Climate Summit
PM to highlight challenges, efforts on climate front at Leaders' Summit on Climate
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will deliver her speech virtually at the "Leaders Summit on Climate" on Thursday highlighting the climate-related challenges Bangladesh faces and the efforts it is undertaking.
Prime Minister Hasina, also President of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), will address the inaugural session of the Summit titled "Raising Our Climate Ambition" with other global leaders, an official told UNB.
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will open the inaugural session of the two-day Summit at 6pm (Bangladesh Time).
This session will underscore the urgent need for the world’s major economies to strengthen their climate ambition by the time of COP 26 to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach.
It will provide an opportunity for leaders to announce new steps to strengthen climate ambition.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will also join.
Also read: FM: Bangladesh’s points to be on agenda of Biden's Climate Summit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Russian President Vladimir Puti, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among participants invited by the US President.
The second session will be on "Investing in Climate Solutions."
EU reaches major climate deal ahead of Biden climate summit
The European Union reached a tentative climate deal that should make the 27-nation bloc climate-neutral by 2050, with member states and parliament agreeing on the targets on the eve of a virtual summit that U.S. President Biden will host.
“Our political commitment to becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050 is now also a legal commitment. The Climate Law sets the EU on a green path for a generation,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen early Wednesday.
Under the provisional deal reached after officials negotiated through the night, the EU also commits itself on an intermediate target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
“It was high time for the agreement, as Europe has to show where it stands in view of the positive developments in the USA and China,” said MEP Peter Liese, the negotiator for the EPP Christian Democrat group.
Also Read: Calls for immediate action to tackle climate change
Up to now, the 2030 target had been 40% but under the pressure of increasing evidence of climate change and a more environmentally-conscious electorate that target was pushed up, even if the EU legislature had wanted at 60% target.
The Greens specifically complained that too many accounting tricks had been used to reach the level of 55% while in reality the reduction would be lower.
The United States, the world’s second-biggest polluter after China, is preparing to announce its new target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Under Biden, the United States has returned to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and all global partners will be meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, to push for strong targets.
Both Washington and Brussels are aiming to go “carbon neutral” by midcentury, a goal scientists say needs to be achieved to keep average global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) by the year 2100. The Paris accord’s more ambitious target of capping global warming at 1.5 C (2.7 F) by the end of the century compared with pre-industrial times would likely require even more drastic worldwide cuts in emissions.
Wednesday’s EU deal still needs to be officially approved by the member states and the legislature but should be little more than a rubber stamp.
Biden pressed on emissions goal as climate summit nears
When President Joe Biden convenes a virtual climate summit on Thursday, he faces a vexing task: how to put forward a nonbinding but symbolic goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will have a tangible impact on climate change efforts not only in the U.S. but throughout the world.
The emissions target, eagerly awaited by all sides of the climate debate, will signal how aggressively Biden wants to move on climate change, a divisive and expensive issue that has riled Republicans to complain about job-killing government overreach even as some on the left worry Biden has not gone far enough to address a profound threat to the planet.
The climate crisis poses a complex political challenge for Biden, since the problem is harder to see and far more difficult to produce measurable results on than either the coronavirus pandemic relief package or the infrastructure bill.
Also read: US, China agree to cooperate on climate crisis with urgency
The target Biden chooses “is setting the tone for the level of ambition and the pace of emission reductions over the next decade,″ said Kate Larsen, a former White House adviser who helped develop President Barack Obama’s climate action plan.
The number has to be achievable by 2030 but aggressive enough to satisfy scientists and advocates who call the coming decade a crucial, make-or-break moment for slowing climate change, Larsen and other experts said.
Scientists, environmental groups and even business leaders are calling on Biden to set a target that would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030.
The 50% target, which most experts consider a likely outcome of intense deliberations underway at the White House, would nearly double the nation’s previous commitment and require dramatic changes in the power and transportation sectors, including significant increases in renewable energy such as wind and solar power and steep cuts in emissions from fossil fuels such as coal and oil.
Anything short of that goal could undermine Biden’s promise to prevent temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, experts say, while likely stirring up sharp criticism from international allies and Biden’s own supporters.
The target is significant, not just as a visible goal for the U.S. to achieve after four years of climate inaction under President Donald Trump, but also for “leveraging other countries,″ Larsen said. “That helps domestically in the battle that comes after, which is implementing policies to achieve that target. We can make a better case politically at home if other countries are acting at the same level of ambition as the U.S.”
The 2030 goal, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC, is a key part of the Paris climate agreement, which Biden rejoined on his first day in office. It’s also an important marker as Biden moves toward his ultimate goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Clearly the science demands at least 50%” in reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, said Jake Schmidt, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a leading environmental group.
