During the last treaty talks in November in Nairobi, there was strong support from 130 governments for requiring companies to disclose how much plastic they produce, and which chemicals they use in t ...
Bangladesh minister criticises Trump for his climate change stance
Environment and Forests Minister Anwar Hossain Manju thinks the developing countries will not gain anything in the global climate change conference this year because of the United States.
Published : 2 Nov 2017, 06:44 PM
Updated : 2 Nov 2017, 06:44 PM
He was critical of President Donald Trump for his stance on global warming at a media briefing on Thursday on the UN Climate Change Conference or COP 23 scheduled to be held at Bonn on Nov 7-8.
Manju said he "was not feeling good about the conference, but attending it as a routine work".
"The decisions taken at the Paris conference were ratified by 168 countries. Now all of them are frustrated by what only one country says," he explained.
"The existence of two superpowers had ensured a balance that benefitted the developing countries. Now a single country (US) is dictating the entire world," he added.
He said a 'big team' is going to Bonn to say the 'same old things' and to know about the progress of the Paris climate deal.
"But the progress will be zero," he said.
The minister, however, added that Bangladesh's presence in the conference is important since it is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects.
He praised China's initiative urging the US to work together to solve the climate change issues together.
"But the US leadership has defied and challenged the world order," the minister said.
Manju does not think the US, under the Trump administration, will change its stance on the climate change issue after hearing from Bangladesh about its concerns.
"We have been seeing since childhood that a new government always speaks badly about all the initiatives taken by the previous one. That country (US) is in the same condition now.
"They have begun to behave like a developing country; now it's time for us to behave with them like a developed country," he said.
He also thinks Bangladesh was in a 'better position' before the Paris climate deal.
"At least, we were getting some funds thanks to bilateral relations. That has stopped now," he said.
RELATED STORIES
Asia is warming faster than the global average, according to WMO
Buildings across large parts of northern, eastern and western Taiwan, including in the capital, Taipei, swayed throughout the night
The country shut a provincial airport and evacuated hundreds of people from the vicinity of the Ruang volcano
