the event, Environmental Science and Management, North South University Professor Mizan R Khan said that climate financing from international sources might be decreased as an impact of the transition process of Bangladesh from LDC.

He said around 85 percent of the allocation for climate finance comes from the local sectors, so the local sectors must be given importance

Ministry of Women and Children Affairs Deputy Secretary Ferdousy Begum said the government is trying to formulate a women and child-friendly budget.

ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir said, “It is true that we are now going through a three-pronged crisis of Covid, climate, and economy. Yet there is still a huge gap in leadership, consensus, planning, implementation, investment and allocation around the world in climate finance.”