The 50% target “is ambitious, but it is achievable,″ he said in an interview. It’s also a good climate message, he said: “People know what 50% means — it’s half.″
Whatever target Biden picks, the climate summit itself “proves the U.S. is back in rejoining the international effort″ to address climate change, said Larsen, now a director at the Rhodium Group, an independent research firm.
Also read: FM: Bangladesh’s points to be on agenda of Biden's Climate Summit
The summit is “the starting gun for climate diplomacy” after a four-year “hiatus” under Trump, she said. John Kerry, Biden’s climate envoy, has been pressing global leaders in person and online ahead of the summit for commitments and alliances on climate efforts.
Nathaniel Keohane, another former Obama White House adviser and now a vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, said experts have coalesced around the need to reduce emissions by at least 50% by 2030.
“The number has to start with 5,” he said, adding, “We’ve done the math. We need at least 50%.″
The 2030 target is just one in a sometimes overlapping set of goals that Biden has outlined on climate. He also has said he expects to adopt a clean energy standard that would make electricity carbon-free by 2035, along with the wider goal of net-zero carbon emissions economy-wide by 2050.
Biden’s climate adviser, Gina McCarthy, acknowledged that the sheer volume of numbers can be confusing. At a forum last week, she and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said climate activists should focus on actions in the next decade.
“Let’s stop talking about 2050,″ said McCarthy, who is leading White House efforts to develop U.S. climate commitments for 2030.
Bloomberg, 79, was even more blunt: 2050 “is a good number for people who give speeches, but I don’t know anyone giving those speeches who’s going to be alive in 2050.″
Some Republican lawmakers call the focus on reducing U.S. emissions counter-productive, saying Biden’s plan would raise energy costs and kill American jobs while allowing Russia, China and other countries to increase greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Biden administration will set punishing targets for the United States, while our adversaries keep the status quo. That won’t solve climate change,″ said Sen. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy Committee. The United States already leads the world in reducing carbon emissions, Barrasso said, adding that Biden should try to “make American energy as clean as we can, as fast as we can, without raising costs for consumers.”
Some on the left think Biden is not going far enough.
Also read: Bangladesh, US to work together to address challenges of climate change
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat who has called for a massive Green New Deal, said Biden deserves “a lot of credit” for his infrastructure plan’s vision and scope, but said it falls far short of what is needed to meaningfully combat the climate crisis. She and her supporters are calling for at least $10 trillion in federal spending over the next decade to address climate change and other problems.
McCarthy disputed the notion that Biden has backtracked from campaign promises to lead on climate.
“We’re always either doing too little or too much,″ she told reporters earlier this month. “But rest assured that the president put a (spending) number out here that he felt was not just defensible but required to meet this moment in time.″
Much of the proposed spending to address climate change is included in Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill.
If Republicans think less money should be spent on clean energy and infrastructure, McCarthy added, “then we’ll have those conversations.”
Marcella Burke, a former Trump administration official who now is an energy lawyer in Houston, gives Biden an “A-Plus for enthusiasm” on climate, but an incomplete on details. “We’ve had a lot of goals, but not a lot of strategy announced to get there,″ she said. “So the jury is still out.
FM: Bangladesh’s points to be on agenda of Biden's Climate Summit
The “Leaders’ Summit on Climate”, set to be held later this week, will largely incorporate the issues raised by Bangladesh on its agenda as the United States is “giving much importance” to Bangladesh as its partner to tackle the climate crisis, says the Foreign Minister.
“They’ve much interest in Bangladesh. They’ve taken a note of key issues that should come up in the Summit agenda,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told UNB during an interaction at his residence.
The US praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her leadership in the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and she will be "recognised for Bangladesh's leadership" of the countries, especially vulnerable to climate impacts, during the Climate Summit.
US President Joe Biden, who took action on his first day in office to return the United States to the Paris Agreement, has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to join the Summit to be held on April 22 and 23.
Bangladesh talked about the significance of the promised international financial flow at and beyond US$100 billion annually to support sustainable development and energy transformations of the developing economies.
Bangladesh stressed that the funding should be distributed at a 50:50 ratio between mitigation and adaptation at the same time noting that adaptation without mitigation is not a good strategy.
On the issue of the national determined contribution (NDC), Foreign Minister Momen emphasised on behalf of Bangladesh as well as the CVF that all countries need to work hard to fulfill their NDCs at the earliest.
“We talked about US$ 100 billion financial flow and the issue of NDC. Hopefully, these will be included in the agenda,” Dr Momen said.
PM urged to speak for “A Global Regime on Climate Displacement” at Leaders’ Summit on Climate
Climate change experts, policymakers and civil society members on Saturday urged the Prime Minister to speak for “A Global Regime on Climate Displacement” in the upcoming US president hosted Leaders’ Summit on Climate.
