Tarique calls for four-point global actions to tackle climate change

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for four urgent global actions, including ensuring accessible financing to tackle the impacts of climate change.

He made the call on Thursday during a high-level meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, held in the UN conference room to address the threat of sea-level rise.

The prime minister said sea levels were rising rapidly and global efforts to address the threat needed to move faster to protect current and future generations.

He urged countries to work together to turn commitments made in the declaration into concrete action and ensure that no country had to face rising sea levels alone.

Tarique noted that climate-vulnerable countries such as Bangladesh could not cope with the devastating consequences of rising sea levels without international support and cooperation.

He outlined four urgent measures.

In his first call, Tarique said global carbon emissions must be reduced more rapidly, more extensively and more equitably, while the increase in global temperatures must be kept within the 1.5C limit.

His second call was to ensure predictable and accessible financing for coastal adaptation efforts in climate-vulnerable countries.

As his third measure, he called for greater access to climate-smart technologies, data and early-warning systems for vulnerable coastal countries.

For his fourth measure, he called for stronger international cooperation to address climate-induced displacement, damage and loss, as well as ensuring dignified resettlement and livelihood opportunities for people displaced by rising sea levels.