PM wants developed countries’ quick action plan on climate crisis

Developed countries should draw an immediate action plan to reduce their carbon emissions and keep the global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.

The developing nations should also focus on mitigation measures, the PM said in her address to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, hosted by US President Joe Biden on Thursday.

An annual target of $100 billion should be ensured and balanced 50:50 between adaptation and mitigation measures with special attention to the vulnerable communities while pursuing loss and damage, Hasina suggested.

“Major economies, international financial institutions and private sectors should come forward for concessional climate financing as well as innovation and focus is needed on green economy and carbon-neutral technologies with the provision of technology transfer among nations.”

Hasina thanked Biden for convening the summit and appreciated the United States’ return to the Paris Climate Agreement.

Despite being a climate vulnerable country with resource constraints, Bangladesh has emerged as a global leader in adaptation and mitigation, Hasina said, highlighting that Bangladesh spends about $5.0 billion every year on climate adaptation and resilience-building measures.

The Rohingya refugee crisis, with 1.1 million members of the ethnic minority who have taken shelter in Bangladesh after being displaced forcefully from Myanmar, has however “worsened our vulnerability”, she said.

Now Bangladesh is pursuing a low carbon development path, the prime minister said.

To raise the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC, and adaptation ambition, the government has included new sectors in addition to the existing energy, industry and transport sectors in the mitigation process.

It is planning to submit a “quantified ambitious” NDC by June 2021, according to Hasina.

She noted that the government is planting 30 million saplings nationwide and adopted “Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan” to achieve low carbon economic growth, as Bangladesh observes “Mujib Year”, marking the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

She also said that Bangladesh’s key focus is to uphold the interests of the climate vulnerable countries and it is hosting the South Asian regional office of the Global Centre on Adaptation which is promoting locally-led adaptation solutions, reports bdnews24.com.