They also requested the PM to take a position on 1.5 degree Celsius increase as the target to limit global warming.
They made the plea while addressing a virtual seminar titled “Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change and Civil Society Expectations” jointly organized by COAST Foundation, CSRL (Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood), CLEAN-BD [Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network], BIPNet-CCBD [Bangladesh Indigenous People Network on Climate Change & Biodiversity] and CPRD [Centre for Participatory Research and Development].
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, the Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change took part as the Chief Guest in the virtual seminar cChaired by Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Chairman of PKSF (Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation). Rezaul Karim Chowdhury from COAST Foundation moderated the seminar.
Also read: UK lauds Hasina's leadership on climate front
Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary, MP, of Gaibandha-1, Dr. Atiq Rahman, Executive Director-BCAS, Dr. Ainun Nishat, Professor Emeritus BRAC University, Dr. Manjurul Hannan Khan former Additional Secretary, Ministry of EF & CC, Sharif Jamil, General Secretary- BAPA, Md Shamsuddoha, Chief Executive-CPRD, Ziaul Hoque Mukta of CSRL, Mrinal Kanti Tripura, BIPNet-CCBD, Hasan Mehedi of CLEAN-BD and Kawser Rahman- BCJF have participated and spoke in the seminar.
In a keynote presentation, Syed Aminul Hoque of COAST, a national NGO, working in coastal belt, said that US indeed have to show the best example on climate action especially reducing GHG [Green House Gases] emission, financing to the MVCs [Most Vulnerable Countries] adaptation & mitigation effort to take global leadership.
He put some demands those are included that US [United State] will enhance their NDC up to 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching the “net zero” by 2050, declare own country share [03 billion] for US$ 100 billion in GCF and promise to facilitate the GCF 50% for adaptation and US self-declaration to relax and ensure IPR [Intellectual Property Rights] Flexibility for Technology transfer to MVCs adaptation & mitigation effort.
In his address, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said that as the CVF chair Bangladesh will address their climate vulnerabilities in upcoming Leaders’ Summit, apart we should claim finance & technologies for adaptation, removing GCF procrastination to channelize the fund for MVCs and oppose to include the L&D [Loss & Damage] issues in adaptation related negotiation process under Paris Agreement (PA).
Also read: Hasina's leadership to ‘amplify calls for decisive action’ on climate front
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, said the Biden-called summit is an acid test for USA to facilitate multilateralism in climate action. So that we should take position for 1.5 degree temperature cap for US and other big emitters and it should be under specific target of actions by 2030.
Saber Chowdhur also gives importance to set the peak year period to achieve the target.
Dr. Ainun Nishat opined that Bangladesh may not benefit from dealing with the market mechanism under PA. Rather give attention to finance and climate migration as the US has taken the migration issue seriously, he said.
Dr. Atiq Rahaman criticized US to forget their last four years role and carbon emission and now trying to make window dressing in the name of summit. Ziaul Hoque Mukta demand Separate Regime for Climate displacement. Shamsuddoha and Kawser Ahemed also urged PM role to make CVF as negotiation group in PA implementation process.
Also read: Bangladesh, US to work together to address challenges of climate change
Member of Parliament Barrister Shamim Patwary concerned for extinction due to climatic impact. These issues need to uphold in the Leaders’ Summit. Fund should be placed through multilateral negotiation to ensure our protection. Hasan Mehedi demand urgent action to stop US investors in carbon emitting project investment as they emitting GHG 117 fold higher globally comparing their domestic emission.
Manjurul Hannan opine the developed countries will implement their dirty projects by MVCs in the name emission trading that shouldn’t accepted. So that we should emphasis to enhance their NDCs.
Climate Challenge: Kerry due Friday to have discussions with Bangladesh
John Kerry, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, is scheduled to arrive here on Friday on a brief visit during which Bangladesh will convey its priority issues on the climate front.
Kerry, now in India on a four-day visit, will hand over the US President’s invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in person to attend the "Leaders Summit on Climate" to be held on April 22 and 23 virtually.
Kerry is looking forward to "meaningful discussions" with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and others during his stay in Dhaka on how to tackle the climate crisis.
"In Dhaka, Special Presidential Envoy Kerry will meet representatives from the government of Bangladesh and key development and international partners," a State Department spokesperson told UNB.
As the president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the Vulnerable Twenty Group of Finance Ministers, the spokesperson said, Bangladesh plays a leading role in combating climate change.
