The Executive Committee of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) participated in a day-long seminar on ‘Ecological and Sustainable Development Issues in South Asia’ which was organised by the Climate Centre of the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB) on 6 March 2023. The seminar formed part of the reflections undertaken by the CCA Executive Committee on the theme of the forthcoming 15th CCA General Assembly, ‘God, Renew Us in Your Spirit and Restore the Creation’.
The seminar analysed ecological and environmental crises constantly affecting South Asian countries, such as cyclones, droughts, lightning, landslides, glacier melting, sea-level rise, salinity intrusion, land degradation, acute water scarcity, biodiversity loss and deforestation, desertification, degradation of river and marine resources.
According to the Global Climate Index, six out of ten climate risk-affected countries in the world are in Asia: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, and the Philippines.
Md. Foezullah Talukder, Director of the Climate Change Programme at the CCDB Climate Centre, illustrated the most dangerous climatic events in South Asia.