PM Urges Large Carbon Emitters To Reduce Emission To Save Mother Earth

"It is our commitment to low-carbon and climate-resilient development path. The large emitting countries should reciprocate by robust voluntary commitments like ours," she said in a statement at 'National Action and Ambition Announcement' session of the UN Climate Summit-2014 at the UN Headquarters here.

She assured that Bangladesh as a responsible member of the international community would never exceed the average per-capita emission limit of the developing world.

Sheikh Hasina said adaptation is the key for vulnerable countries like Bangladesh. "We cannot be left to adapt to 'degradation' because of climate change, she said.

"Developed countries must come forward to match robust commitments and efforts from countries like ours," she said, adding that there should be greater 'fast-track finance' for adaptation, particularly for the climate-vulnerable countries.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister said the issues of 'adaptation' and 'loss and damage' are also crucial for Bangladesh for sustainable development. Critical balance should be maintained between adaptation and mitigation. Support to finance, technology development and transfer and capacity building is also important as well, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said, every country should have a clear, measurable and verifiable 'Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Bangladesh is working on her possible INDCs. But new and additional resources would be needed for their implementation, she said.

President of Bolivia, Brazil, Turkey, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Croatia, Austria, Uganda also spoke on the session while President of UNGA Sam Kutea was in the chair.

Urging the world leaders to pay attention to 'Carbon budgeting' and 'de-carbonization pathways' the Prime Minister said, robust and early capitalization of Green Climate Fund (GCF) is crucial for us.

Sheikh Hasina said adequate and predictable financing is essential for adaptation planning and its implementation. Private climate finance can only be complementary for mitigation, she said.

Sheikh Hasina reassured her commitment that as a responsible member of the international community, Bangladesh would never exceed the average per capita emission of the developing world.

"It is our firm commitment to low-carbon, climate-resilient development path. The large emitting countries should reciprocate by robust voluntary commitments from countries like ours," she said.

Highlighting Bangladesh's constant endevour to green economy saying in recent years, Bangladesh has undertaken significant steps in this regard.

Bangladesh now has 3.2 million Solar Home Systems (SHS), over 1.5 million Improved Cook Stoves (ICS) across the country, she said adding a ten-year Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan is under implementation. Under the action plan, she said, Bangladesh has already developed varieties of stress-tolerant crops.

Though Bangladesh is a climate-vulnerable LDC, the country so far allocated 385 million US dollars from own resources for adaptation and mitigation, she said.

"Yet, climate change continues to affect the lives and livelihood of millions in our unique and active delta," she said adding frequency and intensity of flooding, storm surge, and salinity intrusion are badly affecting our coastal habitat.

Sheikh Hasina said climate change may threaten Bangladesh's wheat and major rice crop (Boro) production. In addition, many people may have to move out, changing their traditional living and livelihood. Studies suggest that 2 to 3 percent of our GDP may be wiped out because of climate change, she said.

Earlier, the Prime Minister attended the inauguration of the Climate Conference-2014 in which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, chair of IPCC Rajendra K. Pachauri and former US Vice President Al Gore also spoke.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Summit, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to raise ambition, mobilize resources, and generate action towards a universal climate deal.

"We are not here to talk, we are here to make history. The human, environmental and financial cost of climate change is fast becoming unbearable. We need a clear shared vision", he said.

"I am asking you to lead. We must cut emissions. Science says they must peak by 2020 and decline sharply thereafter. By the end of this century we must be carbon neutral," Ban told.

IPCC chairperson Rajendra Pachauri said each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the earth's surface than any other decade since 1850. "How on Earth can we leave our children with a world like this," he asked saying "I'm not sure I could stand before you if the threats of climate change had no solutions."

-Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)