Ensuring assistance to affected countries should be highlighted in COP26 summit

Experts have urged that ensuring assistance to countries most affected by climate change should be highlighted in the COP26 Glasgow summit to be held on 31 October.

"Developed countries have to help developing countries like Bangladesh financially in climate adaptation plans so that the countries can recover the damages caused by climate-induced issues because those countries are responsible for the most of global CO2 emission," said Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak at a seminar on the world climate summit on Friday.

"Climate change affects the agriculture sector most. We have to make powerful countries feel it. They should implement all the promises made in the Paris Agreement," he added.

For this conference, 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions by 2030. They all agreed in 2015 to make changes to keep global warming "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels and to try aim for 1.5C so that we avoid a climate catastrophe, which is known as the Paris Agreement, and it means countries have to keep making bigger emissions cuts until reaching net-zero in 2050.

Dhaka University Pro Vice Chancellor (Education) Professor Maksud Kamal said Bangladesh ranks 7th among the countries affected by climate change. The damage caused by cyclones, floods and droughts must be calculated too. Civil society has an important role to play in the conference. China is the largest consumer of fossil fuels, followed by the United States. Many times the government cannot say these things which civil society can highlight.

Sadeka Halim, dean of the sociology faculty at Dhaka University, said there used to be a lot of Sal trees in Tangail. The forest department is gradually felling them and planting other trees like eucalyptus and acacia, which is harmful to the environment. Locals say that fruit trees under these trees do not grow well.

"We are talking about protecting the environment but we are destroying it. The government has goodwill to protect the environment but those who work at the field level need to raise public awareness about the environment," said Sadeka Halim.

Atiq Rahman, a climate expert and executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, said developed countries have pledged $100 billion a year to the affected countries every year since 2020 to tackle the effects of climate change. But the dollars have not yet reached the Green Climate Fund. Bangladesh has demanded a 5-year-fund at a time, which must be implemented.

Journalist Kaiser Rahman said that the Bangladeshi delegations should coordinate with everyone, which was absent in the past. To achieve something from the conference, the government delegation, civil society representatives and journalists attending the conference have to highlight the damage that Bangladesh is facing.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over a high-level meeting organised by the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), as a side event of the climate conference, to be held on 2 November. Representatives of 48 countries of the CVF, which are most affected by the effects of climate change, will attend the meeting.

In Friday's seminar, the issues that need to be raised by Bangladesh in the climate conference were discussed. The recommendations would be presented to the prime minister.