Dhaka, Nov 3 (FN Agency) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday called upon the world to share the responsibilities of the people forced to migrate due to climate change induced events like sea-level rise, river erosion, floods and droughts and salinity. Addressing the Scottish parliament in Glasgow on Tuesday, she said that Bangladesh already has six million people displaced by climate related events in addition to 1.1 million Rohingya refugees, reports the official news agency BSS. She urged the developed countries to fulfill their commitment of providing USD 100 billion annually to the developing countries for addressing climate change issues.
She said that the amount should be in addition to the existing ODA (Official Development Assistance). She added that the distribution at the climate fund should have a 50:50 ratio between adaptation and mitigation. Prime Minister Hasina also called for technology transfer and dissemination of green technology to developing countries at affordable cost. Drawing attention to the recently published assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Hasina said it is a “wake-up call” as the world is facing its most serious global challenge. She called for decisive action to save the world from irreversible temperature rise leading to climate disaster. Speaking about the economic loss to Bangladesh due to climate change, Hasina said Bangladesh loses about 2 per cent of its GDP due to the adverse effects of climate change which may go up to 9 per cent in the coming decades.
Referring to efforts made by Bangladesh to address the climate change challenges, Hasina said Dhaka has established the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) under which 800 projects worth USD 480 million have been taken up. The country has adopted the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, to achieve a safe, climate resilient and prosperous delta, she said. Speaking about the measures to reduce carbon emission, Hasina said that Bangladesh has expanded its emission coverage from the energy sector to the entire economy. Bangladesh recently cancelled 10 coal-based power projects worth USD 12 billion to cut its future carbon emission. She said Bangladesh has a target of generating 40 per cent of its energy requirement from renewable sources by 2041 and informed it will soon launch a ‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan’ to mobilise financing for implementing renewable energy generation and climate resilient initiatives.