Hasina happy over climate deal
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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her satisfaction over arriving at a `reasonable conclusion’ at the UN Climate Change Conference, saying there are certain areas that need to be finalized in the future.
“An agreement has been agreed upon taking in most of all our concerns. There are certain areas that would be finalized in the coming days,” she said in a statement at the Lund University on Saturday.
Hasina had visited the Lund University campus with her nuclear physicist husband, late Dr MA Wazed Miah, in 1969.
Referring to the closed-door hectic negotiation in Copenhagen on Friday, the prime minister said a core group was established comprising 25 countries, including Bangladesh, to finalise the agreement.
The PM said it is interesting to note that around 130 heads of states and governments gathered here indicating the great importance they gave to the climate change conference.
She reiterated that though the greenhouse gas emission is negligible in Bangladesh, the country has become one of its worst victims.
Hasina said global warming has subjected Bangladesh to an increasingly frequent and erratic pattern of floods, cyclones, droughts, colossal tidal surges along its southern coasts and unreasonable high level of monsoon rainfall causing landslides and heavy river erosions while absence of seasonal rain in the north causing desertification.
“Therefore, we want adoption of a new legal regime under UNFCCC Protocol to ensure overall rehabilitation of climate refugees,” she told teachers and students of the Lund University.
The PM said Bangladesh is already adapting to climate change. An immediate project is dredging of rivers to keep them on their natural course; deepen to hold more water; contain flooding, reduce flood-induced damages.
Bangladesh has also established a Climate Change Trust Fund with own resources and approved 134 climate adaptation and mitigation action plans, she said, adding that besides, a Multi-Donor Trust Fund has been set up with contributions from development partners and friends.
Hasina said though mitigation is the prime responsibility of developed and major developing emitters of greenhouse gas, Bangladesh is preparing a strategic energy plan for following a low carbon path to development; social forestry; green belts for large carbon sink; clean coal technology; nuclear power; and renewable energy.
She said already 600,000 solar home systems have been installed; vehicles converted to using compressed natural gas as fuel; industries producing toxic waste relocated equipped with effluent treatment facilities; and biodegradable material used as alternate to synthetics.
Referring to her government’s major concerns, the Prime Minister said the major concerns are food security, strengthening democracy, counter terrorism, adapting to climate change, among others.
She said an immediate step had been to apply government intervention in reducing price of food and other daily essentials and maintaining the price within common people’s reach
News Source: www.thedailystar.net
