Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that a strong global climate alliance is urgently needed to save future generations and the planet from the adverse effects of climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
She said he would like to emphasize the importance of a positive and strong international climate alliance to move towards achieving carbon balance by effectively reducing global carbon emissions before the middle of the century.
This was stated by the Prime Minister in a pre-recorded speech at a virtual conference titled ‘Thimphu Ambition Summit’ aimed at accelerating the pace of globalization by 1.5 degrees Celsius on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement.
Among others, the Prime Minister of Bhutan. Lotte Schering, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and COP-28 Chair Alok Sharma and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa addressed the Virtual Summit hosted by the Royal Government of Bhutan at the UNFCCC.
Noting that the adverse effects of climate change have displaced millions of people, the Prime Minister said, “I urge you to take urgent and decisive action to save future generations.” The UNFCCC is the most appropriate platform to advance our global agenda.
In this context, Sheikh Hasina said, “The Kovid-19 epidemic has shown us how quickly an epidemic can turn into a catastrophic global crisis and it has taught us that strong joint efforts are the only way to deal with the global crisis.”
The Prime Minister noted that the Paris Agreement reaffirmed the obligations of developed countries for climate finance. He said MDBS, IFIS should come forward for more robust measures in climate finance through concessional financing and tax exemptions and ensure access to technology for all.
She also noted that extreme weather events were already displacing more people than violent clashes.
She said that is why the provision of ’loss and damage’ should be brought into the mainstream. Similarly, global negotiations need to focus on ensuring the relocation and protection of displaced persons.
The Prime Minister said during the COP-21 in Paris, world leaders agreed on a landmark agreement on tackling climate change and achieving climate tolerance.
Noting that the goal was to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius, he said, “but we must acknowledge that our current efforts to achieve this goal are extremely inadequate.”
“Therefore, we need a strong, dynamic and immediate action plan to limit global greenhouse gas emissions to save ourselves and our planet,” he said.
Describing South Asia as the most vulnerable region to natural disasters due to climate change, the Prime Minister said that if the sea level rose by one meter, millions of people on the coastal and small islands would become climate refugees.
She said glacial lake outbursts, cloud outbursts or heavy rainfall would have a catastrophic effect on countries bordering the Himalayas like Bhutan, Nepal and various parts of India.
She said Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries due to its limited capacity to cope and specific geographical features, even if it does not contribute to global warming.
According to the ADB forecast, if current emissions continue, Bangladesh could face an annual economic loss equivalent to 2% of its GDP by 2020 and up to 9.4% by 2100. “I am sure this is true for other LDCs and countries at risk of climate change,” he said. .
The Prime Minister, however, said that they have taken excellent adaptation and mitigation measures to enhance climate tolerance in Bangladesh.
She said this year we are planting 11.5 million trees across the country on the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We have also launched the ‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan’ with the aim of mobilizing resources for a secure future.
She happily mentioned that Bangladesh has the honor of being elected to lead the Climate Damage Forum for the second term.
Sheikh Hasina said, “We have set up a regional office of the Global Center for Adaptation for South Asia in Dhaka.”
She added that CVF has launched ‘Midnight Survival for Climate’ initiative to provide new and expanded NDCs to all countries by midnight on December 31, 2020.