Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to take “bold decision” in implementing the Paris Climate Agreement (COP21) to ensure security and peace across nations.
He said the climate issue is not just a developmental or security issue, “it’s our existential issue and this needs to be handled and managed by collaboration of all countries and we must follow the Paris Agreement”.
“We must implement it for the global security, stability and welfare of the people of this planet,” he said in a video statement screened at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2020 on Tuesday.
Bangladesh has recently become President of Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), a platform of 48 climate vulnerable countries.
Dr Momen said the UN Security Council cannot evade the climate change issue any longer.
“Let them take bold decisions in consultation with relevant stakeholders for a better world,” he said, warning that evading the climate change issue for a longer period by the UNSC is likely to increase the potential of serious security and stability problems for many countries and the world.
“The UNSC must help implement the Paris Agreement and arrange necessary resources to face the challenges of climate change.”
The Paris Agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.
It also aims at supporting the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.
The Bangladesh foreign minister termed the COVID-19 pandemic as an “eye-opener” for all the countries.
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world as one-meter sea level rise due to global warming can take one-fifth of the country under water, resulting in the displacement of 30 million to 40 million people from their habitats.
“If millions are uprooted, it will be a security risk not only for Bangladesh but the region as well,” Dr Momen said.
He said thousands of people have already migrated to cities in Bangladesh due to river erosion caused by climate change.
“It is the liability of the countries responsible for global warming to rehabilitate and reintegrate these displaced people into the development process,” he said.