Various initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gases
The draft announcement of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26) called on all countries to decide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a larger scale within the following year.
There is a big gap in meeting the targets set in the Paris Agreement in 2015. All the targets have to meet, and for this, they agreed on conducting annual ministerial-level discussions.
The draft was released on November 12, 2021. It calls on each country to update its national role or NDC every year in tackling climate change.
Environmentalists say the Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming rise to 2 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. In Glasgow, it was necessary to set it at one and a half degrees Celsius.
The draft declaration mentions aspirations of 1.5 degrees, and the national commitments made at the conference so far have promised to reduce emissions by 2030. But scientists fear that even if will implement these promises, global warming will reach a rising of 2.4 degrees Celsius.
The IPCC cautions that if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius, 37 percent of the world’s population will be exposed to extreme heat waves at least once every five years, compared to less than half of that amount in a 1.5-degree scenario.
Scientists say there is a need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45 percent by 2030.
Asked if the draft did not address the issue of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, a member of the Bangladesh delegation, said, “This draft is a reflection of the Paris Agreement and will debate further. We will continue to strive to raise our target so that the rate of temperature rise remains at 1.5 degrees Celsius.”
He also hinted at further discussions with the COP president on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Abul Kalam Azad, Bangladesh’s special envoy to the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), said, “We are talking about a platform where every year countries will come up with an extended and ambitious plan to reduce their gas emissions.”
But it should not be limited in publishing plans, but also need to implement an action plan describing how much to reduce gas emissions and enhance adaptation and mitigation as well as highlighting financing issues,” he added.
Recognizing the issue of compensation in the published draft and calling on the developed countries to take action is considered a significant addition.
Developing countries are suffering irreparable losses due to pollution and climate change disasters in industrialized countries. The demand for compensation got avoided on various pretexts for so long.
Now the draft declaration mentions it and appeals to the developed countries for additional and additional assistance.
According to the office of the COP Presidency, 50 countries, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, pledged to build climate-tolerant and low-carbon health care systems. Bangladesh is also among these countries.
