Bangladesh denounces a “tragedy” due to inaction of rich countries in the face of climate change

Bangladesh, a densely populated country of fertile deltas, is among the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change, especially due to rising sea levels and flooding.

But the urgency of the situation does not correspond to the actions of the countries responsible for emissions, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said.

“They don’t act. They can talk, but they don’t act,” he said during his visit to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

“The rich countries, the developed countries: this is their responsibility. They should step forward. But we’re not getting much response from them. That’s the tragedy,” he continued.

“I know rich countries want to be richer and get richer. They don’t care about others.”

Bangladesh has produced a minuscule share of the greenhouse gas emissions that have contributed to global warming by 1.2º Celsius on average above pre-industrial levels.

The Paris agreement called on rich nations to $100 billion annually starting in 2020 to help developing countries deal with climate change.

This year, $83.3 billion was committed, including through private sources, according to figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

One of the key issues ahead of the upcoming UN climate summit, to be held in Egypt in November, is whether rich nations will also have to pay for the loss and damage caused by climate change, and not just adaptation and mitigation.

“We want that fund to be increased. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a good response from developed countries,” said Hasina, 74. “Since they are responsible for these damages, they should show their face.”

Rich nations have only agreed to discuss the issue of loss and damage from 2024.

This year’s General Assembly was the scene of repeated calls for climate justice. The leader of Vanuatu, a small island in the South Pacific, called for an international treaty against fossil fuels; while Pakistan’s prime minister warned that floods that have inundated a third of that country could happen anywhere.

Climate is not the only issue where Bangladesh sees inaction from the West.

Some 750,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 after a scorched earth campaign against the minority group by troops in neighboring Myanmar, which the United States called genocide.

While the world celebrates Bangladesh hosting refugees, along with 100,000 others who fled violence earlier, attention has shifted from the COVID pandemic and now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“As long as they are in our country, we feel it is our duty,” Hasina said, although he clarified patience is wearing thin among Bangladeshis.

Michelle Bachelet, then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, indicated on a visit to Bangladesh in August that there was growing anti-Rohingya sentiment among the population.

“The locals also suffer a lot (…) I can’t say they’re angry, but they feel uncomfortable,” Hasina said.

“The whole burden is falling on us. This is a problem.”

Rohingya refugees, mostly Muslims, live mostly in ramshackle camps with tarpaulins, sheet metal and bamboo.

During her visit, Bachelet said there was no prospect of returning them to Buddhist-majority military-ruled Burma, where the Rohingya are not considered citizens.

Hasina said there were not many options other than for the Rohingya to reside in camps.

“It’s not possible for us to give them an open space because they have their own country. They want to go back there. So that’s the top priority for everybody,” he said.

“If someone wants to take them away, they can take them,” he added. “Why should I oppose it?”

Source: Swiss Info