Various initiatives are being taken to solve Bangladesh’s environmental problems: Syed Rizwana Hasan
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, a leading environmentalist and advisor in Bangladesh’s Interim Government, in charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC), Bangladesh and the Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR), Bangladesh, said that a task force has been formed to control air pollution in Dhaka, which will start working soon.
She said that action is being taken against polluters and the use of single-use plastic is being discouraged.
She made these remarks as the keynote speaker at the seminar “Global Climate Discussions: Bangladesh’s Priorities and Challenges,” organized by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BISS) in Dhaka on December 22.
The advisor said that the Bangladesh government is committed to the best use of the climate budget. The guidelines for the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) have been updated, and funds are now allocated with great care.
Rizwana Hasan said that the money from the climate fund received from international organizations must also be spent properly. Work is underway to determine which sectors should be prioritized. If carbon emissions cannot be reduced, global damage cannot be prevented even by spending more money.
He said that various initiatives are being taken to solve Bangladesh’s environmental problems. Everyone is working together. If rivers and canals are filled, it will not be possible to carry out adaptation activities. Development plans will have to be redesigned, and consumerist lifestyles will have to be abandoned.
Our priority is to promote tolerance, secure funding for adaptation, and maintain transparency in global commitments.
In the case of climate-vulnerable countries like Bangladesh, emphasis should be placed on fair and equitable discussions. The voices of vulnerable populations must be heard and the financial and technological commitments of developed countries must be ensured.
