Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has used two separate high-level UN meetings to press Bangladesh’s case for stronger global climate action, warning that rising seas could threaten nearly 10 million Bangladeshis by 2050, as he prepares to deliver his maiden address to the UN General Assembly early morning Bangladesh time.
At a high-level meeting on sea-level rise on Thursday, Tarique warned that climate-vulnerable countries such as Bangladesh cannot confront the consequences of rising seas through adaptation alone, calling for faster emission cuts and greater international support.
Citing World Bank estimates, he said a 25-centimetre rise in sea level by 2050 could submerge around 4% of Bangladesh’s landmass, threatening the homes, livelihoods and dignity of nearly 10 million people.
He outlined four priorities: faster and more equitable global emission reductions, predictable adaptation finance, wider access to climate-smart technology and early-warning systems, and stronger international cooperation on climate-induced displacement, loss and damage.
The intervention followed another high-level UN meeting, “Climate Action and the Just Transition”, where Tarique on Wednesday presented a five-point agenda for global climate action.
There, he called for keeping the 1.5°C warming limit within reach, predictable and affordable climate finance, greater access to climate-smart technologies, expansion of renewable energy and full implementation and regular replenishment of the Loss and Damage Fund.
Tarique told the meeting that Bangladesh contributes less than 0.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions but remains highly vulnerable to climate change, with climate-related losses amounting to around 1% of GDP.
Against that vulnerability, he highlighted Bangladesh’s plans to dredge around 20,000 kilometres of rivers and canals and plant 250 million trees over five years, alongside work on the Padma and Teesta barrages and a target of meeting 20% of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030.
The climate interventions set the stage for Tarique’s first speech to the UN General Assembly as prime minister.
He is expected to deliver the address in Bangla and set out Bangladesh’s wider international priorities, including climate change, global peace and security, sustainable development, economic cooperation, humanitarian issues and the Rohingya crisis.
The speech will cap a series of high-level engagements during his first UN General Assembly visit as head of government.
“Sea levels are rising rapidly. We must advance our ambitions even faster,” Tarique told world leaders on Thursday.