Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on COP26 that the country has cancelled 10 coal-based power plants and aims for 40% renewable energy by 2041, just to supplement its efforts against the adverse impacts of climate change.
Photo: PID
“We’ve cancelled 10 coal-based power plants worth 12 billion dollars of foreign investment,” she said while addressing the 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
She added that, “Bangladesh has one of the world’s most extensive domestic solar energy programmes. We have installed more than six million solar home systems in off grid areas of the country ensuring supply of solar electricity to 18 million people over the last few years.”
The prime minister said her government has recently submitted an ambitious and updated NDC to UNFCCC. “Bangladesh has one of the world’s most extensive domestic solar energy programmes. We hope to have 40 percent of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2041.”
Hasina said Bangladesh is trying to address the challenge of climate impacts because of 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals or Rohingyas.
She said Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, though it contributes less than 0.47 percent of global emissions.
Hasina mentioned that the government has established the “Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund” in 2009 to address this challenge. “We’ve doubled climate-related expenses in the last seven years. Currently, we’re preparing the National Adaptation Plan.”
As the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and V20, Bangladesh is promoting the interests of the 48 climate-vulnerable countries, she said.
“We’re also sharing best practices and adaptation knowledge regionally through the South Asia Office of the Global Center of Adaptation’s Dhaka,” she added.
She also called on developed countries to fulfill their commitments of providing 100 billion dollars of climate funds while disseminating clean technology to the most vulnerable developing countries at affordable costs.
