Speakers at a press conference yesterday called for raising awareness among the people about the worst possible impact of climate change in the Bangladesh. They said it is a must to involve the common people in risk reduction management through their empowerment. The press conference was organised by NGO Coordination Council for Climate Change (NC4) at the National Press Club in the city in association with Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre (BDPC). The NC4 has been formed recently to maintain a network among the NGOs working on climate change issue in the country. It would work for creating awareness on social adaptation, collecting and disseminating information, increasing capacity of the partner NGOs and establishing information bank. It would also advocate and lobby at every level regarding the climate change issue. Highlighting the climate change and its severe impact, the speakers at the press conference said Bangladesh would be one of the worst vulnerable countries to climate change in the world. Because of the country's geographical location, land type, seasonal diversity, population density, poverty and people's dependency on agriculture, the people of this country would suffer tremendously, they added. Quoting a report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the speakers said 17 percent area and three crore people in coastal areas of the country are most vulnerable to climate change. They said due to climate change frequency of sudden flood, tidal wave, drought, salinity and river erosion would be intensified. It would also further threaten country's food security, people's livelihood, agriculture, water resources, health, infrastructure and biodiversity, they added. The speakers said it is important to make people aware of what is going to happen and they should be involved with the risk reduction activities. They urged the government to utilise foreign aid properly and ensure access of vulnerable people to this aid. The speakers also talked on different ways of adaptation that include creating coastal forest to reduce effects of climate change, establishing more shelter centres, information centres and help centres in severe flood-prone areas, and introducing saline-tolerant rice, vegetable and fish cultivation. BDPC Director Muhammad Saidur Rahman, Additional Director Dilruba Haider, Executive Director of Dwip Unnayan Sangstha Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, Director of Susheelon Mostofa Nuruzzaman, and Executive Director of Shaplaphool Social Development Organisation Nargis Ara Bayezid also spoke on the occasion.