Bangladesh needs yearly $9b for climate adaptation: Saber

Bangladesh needs $9 billion annually to ensure climate adaptation, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said today (25 March).

He spoke at a day-long workshop titled, 'Navigating the Climate Discourse: From COP-28 (Conference of Parties) Insights to COP-29 Aspirations' organised by Oxfam in Bangladesh on 25 March Sunday in Dhaka.

He attended as the chief guest and discussed the COP-28 achievements, learnings, and challenges of Bangladesh and plans for COP-29.

He said, "We need $9 billion annually for climate adaptation, but we got $3.5 billion this fiscal year. If there was no climate crisis, we could have used this money for constructing roads, schools, and hospitals."

The minister said, "We will discuss what we understand about climate finance in the coming Conference of Parties (COP). We do not want old things to be presented to us as new. We are trying to include healthcare in our National Adaptation Fund."

He also said, "Through the planning ministry, we have formulated our green and climate resilience development policy. From now on, all our development projects will be implemented under this policy. 

"To ensure net zero, we must prioritise renewable and alternative fuels from now on. Investment in fossil fuels must be reduced. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve the net zero target by 2035."

Before the closing session, Md Ziaul Haque, director of the Department of Environment presented the keynote titled, 'Translating COP28 Outcomes and Identifying Key Negotiation Points, development of Strategies and Priorities for Bangladesh as an LDC at COP-29'.

He discussed mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation and support, climate finance, technology development and transfer, capacity-building, loss and damage funds, response measures, international cooperation, guidance and way forward.

Participants of this workshop were a combination of experts who participated in COP and who are working for climate justice. Along with the Minister, former member of parliament Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary, veteran climate experts, activists, former government officials, representatives from development and humanitarian organisations, representatives from youth groups, academicians and journalists also participated.