EquityBd urged to materialize 1.5 degrees Celsius goal in Copenhagen Negotiation

12 November 2009: A new international agreement is urgently needed to address climate change and it must include robust and ambitious emission reduction commitment to keep temperature increase below 1.5  degree Celsius by 2015-said speakers in a seminar held in the National Press Club Dhaka. Well ahead of the 15th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC to be held in  Copenhagen in December this year Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh organized this seminar titled ‘Road to Copenhagen and Bangladesh Position’ where Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment, was present as the special guest. Among others Dr. Ainun Nishat of IUCN, Dr. Asaduzzaman of BIDS, Dr  Aminul Islam, Assistant County Director,  UNDP; Quamrul Islam Chowdhury of BSS and AHM Bazlur Rahman of BNNRC, Advocate Soharab Ali Sana MP and Parvin talukdar MP also spoke in the seminar

Advocate Soharab Ali Sana said that the country is already plagued by poverty, natural disasters and is further subjected to devastating impact of climate change, which further will lead the country to perpetual poverty, food/fuel crises, and underdevelopment. Different climate change adaptation measures like restoration of eco-system services, efforts of DRR to address additional  risk factors caused by climate change, rehabilitation of the displaced people, technology innovation for agriculture development in the changed  climatic condition etc. would require additional financing and we are urging developed countries to assist us to face the challenges as we are not responsible for the  present-day climate crisis.

Dr Mihir Kanti Mazumder, Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment said, although the strategies of addressing climate change e.g. mitigation, adaptation and support to existing development growth are interlinked but negotiation on adaptation financing and its utilization are specifically important and real challenge for the country. Country would require new, addition and incremental financial resources for the implementation of adaptation programs, and we are working for this. Meantime we have developed Country Strategy Paper on Climate Change which already got approval from the cabinet.

Dr Ainun Nishat, Member of delegation on climate change negotiation, said Bangladesh is the part of G77 and China block that comprises with 138 countries, which includes developing, LDCs, and the  small island countries. ‘G77 and China’ is a heterogeneous Group mostly driven by the interests of the advanced  developing countries. But we are always careful to put forward country interest in climate change negotiation. We also have to develop alliance with other countries of similar interests; with the LDCs and  SIDS

Dr Asaduzzaman of BIDS said, aside with international negotiation Bangladesh government has been developing its own measures of addressing climate change impacts. Meantime Bangladesh government allocated Tk 700 crore in 2009-2010 financial years for climate change adaptation. Therefore, country should develop appropriate mechanism and as well its capacity to utilize this fund in proper way; otherwise this money may remain unspent.

Dr Aminul Islam of UNDP emphasized to increase country capacity to use development finance. There have many evidences that project money remained unused and sent back to its origin.

Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, President, Bangladesh Environment Journalist’s Forum said we need sustainable and predictable money for adaptation, which should be over and above the 0.7% of ODA. In negotiation we are demanding 1.5% of developed country’s GNP for adaptation fund with increased allocation to the LDCs.

Md Shamsuddoha, General Secretary of EquityBd said the new climate deal which is supposed to be sealed in Copenhagen must result the binding commitment of the developed  country Parties to limit  green house gas emission and to assist countries to cope with the impacts of climate change that we can no longer avoid. The Copenhagen deal should be ‘a deal of justice’ to the most affected communities and countries and this should be embedded in a  sustainable development framework while giving equal importance to adaptation and mitigation. Most importantly, the Copenhagen Climate Deal should provide post 2012 framework for both environmental space and development policy choice for the LDCs and developing countries.

Please download the position paper, powerpoint presentation, media coverage and photos