Leaders Summit on Climate: Bangladesh optimistic on funding, cutting carbon emission
Bangladesh has expressed its optimism over both funding and cutting carbon emission as global leaders in the Leaders Summit on Climate yesterday made political commitments to turn the tide of global warming.
"We are very optimistic about climate fund and cutting carbon emission," Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told reporters at a virtual press conference on the summit today.
Putting the United States back at the forefront on climate, President Joe Biden said they would cut emissions blamed for climate change by 50 to 52 percent by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.
Japan announced cutting emissions by 46 percent in 2030 compared with 2013, while Canada boosted ambitions of his energy-exporting country to reductions of 40-45 percent below 2005 levels, compared with an earlier target of 30 percent.
"These are all good news. We are optimist about the development," he said.
Bangladesh, whose per capita carbon emission is much lower than global average, would also take measures to cut carbon, he said.
"In the future, we will reduce coal-based power projects and go for renewable energy more vigorously," Momen said, adding that going for green energy will, however, require technology transfer.
Noting that a US Senator has recently made a proposal for helping the developing countries with technology, he said that proposal, if passed, will be very helpful for Bangladesh.
Asked about the potentials of mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 by the developed countries for climate actions in the developing countries, Abdul Momen said as the US has taken a leadership in the global efforts to fight climate change, it is expected that the developed countries will come up.
So far, only $30 billion has been mobilized. The US, which was supposed to contribute $3 billion by 2020, donated only $1 billion during President Barack Obama's tenure. President Donald Trump made no contribution. However, Biden has announced contributing $2 billion soon.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who addressed the two-day virtual summit that began yesterday as president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, put forward four suggestions including keeping global temperature to 1.5 degree Celsius, mobilizing $100 billion fund annually and technology transfer.
Comments