By Pyae Thet Phyo-Myanmar Times, 5 Dec 2017
By 2030, Myanmar hopes to be able to survive the impact of climate change, said U Hla Maung Thein, director general of the Environmental Conservation Department.
At a workshop on practical lessons obtained from establishing policies for natural disaster response held on Monday, he said that for that to happen, cooperation will be sought with the Rural Development Department and the Department of Relief and Resettlement. “I envisioned the nation to be one that can withstand the impact of climate change,” said U Hla Maung Thein.
Moreover, he is also expecting an increase in investments for low carbon production works, with the aim of combating climate change.
“The next steps are to have continuous long-term development, and the development of the nation’s economy,” he said.
After obtaining approval from the Union government and Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, Myanmar became a member of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change on October 19.
In order for Myanmar to survive climate change, a three-step plan will be implemented.
The first step is short-term and will run until 2020. Emphasis will be put on scrutinizing the likelihood of loss and damages, natural disaster management, reduction in the probability of losses and damages from natural disasters in development work, and response work.
The second step of the plan is set until 2025, and it will focus on the practical use of information related to natural disasters in order to reduce loss and damages resulting from the latter. The final step will be conducted through 2030, and will be centered on best practices based on scrutinizing the natural disaster damage and loss reduction.
“We need to observe the weaknesses, challenges, and requirements obtained during the implementation of this plan and integrate it in future plans so that, learning from experience, we can turn it into advantages and successes,” said U Than Htut Swe, deputy director of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement.
He added that the workshop will have been of little use if it’s conclusions remain on paper, as it is a vital step for rejuvenating the plans that will be drawn up throughout the process, to make Myanmar climate change resilient.
