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Bangladesh is counting on a fair and just climate deal in Copenhagen

S. Jahangir Hasan Masum
CLIMATE is not only statistical information, rather a fundamental element of human security and common resource for humanity. Climate change is already happening and represents one of the greatest environmental, social and economic challenges for the future.
The world has warmed by an average of 0.76° Celsius since pre-industrial times, and the temperature rise is accelerating. Without action to limit man-made emissions of greenhouse gases. the global average temperature is likely to increase further by 2® to 5°C this century.
Climate change presents significant threats to achieving all of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly those related to eliminating poverty and hunger and promoting environmental sustainability. It may undermine human security by reducing access to, and the quality of, natural resources that are important to sustain livelihoods. It will have a massive impact on food production and may jeopardise food security in many regions. Climate change-related risks may force Deoole into trade-offs that limit their
freedom and minimise choice.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has defined climate change as a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere, in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. The goal of the UNFCCC is stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
By ratifying the convention, parties agree to develop national programs to slow climate change. All countries have a general commitment to address climate change, adapt to its effects, and report on the actions they are taking to implement the UNFCCC. Bangladesh signed the Convention on June 9, 1992, ratified it on April 15, 1994, and ratified the Kyoto Protocol on October22 2001.
The UNFCCC conference in Copenhagen is a great opportunity to press for an effective global deal to curb global warming. The developed countries must cut in their carbon emissions by at least 80 Dercent from 1990 levels bv 2050. which
will be crucial in keeping global warming to2oCorless.
International agreements made between governments of different countries are critical in addressing the global impacts of climate change. It is the moral and ethical responsibility of developed countries to take the lead in ensuring that the level of increase in global temperature is maintained below 2°C over preindustrial levels.
in this 15th conference (COP 15), governments needs to agree on a program to radically slash global greenhouse gas emissions after the current commitment phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012. They also need to agree to a much bigger
package of resources to help poor countries adapt to the unavoidable climate change. The urgency of tackling climate change justifies an acceleration of people's engagement in 2009.
The Countdown to Copenhagen campaign is an APRODEV initiative to ensure that world leaders deliver a fair and effective deal for the poor at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. APRODEV is an association of the 17 major development and humanitarian aid organisations in Europe, includingChurch of Sweden, Diakonia, Norwegian Church Aid, Dan Church Aid, Finn Church Aid,
ICCO, EED, Brot fur die Welt, Bread for AU, and Christi an Aid.
Coastal Development Partnership (CDP), a human rights focused not-for-profit, and public interest serving research and advocacy organisation, is one of the key facilitators of the Countdown to Copenhagen campaign in Bangladesh. CDP is a partner organisation in the APRODEV/ UNFCCC delegationteam.
The Countdown to Copenhagen Bangladesh Campaign has linked 54 NGOs into one platform to connect more than 100,000 climate vulnerable people to get their solidarity for a People's Memorandum. CDP, along with 54 NGOs, is voluntarily conducting the Bangladesh campaign in 57 upzillas of 35 districts. The geographical coverage of the campaign has already shaped it as national climate justice campaign.
The Countdown to Copenhagen Bangladesh Campaign recognises the grassroots NGOs/CBOs as important facilitators for promoting climate change awareness among the communities as well as buUding local adaptive capacity for managing climate risks. The Bangladesh campaign has prepared a People's Memorandum that calls on rich countries, who are most responsible for climate change and have the greatest capacity to act, to sign obligations that commit them to:
• Achieve at least a 40 percent cut in domestic carbon emissions (from 1990 levels) by 2020;
• Provide an additional $150 billion for ensuring that developing countries have all the support and resources necessary to reduce their emissions, develop
cleanly and adapt to climate change;
• Support developing countries emissions reductions and low-carbon development pathways through substantial financing and technology transfer;
• Strengthen international activities through a Global Adaptation Action Framework under the UNFCCC to support vulnerable developing countries to adapt to climate change and build resilience to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
All Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) impact assessments recognise Bangladesh as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the negative impacts of climate change. The geographic location and geo-morphological conditions of Bangladesh make it especially vulnerable to climate change impacts, particularly to sea-level rise. The United National Development Programme (UNDP) has identified Bangladesh to be the most vulnerable country in the world to tropical cyclones and the sixth most vulnerable country to floods.
The Bangladesh campaign is counting on the urgency and commitment from developed countries to keep adaptation as a top-level priority in international negotiations for a post 2012 deal. The Countdown to Copenhagen Bangladesh campaign demands that any solutions to climate change must protect the most vulnerable, compensate displaced people, guarantee individual and collective rights, and respect people s right to participate in decisions that impact on their lives.
S Jahangir Hasan Masum is Executive Director, Coastal Development Partnership (CDP), Bangladesh E-mail masumcdp@yahoo com