On the eve of the 29th Climate Conference (COP29), scheduled for Baku, Azerbaijan, civil society leaders and experts in Dhaka issued a stark warning: without significant reductions in carbon emissions, climate finance efforts may fail to prevent catastrophic global warming. The seminar, organized by EquityBD—a coalition of non-governmental development and humanitarian organizations—gathered climate advocates to emphasize the urgency of keeping global temperature rise within two degrees Celsius by 2100.
The event, held at the CIRDAP Auditorium and co-hosted by organizations including COAST Foundation, CDP, CPRD, AOSED, BCJF, Manusher Jonno Foundation, and CSRL, brought together prominent voices from government, academia, and NGOs.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Chief Moderator of EquityBD, presided over the seminar, while notable speakers included Dharitri Kumar Sarkar from the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Dr. Fazle Rabbi of PKSF, and climate specialists like Ziaul Haque Mukta from CSRL and Abul Hasan from COAST Foundation, who presented the keynote address.
Urgency for Defined Climate Finance and Reduced Emissions
Speakers stressed that the upcoming COP29 discussions must prioritize emission reductions of 42% by 2030 (compared to 2019 levels) to limit global warming to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius. Dharitri Kumar Sarkar announced that recommendations from this seminar would contribute to Bangladesh’s official position paper for COP29, noting the complex consensus required among 128 nations to reach actionable decisions.
Climate financing was highlighted as a key challenge. Shamsuddoha of CPRD, also a government delegate to COP29, criticized the lack of a universal definition for climate finance. He explained that current funding, including loans from wealthy nations to affected regions, is often labeled as “climate finance” but frequently bypasses United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) channels, instead being managed by profit-driven financial institutions.
Structural Reforms and Fair Access for Affected Nations
Speakers argued for reforms to ensure that climate finance is both accessible and beneficial to vulnerable nations. Dr. Fazle Rabbi from PKSF emphasized that less than 1% of pledged funds from wealthier nations have reached the affected countries, a gap worsened by infrastructural and policy challenges. Ziaul Haque Mukta warned that even if all countries meet their climate commitments, global warming is projected to exceed 3.1% by 2100, which would render much of the planet uninhabitable.
In his keynote speech, Abul Hasan urged that future climate finance should avoid imposing conditionalities on affected nations, advocating for a realistic needs-based approach. Syed Aminul Haque, also of COAST Foundation, proposed a new financial framework to replace the existing structure, which he argued fails to deliver effective climate mitigation results.
The seminar concluded with Rezaul Karim Chowdhury’s call for at least 75% of climate finance to be managed by the UNFCCC. “The more funding flows outside of UNFCCC oversight, the greater the risk of this crucial support becoming another traded commodity,” he cautioned.
With COP29 approaching, Bangladesh’s civil society has made a unified call for global leaders to commit to sustainable climate finance mechanisms and ambitious emissions cuts, stressing that only such decisive action can avert environmental disaster.
