Bangladesh Needs Yearly $9 Billion for Climate Adaptation

Environment Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury speaking at an Oxfam workshop on navigating the clmate discourse at a city hotel on Monday.

Dhaka, 25 March 2024: Bangladesh needs 9 billion US dollars annually to ensure climate adaptation, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Minister, Saber Hossain Chowdhury MP in a daylong workshop titled, ‘Navigating the Climate Discourse: From COP-28 (Conference of Parties) Insights to COP-29 Aspirations’ organized by Oxfam in Bangladesh on 25 March Sunday in Dhaka.

Minister Saber Hossain took part in this workshop as chief guest and spoke in the closing session on COP-28 achievements, learnings, and challenges of Bangladesh and the plan for COP-29.

He said, ‘We need $9 billion annually for climate adaptation, but we got 3.5 billion this fiscal year. If there were no climate crisis, we could have used this money for constructing roads, schools, and hospitals.

He also discussed the understanding of Climate Finance and in the coming COP-28 and how could Bangladesh add the health sector in the National Adaptation Fund.

MoEFCC Minister said, ‘We will discuss what we understand by Climate Finance in the coming Conference of Parties (COP). We do not want old things to be presented to us as new. We are trying to include healthcare in our National Adaptation Fund.’

He also said, ‘Through the Planning Ministry, we have formulated our Green and Climate Resilience Development Policy. From now on, all our development projects will be implemented under this policy. To ensure net zero, we must prioritize renewable and alternative fuels from now on. Investment in fossil fuels must be reduced. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve the net zero target by 2035.

Before the closing session, Md Ziaul Haque, director of the Department of Environment presented the keynote titled, “Translating COP28 Outcomes and Identifying Key Negotiation Points, development of Strategies and Priorities for Bangladesh as an LDC at COP-29”.

He discussed mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation and support, climate finance, technology development and transfer, capacity-building, loss and damage funds, response measures, international cooperation, guidance and way forward.

Participants of this workshop were a combination of experts who participated in COP and who are working for climate justice. Along with the Minister, former member of parliament Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary, veteran climate experts, activists, former government officials, representatives from development and humanitarian organizations, representatives from youth groups, academicians and journalists also participated. – Press release