World should support Bangladesh’s climate change measures, says GCA chief

Bangladesh may have sufficient plans to combat climate change but the international community needs to help the country to implement the measures, says Patrick Verkooiken, chief executive of the Global Center on Adaptation.

Speaking at an event, arranged by bdnews24.com on Sunday, he said: “I think Bangladesh has the ideas. It has the political leadership to drive this agenda.”

The programme was broadcast live on bdnews24.com and its Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Verkooijen is a visiting professor at the University and Research Centre’s Global Forest Diplomacy.

“Now, it's up to the international community to match the aspirations and the financial commitments of the Bangladesh people and I think that is the journey ahead of us,” he said.

In the interview, he responded to different queries about GCA operations, Bangladesh’s move to adapt to climate change and the upcoming 28th UN climate summit (COP28) to be held at Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Verkooijen said Bangladesh is a frontrunner in terms of climate adaptation with the Delta Plan 2100 being a crucial climate prosperity plan.

 “They have a Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan. So, they have the framework in place in identifying the priority areas for investment.”

 “Secondly, Bangladesh has already identified its own public resources to match these national projects.

 “Thirdly, what is quite promising is that the international finance institutions based here in Bangladesh, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the IMF, all came forward with very strong project finance commitments to the national planning of Bangladesh,” he said.

He called upon the financers to invest in infrastructures to make them future-proof.

 “I think it's very important that [the infrastructure today] the realisation that not all of it is climate proof; but that we need to make sure that the infrastructure being invested in the coming period has sort of the climate risk and mainstream into its design and its implementation.”

Verkooijen mentioned that the implementation of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, loss and damage and adaptation finance are some of the key agendas of COP28.

 “In 2015, the Paris Agreement came into force. Nations came forward with their climate appliance. How much are they on track to deliver on these suppliers?” he asked.

He said in reality, the nations are far from their promises and COP28 must clarify the carbon emissions cut is “not enough” to keep warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius.