Lack of finance, weak political will fail climate actions: Hasina tells COP26

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said a lack of finance and strong political will are rendering global climate change adaptation actions ineffective.

“To address this, developed countries must fulfil their commitment of annual $100 billion climate finance with 50:50 allocations for adaptation and mitigation,” she said, addressing the Leaders’ Meeting on Action and Solidarity – The Critical Decade in Glasgow on Monday.

The Bangladesh leader said the developed nations also need to support vulnerable countries by transferring green and clean technologies at affordable cost, according to BSS.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi convened the event.

As the president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, or CVF, and the host of the South Asian office of Global Centre on Adaptation, Hasina said Bangladesh is promoting locally led adaptation in different countries of the world.

Despite being a vulnerable country, Bangladesh is a “global pioneer” on adaptation and mitigation initiatives and resilience, according to Hasina.

Bangladesh is planting 30 million saplings in 2021, and going to launch the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan named after the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to guide the country's development trajectory to a strategic low-carbon pathway, the official news agency quoted her as saying.

Bangladesh has recently submitted an “ambitious” nationally determined contribution to carbon emission cut. It has also drafted National Adaptation Plan with “significant” enhancement of its adaptation initiatives, Hasina said.

The world leaders have gathered in Glasgow for COP26, the United Nations climate change conference. The meeting was organised on the sidelines of the conference.