Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD

Water and Climate Leader| Strategic Investment Partnerships and Co-Investments| Professor| EW4ALL| Board Member| Chair- CODATA TG| Award Winner (SDG 2021, EWS 2025)

Category: climate change

  • Drowning in Plastic: The Urgent Need to Tackle the Crisis Upstream

    We have already created 11 billion metric tons of plastic, surpassing the combined weight of all terrestrial and marine animals. Every year, we add another 430 million tons to this total. A significant portion of this is single-use plastic, briefly used and then discarded without a second thought. The economic loss is equally alarming. We…

  • Responsible Pathways for Ocean Carbon Removal

    The health of our oceans offers promise in the fight against climate change, but only if we act decisively to leverage their potential responsibly and equitably. The ocean naturally absorbs over a quarter of annual carbon emissions. We can optimise this process by protecting marine ecosystems and enhancing natural ocean carbon sinks. Mangroves, seagrasses, and salt…

  • 5MinutesToChangeTheWorld

    #5MinutesToChangeTheWorld: What rich and poor countries can learn from how we spend our days- The recent global study on how humans allocate time revealed that across nations, we only spend around 5 minutes per day on activities directly related to energy, waste and environmental impact. On average, we spend about a third of each day…

  • Accelerating Global Action Through the Green Climate Fund

    The 2022 Joint Report on Multilateral Development Banks’ Climate Finance highlights the urgent need to scale up efforts to meet the climate crisis. While climate financing has increased, current commitments fall short of the vast requirements developing countries face. The report identifies critical gaps like lack of funding for adaptation, difficulties in leveraging private finance,…

  • The Complex Relationship Between Climate Change and Infectious Diseases

    The relationship between climate change and infectious diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika is complex. Different diseases are affected differently by climate change. Malaria transmission may decrease in some areas as temperatures rise, but dengue and other diseases spread by different mosquitoes are likely to increase. Rising temperatures will alter the spread of these mosquito-borne…

  • Beyond the Horizon: Projecting Bhutan’s Water Future in a Changing Climate

    My journey with Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, has been a long and fulfilling one. From supporting their hydro-met services to developing flood forecasting in the Wangchhu River Basin (https://lnkd.in/gj7aW5aN), conducting climate risk assessments for hydro-power and water resources management, and building capacity on disaster risk reduction – it’s been a deeply rewarding experience.…

  • Advancing Climate Resilience: A Decade of Progress in Somalia

    Reflecting on my engagement in Somalia over the past decade, it’s been a profoundly transformative journey. My involvement began with supporting the establishment of their hydrometeorological working group, which was a foundational step towards enhancing the nation’s capacity to understand and respond to climate variability. The subsequent development of a multi-hazard early warning centre marked…

  • Rethinking Corporate Climate Action: Beyond Emission-Reduction Targets

    The fundamental assumption that emission-reduction targets should be the central and often sole metric for setting or benchmarking individual corporations’ climate action ambition is flawed. This approach fails to account for the dynamic nature of markets and the crucial role of future innovators in driving the necessary transformations. While corporate emissions targets can help curb…

  • Harnessing the Power of Social Networks for Inclusive and Effective Climate Action!

    The study by Airoldi and Christakis shows that we can use social networks (the connections between people in a community) to spread good ideas and practices more effectively. They found that if we choose the right people to start with – those who are well-connected and influential – the information and behaviors can spread much…

  • Mobilizing Finance for Climate-Resilient Water Solutions

    Financing is key to realizing this vision. We must align investments for water security with climate action and find innovative ways to mobilize new sources of funding. Blended finance instruments that strategically combine public and private capital can accelerate the deployment of climate solutions. Mechanisms like resilience bonds, environmental impact bonds, and blue carbon offset…