Page - 466 - in Loss and Damage from Climate Change - Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

466 M.Haqueet al. support does currentlynot exist.Losses anddamagesaffecting themostvulnerable communitiesareaddressedtangentiallyanddisparatelyorganisedthroughMoEFand MoDMR.Torespond to theexperiencedand future losses anddamagesaproactive and robust system of collecting evidence, proving support to communities whose livelihoods, assets andquality of life havebeenmost affectedbyclimate change is muchneeded. Over the years,Bangladeshhaswell established, but separate laws, institutions, rules and procedures to respond to climatic events. DRR and adaptation share a commonmandatetoreducevulnerabilityandenhancetheresilienceofaffectedpop- ulations.PolicymakersintheMoDMRandMoEFarebothconcernedwithprotecting lives, livelihoods, food security andminimisingof losses anddamages of themost at-risk populations. Despite these commonalities, the disaster and climate change policyrealmsinBangladeshoperateinsilos,withlittlecollaborationorcooperation. Shamsuddhoaetal. (2013)highlights that“bureaucraticdemarcationofresponsibil- ity” and “institutional silos” of climate adaptation andDRRpolicy-making hinder cross-sectoralcooperation.Toaddress lossesanddamagesmoreeffectivelyandeffi- ciently, climate adaptation approaches and perspectives need to be integrated into DRRpolicy-making. Thecompetencyandsuccessofdisaster reduction strategies inBangladeshhave focused on immediate response and relief. There is an expressed need for com- munities on the frontlines to adapt and receive support for the impacts of climate change that theycannotadapt to.Longtermsupport to rebuildandbuildbackbetter requirestheintegrationofDRRandclimateadaptationapproachesandperspectives. According toShamshuddoha et al. (2013), “the incorporation ofDRRexpertise in implementation could help to increase the pace at whichCCA effortsmove from planning to actionDRRcan also learn from the long-termperspectives ofCCA in order toensure thatDRRactivitiesalignwithshiftingclimatic realities, andnot just historical experience” (p.27). Slow onset events, salinity intrusion, increased intensity of cyclones and non- economic losses anddamages arenot accounted for in the current national policies of the MoDMR. There is currently no provision in the legislative framework in eitherMoDMRandMoEF that address slowonset events suchas sea level rise and non-economic losses and damages. Different projections show various scenarios of inundation and the population affected under sea-level rise and there is a need to systematicallyunderstand,document andprepare for thishazard.Non-economic lossesanddamageshavenotreceivedmentioninpolicyframeworksandprocedures, butevidenceshowsthat thereareprofoundpsychological,environmental, socialand cultural impactsof lossesanddamages fromavarietyofclimatic stressors.Current disasterpreparednessproceduresdonot take intoaccount futureclimateprojections andthesystemsthatneedtobeputinplacesothatlossesanddamagesareminimised in the future. Theabovehighlight theneedtoaddress thegapsinthecurrentpolicyandlegisla- tiveframeworkandbuildamorerobustresponsetoclimate-inducedlossesanddam- ages. Efforts are nowunderway inBangladesh to bring policy-makers inMoDMR andMoEF in coordination with one another to build a national mechanism that