Bangladesh’s COP delegation should reflect wider climate impact: Adviser
Farida Akhtar, Adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, has said that Bangladesh's participation in the United Nations Global Climate Conference (Conference of Parties – COP) should not be confined to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change alone.
Instead, she called for broader representation from relevant sectors, including women and children, agriculture, fisheries and livestock, and disaster management.
She made the remarks while addressing a preparatory workshop for the upcoming COP30 at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka on Tuesday morning. The event was organised by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
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The adviser noted that discussions on climate change often focus narrowly on environmental damage, overlooking the severe impact on the fisheries and livestock sectors. "Rich countries are responsible for around 80 per cent of global carbon emissions, while least-developed and developing nations like Bangladesh suffer the most," she said.
She warned that rising temperatures threaten not only humans but also animals, adding that the excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture is reducing fish production and undermining food security.
"Rich countries have repeatedly failed to fulfil their promises to cut emissions. They talk about 'net zero', but how can it be net before zero? Instead of truly reducing emissions, they rely on tree planting or technology to offset them. We must work at the national, regional, and international levels to bring real reductions in carbon emissions," she added.
The workshop was chaired by Abu Taher Muhammad Jaber, Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, with a welcome address by Md Imam Uddin Kabir, Additional Secretary. Mohammad Navid Shafiullah, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, presented the concept paper on the "World Climate Conference (COP30)".
Professors from various universities, researchers, government and non-government representatives, and climate activists also attended the event.
