Bangladesh

Climate Change Country Profile

Fact Sheet –

To meet rising energy demand, maintain economic growth, and address emissions and local air pollution, Bangladesh needs to diversify its energy sector with sustainable and secure resources. Improved resilience to immediate and future climate risks is essential to the country’s development.

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated countries and has one of the fastest growing economies. It is also one of the most vulnerable to natural hazards, including cyclones, storm surge, floods, earthquakes, and landslides. Long-term impacts from rising sea levels and global temperature could displace millions of people along Bangladesh’s vulnerable coastline. At the same time, Bangladesh’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have nearly doubled from 2008 to 2018. In order for Bangladesh to meet its rising energy demand, maintain its economic growth, and address emissions and local air pollution, it is critical to diversify the country's energy sector with sustainable and secure resources. Improved resilience to immediate and future climate risks is essential to Bangladesh’s development.

Government of Bangladesh Climate Priorities

The Government of Bangladesh’s (GoB) primary focus has been on adaptation; however, its new “integrated energy and power master plan” and revision of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement offer opportunities to accelerate its transition to clean energy and low emission development activities. The revised NDC will cover industry, transport, power, waste, and agriculture, forests, and other land use. The GoB has become a global leader on locally led climate adaptation, an advocate on international finance, and a voice for the vulnerable through Prime Minister Hasina’s role as the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

USAID’S Climate Change Program: Objectives and Results

USAID supports the GoB’s development and climate priorities through a series of programs and partnerships addressing climate mitigation and adaptation. USAID strengthens climate resilience, improves natural resources governance and sustainable use of energy, and advances green economic growth within the country. USAID strategically engages with the private sector to support innovation and maximize impact.

Adaptation

USAID supports local communities, government, and civil society organizations with activities to build resilience, including co-management of forests and wetland areas. Partnerships with the private sector and community-focused skills development help improve socially responsible growth and Bangladesh’s adaptive capacity to climate shocks. USAID trains communities in vulnerable areas to become better prepared to mitigate the effects of natural disasters and to recover from them. USAID programs have built cyclone shelters and established early warning systems. Additionally, USAID provides technical assistance to local governments to promote better use of climate information and analysis in decision- making to improve their responsiveness to constituent needs.

Renewable Energy

The Asia Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy initiative (Asia EDGE) works to reduce emissions, make energy more affordable and accessible, and drive sustainable economic growth. USAID strengthens Bangladesh’s policy and regulatory environment to be more conducive for increased investment in the sustainable energy sector, and to scale up adoption of energy efficient technologies and clean and renewable energy resources.

Natural Climate Solutions

Bangladesh’s natural resource base is experiencing severe degradation, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity, thus impacting livelihoods. USAID trains people to measure, analyze, monitor, and enforce forest resources protection, conserve carbon pools in soils and vegetation, and enhance carbon uptake in terrestrial reservoirs. USAID also provides technical assistance to GoB’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) objectives.

Key Results

  • USAID promotes climate change mitigation and adaptation and improves the livelihoods of the poor living adjacent to protected forests and other environmentally significant areas. To date, USAID programs have resulted ineffective co-management between government and local communities of more than one million hectares—2.5 million acres—of wetlands and forest areas and increased economic resiliency of more than 360,000 people.
  • USAID works with the private sector to promote more fuel-efficient farm equipment, quality feed to livestock, use of crops and inoculants to fix atmospheric nitrogen, and biodigesters for waste management, all practices that mitigate GHG emissions.
  • USAID has supported communities vulnerable to natural disasters by establishing early warning systems for flooding and tropical cyclones and constructing more than 500 cyclone shelters in coastal areas, which provide life-saving protection to 900,000 people during severe weather.
  • In 2021, USAID will be launching the Bangladesh Advancing Development and Growth through Energy (BADGE) activity, to support clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency, and to contribute to mitigation of climate change and climate-related risks in Bangladesh.
  • USAID’s collaboration with the GoB influenced the government’s ability to fulfill reporting and commitment obligations with the Forest Emission Reference Level under the 2019 National Forest Inventory, the 2018 Country Investment Plan on Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, and enhanced Drought and Flood Early Warning Systems. These results also support Bangladesh’s ability to report under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and update the NDC.

For More Information

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Flag of Bangladesh

Bangladesh

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The United States has long shared a strong friendship with Bangladesh since the country’s independence. It is a partnership driven by common interests that also recognizes Bangladesh as a key U.S. strategic partner in South Asia.

Climate Change Country Profiles

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USAID plays a key role in the climate-and-development arena, with a portfolio of climate change programs, partnerships, and expertise in more than 45 countries across the globe.

Climate Change

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USAID plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and addressing its impacts by working with partner countries to implement ambitious emissions reduction measures, protect critical ecosystems, transition to renewable energy, build resilience against the impacts of climate change, and promote the flow of capital toward climate-positive investments.