Engulfed by water

The chars — sandy, shifting islands scattered across the country's northern plains — are among the most fragile places in Bangladesh. Families rebuild again and again, only for the river to take everything they have.

"The water comes without warning," said Habibur Rahman, a 70-year-old farmer who has lived on several chars. "You go to sleep at night, and by dawn, the riverbank has moved. You wake up homeless. There is no peace in our life."

As the world's eyes turn to Brazil, the host of the climate conference from Nov 10 to 21, Bangladesh's struggle offers a sobering message for global people.

The country is often praised as a model of resilience — building embankments, improving flood forecasting, and pioneering community-based adaptation. But without stronger international support and climate finance, those efforts will fall short.

"People here are paying the price for emissions they never made," said Ainun Nishat, a water resource and climate change specialist. "If COP30 means anything, it must deliver real funding for loss and damage and help vulnerable nations like ours protect lives and land before it's too late."