With the 29th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) set to begin starting from today, the time is at hand for the world to come together and ensure climate justice for the many vulnerable communities and populations throughout the world.
Bangladesh is one of the most climate vulnerable nations in the world, not only due to its low-lying topography but primarily due to the vigorous early industrialization of certain developed nations resulting in inordinate levels of global emissions. Such irresponsible industrialization is the main driver of the climate crisis, which has led to not only increasing heatwaves and more frequent extreme weather events, but also directly contributes to worsening air quality and the spread of infectious disease.
One of the key focuses of COP29 will reportedly be on finance, where visiting nations are also going to present their updated national climate action plans under the Paris agreement, due by early 2025. Any discussions on climate financing would be absolutely incomplete without the acknowledgment of the very idea of loss and damage, where countries with higher emissions levels would support climate vulnerable nations, monetarily and otherwise, to help them with the rising effects of climate change.
It is a moral imperative on the part of such developed nations to support countries like Bangladesh to overcome the effects of the mess they have made, and while climate reparations are the most obvious way that can be achieved, sharing expertise on mitigation is also non-negotiable.