PM demands richer nations’ recognition to climate vulnerable countries need

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday demanded rich countries immediate recognition to the vulnerable nations’ needs for finance to face climate change onslaughts particularly because 48 poorer territories are exposed to worst despite their only five percent contribution to the global emission.

“We, the 48 members of the CVF (Climate Vulnerable Forum), account for only 5 per cent of the total global emission,” she told a “CVF-Commonwealth High-Level Panel Discussion on Climate Prosperity Partnership” on the COP26 sidelines as the chief guest of the event, BSS reports.

But, the Bangladesh premier said, the adverse impacts of climate change “posed fundamental threats to our lives and livelihoods” which could be negated by adequate and promised financing alongside technology transfer by richer nations.

“Our (CVF nations) vulnerability and necessity for adequate climate finance and technology transfer must be recognized by the international community,” Sheikh Hasina said.

Sheikh Hasina said the major emitting countries need to fulfil “their obligations to support us in our efforts to cope with the effects of climate change”.

The premier said a common position of the climate summit could “help us in securing the annual 100 billion dollar for climate financing” by the developed countries for the developing ones, “as promised in Paris Agreement”.

She said the climate financing must has to be in addition to the existing and future ODA or overseas development assistance and “this amount should be allocated with the ratio of 50:50 between adaptation and mitigation” for the greater benefit of the vulnerable countries.

Sheikh Hasina is the incumbent chair of the CVF which unites developing nations from Africa, Asia and Latin America while the grouping wants countries to ramp up their plans for emission cuts at every annual UN climate summit through to 2025.

The CVF campaigns for striving harder to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius this century.