Effective climate plans not possible without funds: Hasina

Online Desk

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said effective action plans are not possible without adequate, sustained, and flexible climate finance.

“It’s sad and disappointing that till now the major greenhouse gas-emitting countries have failed to deliver their promised annual amount of 100 billion dollars,” she said.

She made the statement while presiding over Climate Vulnerable Forum Leaders’ Dialogue: Forging a CVF-COP26 Climate Emergency Pact at COP26 venue here on Tuesday.

Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres and CVF Thematic Ambassador Saima Wazed Hossain, among others, spoke at the event.

“Faced with the existential threat of climate change, we, the CVF members, at this COP, demand that developed countries provide a Delivery Plan of the total 500 billion dollars for each of the entire 5-year period from 2020 to 2024, with a 50:50 ratio between the adaptation and mitigation,” Hasina said.

She said the CVF members are among the countries most affected by the adverse impacts of climate change despite having no historical role or responsibility for this crisis.

“At the same time, we, the most vulnerable countries, do not have either sufficient capability or capacity to overcome these challenges. This unfortunate dilemma, and for survival, we’ve been swayed to adopt measures on our own to face the devastating consequences of climate change,” she added.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh has launched the “Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan”, named in honour of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“This plan is set to guide our development path through a low-carbon strategy. Other 37 CVF members will likewise, develop their own such plans of climate resilience to achieve climate prosperity,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina, also the CVF chair, said the CVF has also come up with a ‘Climate Emergency Pact.’

This Pact addresses the climate finance Delivery Plan and asks for raising ambition at every single COP, especially from the major pollution emitting nations.

“This will ensure continuous progress so that the temperature rise is contained within 1.5 degree Celsius. We call upon the Presidency of COP26, and all Members of the UNFCCC, to adopt the Climate Emergency Pact as a part of the COP26 Declaration,” she said.