Tarique calls for four urgent actions against sea-level rise.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today called for four urgent global actions to tackle the growing threat of sea-level rise, including faster and deeper cuts in global emissions, accessible adaptation finance, wider access to climate-smart technologies and stronger international cooperation to address climate-induced displacement and damage.
He made the call at a high-level meeting on addressing the existential threat posed by sea-level rise, held at the Conference Room 4 of the United Nations Headquarters here this morning (Local time), on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The Prime Minister said that a 25-centimetre rise in sea level could submerge around 4 percent of Bangladesh’s land by 2050, threatening the homes, livelihoods and human dignity of about 10 million people, according to a World Bank estimate.
“The sea is rising fast. Our ambition must rise faster,” Tarique Rahman said, urging the international community to turn the promises of the Declaration on Sea-Level Rise into action and ensure that no nation is left behind to face the rising tide.
He thanked the President for convening the high-level meeting and the co-facilitators for their efforts in crafting the Declaration.
Elaborating on the four urgent actions, the Prime Minister first called for faster, deeper and fairer cuts in global emissions, stressing that the world must keep the 1.5-degree Celsius target within reach.
“First, we must cut global emissions faster, deeper, and more fairly. We must keep 1.5 degree Celsius within reach,” he said.
Second, he called for predictable and accessible finance for adaptation in climate-vulnerable countries.
“Vulnerable countries like Bangladesh cannot face the grave consequences of sea-level rise alone,” he said, stressing that global support and assistance are needed to redouble their efforts.
Third, the Prime Minister called for expanding access to climate-smart technologies, data and early-warning systems for vulnerable coastal nations.
He said Bangladesh had already built early-warning systems, strengthened cyclone preparedness and invested in coastal protection despite its limited resources.
Finally, Tarique Rahman called for stronger international cooperation to address climate-induced displacement and loss and damage and to ensure dignified pathways for communities displaced by sea-level rise.
The Prime Minister said the calls were particularly important for Bangladesh, an active delta where hundreds of rivers meet the sea and people live close to the water.
“Our prosperity and future are tied to the coast,” he said.
He said adaptation measures alone would not be enough to address the effects of sea-level rise, as “the ocean reacts to every tonne of carbon the world releases.”
“Therefore, we need to rethink the way we consume, so that we reduce carbon emissions into the environment,” he said.
Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh was taking ambitious steps to strengthen its climate resilience.
“Over the next five years, Bangladesh aims to dig around 20,000 kilometres of rivers and canals, advance the Padma Barrage initiative to retain and reserve water, modernize the Teesta Barrage with a master plan and plant 250 million trees,” he said.
At the same time, Bangladesh is pursuing green growth, targeting at least 20 percent renewable electricity by 2030, with an emphasis on solar power, while promoting green industries and eco-friendly transport.
It is also developing a national carbon market and strengthening the protection of forests, wetlands and vulnerable coastal ecosystems, he said.
The high-level meeting brought together heads of government and state, as well as representatives of relevant international organizations, on the occasion of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
Concluding his remarks, the Prime Minister reiterated the need to translate the Declaration into concrete action.
“I believe we will all come together, turn the promises of the Declaration into action, and ensure that no nation is left behind to face the rising tide,” he said.
“Let our resolve rise with the sea, and let our action rise even faster,” Tarique Rahman added.