Also read: Leaders Summit on Climate: Kerry due Apr 9 to invite PM Hasina
Marcia Bernicat, US senior official for economic growth, energy and the environment, has said Bangladesh’s leadership in addressing climate change offers the United States – and the world – a great partner to tackle this climate crisis.
As president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the Vulnerable Twenty Group of Finance Ministers, she said, Bangladesh can make irreplaceable contributions towards a successful COP26.
As a climate vulnerable country, Bernicat said, Bangladesh will require significant climate adaptation and resilience, especially in view of its increasingly ambitious climate goals.
US companies are well placed to deliver many of the solutions Bangladesh will need to sustainably grow its economy, she said.
“Yes, we’re happy that he’s coming. We worked with him before, too,” Foreign Minister Dr Momen told UNB.
Also read: Climate-induced displacement a vital security issue for all: Kerry
US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Hasina, to the “Leaders' Summit on Climate” that he will host. The virtual summit will be live-streamed for public viewing.
The “Leaders Summit on Climate” will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.
“We’ll be happy to convey our priority issues. We’ll also share the steps that Bangladesh has taken so far,” Dr Momen said.
He said Bangladesh believes that adaptation is not enough and there has to be mitigation and Bangladesh needs support as promised by others. “It should be Kerry’s special target.”
Dr Momen said Bangladesh did not create the problem and those responsible countries should share responsibility of rehabilitating and protecting people from the river erosions.
Also read: Kerry invites Bangladesh to join US climate conference
President Biden has emphasised the challenge of climate change, stating, “The United States and the world face a profound climate crisis and by placing climate change at the centre of our foreign policy, diplomacy, and national security.”
During his recent meeting with Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry, Dr Momen discussed the global issue of climate change, and the possible US-Bangladesh collaboration in this connection.
The Foreign Minister recollected the vital contribution of Kerry towards the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and welcomed the decision of the US to return to the Paris Agreement.
He described various actions taken by the government of Bangladesh under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
Dr Momen also briefed John Kerry on all current and future activities of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) regional office in Dhaka.
Also read: Climate Change: Kerry discusses possible Bangladesh-US collaboration
Kerry recognised the extraordinary challenges faced by Bangladesh due to climate change and frequent natural disasters.
Agreeing that the international financial institutions could do more for the issue of climate change, he also opined that displacement due to climate change would be a vital security issue for everybody.
They agreed to work closely in the COP26 and other multilateral platforms in order to fulfil commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement and even go beyond Paris.
President Biden took action on his first day in office to return the US to the Paris Agreement.
Days later, on January 27, he announced that he would soon convene a leaders’ summit to galvanise efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis.
Leaders Summit on Climate: Kerry due Apr 9 to invite PM Hasina
John Kerry, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on April 9 on a daylong visit during which Bangladesh will convey its priority issues to him on the climate front.
“Yes, we’re happy that he’s coming. We worked with him before, too,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told UNB on Wednesday.
Kerry will hand over the invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in person to attend the "Leaders Summit on Climate" to be held on April 22 and 23, Dr Momen said.
US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Hasina, to the summit that he will host. The virtual summit will be live-streamed for public viewing.
The “Leaders Summit on Climate” will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.
“We’ll be happy to convey our priority issues. We’ll also share the steps that Bangladesh has taken so far,” Dr Momen said.
Also read: Strict implementation of Paris deal only way forward for sustainable future: Dhaka
He said Bangladesh believes that adaptation is not enough and there has to be mitigation and Bangladesh needs support as promised by others. “It should be Kerry’s special target.”
Dr Momen said Bangladesh did not create the problem and those responsible countries should share responsibility of rehabilitating and protecting people from the river erosions.
During his recent meeting with Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry, the foreign minister discussed the global issue of climate change, and the possible US-Bangladesh collaboration in this connection.
The Foreign Minister recollected the vital contribution of Kerry towards the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and welcomed the decision of the US to return to the Paris Agreement.
He described various actions taken by the Government of Bangladesh under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Hasina on mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
Dr Momen also briefed John Kerry on all current and future activities of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) regional office in Dhaka.
Also read: John Kerry chosen as Biden’s climate tsar
Kerry recognised the extraordinary challenges faced by Bangladesh due to climate change and frequent natural disasters.
Agreeing that the international financial institutions could do more for the issue of climate change, he also opined that displacement due to climate change would be a vital security issue for everybody.
They agreed to work closely in the COP26 and other multilateral platforms in order to fulfil commitments under the Paris climate agreement and even go beyond Paris.
President Biden took action on his first day in office to return the US to the Paris Agreement.
Days later, on January 27, he announced that he would soon convene a leaders’ summit to galvanise efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis.
FM for engaging youth power globally on climate front
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday called upon all to engage youths in climate adaptation issues globally saying they are the future.