Wares Ali Khan :
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, as the leader of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, attended the Global Leaders’ Summit virtual conference on climate change held on April 22-23 at the invitation of the US President. Ahead of the COP-26 Summit of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow next November, this summit was utterly significant to bring together the leaders of contributing climate change and the affected countries on a virtual platform. Bangladesh was focused to be advocating as the leader of the affected countries, on behalf of the victim nations looking for benefits.
Industrially developed nations are mostly responsible for the huge creation of greenhouse gases (GHG) on the earth’s surface. Many nations including Bangladesh, because of unfavorable geo-position, have been experiencing the impacts of climate-induced adversity on a larger scale. If the global community fails to reduce global warming within a rise of two degrees (1.5 degrees), a goal which was set under the Paris Agreement earlier, almost half of victim developing nations will suffer extensively. Increasing threats of imbalance in environment and ecology, gradual temperatures rising, melting ice of polar region, sea levels rising, and frequent natural calamity- will challenge human survival vigorously.
Global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced at least 45% from current levels by 2030 if it is to achieve the target set by the Paris Agreement. And global coal usage in power generation must cut back by 80%, which means developed countries must pledge to phase out coal by 2030 to avoid the perpetual catastrophe of climate change. Following the Paris Agreement, we all have to work for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at net-zero by the middle of this century. And a rapid action to withdraw the use of harmful fossil fuels from the power sector has to be instituted throughout the world.
This is indeed bittersweet that the World Bank continues to empower fossil-energy projects despite promises to tackle climate change. A German-based environmental research report says that the World Bank has invested more than 1200 crore dollars in fossil energy projects since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015. According to Oxfam, millions of dollars in loans are being rendered by the World Bank to the climate-vulnerable poor countries instead of helping them to deal with the effects of climate change.
Developed countries have agreed to generate funds for climate financewith therequiredsumof money to tackle climate change through mitigation and adaptation. Earlier they have pledged to allocate 100 billion dollars annually to support the poorest nations by 2020. According to pertinent data, it is seen that people in some of the world’s poorest countries are receiving just one dollar per capita a year to cope with climate adversities. Countries that are ultimatelyvulnerable to climate change- need to be provided adequate monetary compensation. By the way, it is exigent for our country to keep bargaining continued as we do not have sufficient backup resources, and technical capacities to combat the impacts of climate change. Otherwise, our efforts to lessen the magnitude of climate vulnerability with our limited resources will surely go harder.
The use of fossil fuels has been declined during the ongoing pandemic, but there is an upward trend in fossil fuel investment funds. As of now, nearly 81% of the world’s total energy comes from fossil fuels. Since the use of non-renewable energy has been increasing alarmingly for decades, we might move towards a Non-Proliferation Treaty of using fossil fuels. Poor nations must be provided with both technical assistance and a handsome amount of grants from the developed ones to depart from fossil fuels. In this respect, there is no substitute for global cooperation and partnership. As Bangladesh is one of the most affected countries, it has no choice but to take potential action to assert its rights as a victim country.
It is also imperative for Bangladesh to set up a long-term goal for Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). To adapt to the effects of climate change and increase the use of alternative energy, our country might head to undertake eco-friendly and cost-efficient energy-generating ventures. The government needs to be more robust to moves towards clean air and renewable energy, just as a timely move to have a climate-resilient transformation. So, the government should inevitably formulate a green energy generation policy, and reconsider the future investment in the fossil fuels-dependent mega power projects in the country.
To combat climate change, protect biodiversity and accelerate growth to achieve the goals of a sustainable environment all nations must limit greenhouse gas emissions. Albeit it is no more the sole job for Bangladesh, yet we must come up with affordable measures, so far we can contribute to trim down carbon emissions.
(Mr. Khan is an academic)
