Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, emphasized enhancing capacity, increasing budgets, ensuring proper fund utilization and preparing youth to tackle climate challenges.
She urged the younger generation to prepare themselves and develop the ability to deliver the right message.
She said these as the chief guest at a program titled “COP29: Expectations, Reality, and Lessons for the Future” organized by the University of Asia Pacific on Monday.
Rizwana Hasan highlighted the urgent need to rethink economic models to combat climate change, warning that geographical existence is at risk due to its effects.
She noted the lack of a universal definition for climate finance and criticized current funds for failing to adequately address the impacts of climate change.
She further pointed out that 28% of air pollution originates from power plants, an issue yet to be effectively controlled.
She emphasized that achieving environmental justice necessitates simultaneous efforts toward climate justice.
With diminishing agricultural land and polluted rivers in Bangladesh, she called for effective measures to address these issues.
Rizwana Hasan also noted that environmental disasters are reducing adaptation capacity and said that without proper political commitment, international solutions would remain elusive.
She suggested that universities should inspire students to develop alternatives to plastic technologies, paving the way for meaningful change.
During a panel discussion, speakers observed that financial negotiations at COP29 have progressed slowly, failing to meet the $100 billion annual commitment.
They also highlighted that fossil fuel subsidies have reached $1.7 trillion, hindering the advancement of renewable energy.
The panelists stressed that tackling the climate crisis requires $1 trillion annually for developing countries, with one-third of this amount expected from wealthy nations.
