With the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) set to begin on November 6, it is good to hear Bangladesh, among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, utilize the platform to call on governments to establish a loss-and-damage fund for developing and least developed countries and implement climate financing pledges.
Make no mistake about it: The current climate crisis that is wreaking havoc upon millions of people across the world, particularly developing and least developed nations, is not and has never been the fault of these nations.
Indeed, climate change, which is and will remain the single greatest threat to humanity in the 21st century, has been brought about by the developed world and their unchecked emission over the 20th century.
Earlier, the developed world had pledged $100 billion a year to fighting climate change, to be channelled primarily to climate-vulnerable nations. What was to materialize in 2020 was then pushed to 2023, and there has been little indication that we are indeed going to see developed nations live up to their promises.
All in all, Bangladesh and the rest of the developing world must unite and say enough is enough. With 47 LDCs accounting for about 3% of total global emissions, yet paying the heaviest price in terms of loss and damage due to climate change, we cannot and must not stand for this injustice any longer.
It's time to hold developed nations accountable for their inaction and their lifestyles that continue to wreak havoc on Earth. It's about time they pay up, literally.
