Category: Dr Saleemul Huq Media
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Climate Vulnerable Forum can change the paradigm on dealing with climate change
The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), consisting of nearly 50 of the most climate vulnerable developing countries, which was set up a decade ago on the basis of their common vulnerability to climate change, has now evolved into a more robust group of countries who are no longer only emphasising their vulnerability but rather moving towards…
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Taking a ‘whole of society’ approach to tackling climate change
The scale of the global climate change emergency that is emerging in 2020 has already made it clear that nothing short of a “whole of society” approach is needed if we are going to be able to tackle it effectively over the coming decade, which is the crucial time window we have left. While this…
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DEADLINE FOR GLOBAL ACTION
Can countries deliver on their climate change pledges?The historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which was agreed by all the countries that were part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2015, had two major outcomes. The first was to try to keep global atmospheric temperature to below 2 degrees Centigrade and, if possible, below 1.5 degrees.…
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We must agree on a global goal for adaptation to climate change
The historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change, agreed at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris, France in 2015, was a major outcome that all vulnerable developing countries, including Bangladesh, strongly fought for. We achieved an important target for the mitigation agenda with the…
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Climate Adaptations Talks – Episode 1: Professor Saleemul Huq
The European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) hosted a podcast series “Climate Adaptation Talk”, in their first episode they are talks to Prof. Saleemul Huq. In this podcast series, which features episodes in English and French, we want to explore the strategies that different countries are using to adapt to an increasingly volatile climate.…
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Developing multiple strategies as part of the National Adaptation Plan for Bangladesh
In last week’s column, I proposed that the Bangladesh National Adaptation Plan (NAP) that is now being developed should be innovative and not just a business-as-usual (BAU) report that will gather dust on a shelf, as many such plans have done in the past. I argued that we should focus on constructing the foundations for…
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Call for a robust mechanism to ensure the effective implementation of Locally-led Action
How to frame and strengthen an effective MEL of LLA on the ground? Most of the dynamic and innovative adaptation solutions around the world are developed by people and communities living at the forefront of climate change. These solutions are generally locally-grounded and context-specific as local people remain in the main driving seat of action.…
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We need to be innovative when developing Bangladesh’s National Adaptation Plan
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), all countries are supposed to develop their respective National Adaptation Plan (NAP) according to a prescribed format provided by international experts. Many countries have already embarked on preparing their NAPs for some time, but Bangladesh has only just started its own. It is now imperative…
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Bangladeshi youth can carve a new path for the Global Youth Adaptation Network
Last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon jointly launched the new South Asian Regional office of the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA). This was followed by the launch of the GCA’s flagship Global Youth Adaptation Network (YAN) by Saima Wajed Hossain, who is the thematic ambassador for Vulnerability of the…
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Bangladesh takes another step towards tackling global climate change
During July last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hosted the Global Commission on Adaptation meeting in Dhaka attended by the co-chairs of the Commission, former Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon and Kristalina Georgiva, head of the International Monetary Fund. During the bilateral discussion between the Prime Minister and Ban Ki-moon, she offered…
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We need a paradigm shift to deal with loss and damage from climate change
In the international negotiations on climate change impacts under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the issue of loss and damage has always been a politically sensitive topic—it brings up issues of liability and compensation, which many developed countries regard as taboo topics. Nevertheless, after much concerted effort from the most vulnerable…
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Four lessons from Covid-19 pandemic for tackling climate change
The global Covid-19 pandemic is now just over half a year old and arguably still in its early stages. However, there are already a few key lessons that are emerging when evaluating the responses of different countries to this public health emergency, which are relevant for tackling the much longer-term and much bigger emergency of…