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PM urges global help to face climate challenges
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The Daily Star
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged the developed countries to come up with stronger role in helping the countries, which are vulnerable to climate change, to make their adaptation activities a success.
She made the request while speaking as chief guest at the formal inauguration of the `Fifth International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change’ at Hotel Sheraton in the city in the morning.
Hasina said though the development partners of Bangladesh has promised US$ 100 million fund to help the country face the climate change impacts, Bangladesh will need several billion dollars to successfully tackle the issues.
“The situation is so critical that Bangladesh, with its meager resources, is not capable to tackle the climate change crisis. The fund promised by the developed nations is so little,” she said.
The prime minister said the developed countries are mainly responsible for the global warming and the climate change, as they use fossil fuel in large quantity for their high industrialisation.
“The developed countries must come forward to help the countries, which are vulnerable to climate change.”
She further said that adaptation to the climate change is not the only way to remaining safe from the disastrous impacts of the global warming. “Green house emission must be reduced to protect the globe from the impacts of climate change.”
Describing Bangladesh as one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate change, Hasina said people here are not only fighting against poverty, natural disasters caused by global warming have also appeared as another critical problem for them.
“Climate change, in fact, is an injustice to our people. They’re not contributing at all to the climate change, but they’re the worst victims of the climate change,” she said.
The prime minister said steps to protect the globe from the impacts of climate change must be taken at the earliest possible time. “The more is the delay, the more we will suffer.”
She said the main objectives of all climate change discussions would be to put a stop to carbon emission, raise adequate funds for climate change adaptation and establish climate justice for the victims of climate change.
State Minister for Forests and Environment Hasan Mahmud, climate change experts Dr Selimul Haque and Dr Atiq Rahman, and Forests and Environment Secretary Mesbahul Alam also spoke at the function.
The weeklong conference began on March 24. Some 300 environmental experts and activists from 60 countries are participating in the conference that will conclude on March 31.
Community-based adaptation to climate change has become a vital topic in the present day world and it is being realised that some of the most vulnerable communities will be the poor communities in both the developed and developing countries as a consequence of the climate change.
As people of Bangladesh have a long history of adaptation to climate change and natural disasters, they have become a centre of focus for the global experts and environmental activists.
Source: http://www.thedailystar.net
