Efforts being made to improve country’s air quality, says minister

Bangladesh is striving to improve its air quality and address the near-term climate change through the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), said Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Md Shahab Uddin on Friday.

"In Bangladesh's National Action Plan for Reducing SLCPs, 11 priority mitigation measures have been identified – five of which target major methane emission sources," he said in the virtual event on the 10-Year Anniversary Ministerial of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) held in Paris.

The minister said Bangladesh wants to actively play its part in the global efforts in countering climate change with due diligence in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

The country submitted Updated NDC enhancing both unconditional and conditional contributions with ambitious mitigation targets, he added.

"Realising the potential of SLCPs, our updated NDC targets include reducing household energy emissions by 18.55%, brick kiln sector emissions by 46.54%, and municipal solid waste and wastewater emissions by 7.93% by 2030."

Bangladesh's National Action Plan on Reducing SLCPs will prevent 16,300 premature deaths, and reduce black carbon emissions by 72% and methane emissions by 37% by 2040 if it is fully implemented.

Reducing SLCPs is critical since global warming potential can be reduced by 0.6°C through widespread actions on SLCPs reduction.

"However, adequate technical and financial support is a prerequisite for the full implementation of the NAP-SLCP," he added.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation of Ghana Dr Kwaku Afriyie, CCAC Partner Ministers and Delegates were present in the meeting.