COP26’s first week saw keynote pledges to end deforestation, phase out coal, and mobilise trillions for green investment. But observers say there is a gulf between host Britain’s proclamations and the emissions cuts that must be achieved.

Forty-five nations were scheduled to pledge to step up protection of nature and overhaul farming to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the British hosts of the COP26 UN climate summit said, as thousands of climate protesters around the globe joined Glasgow to protest against climate inaction by world leaders.

Thousands of young people marched through the streets of Glasgow yesterday to protest a lack of climate action with a clear message to negotiators at the COP26 summit: “If not now, when?” 

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday expressed optimism about adequate flow of funds to address climate change-related challenges, noting that Bangladesh has taken a very strong leadership role in COP26.

Activists will take over the UN climate summit in Scotland on Friday, capping off a week of dizzying government speeches and pledges with a student march, youth-led presentations, and a giant iceberg shipped from Greenland to Glasgow's River Clyde to dramatize the plight of the Arctic.

UN conference host Britain said 77 countries had pledged to phase out coal, dirtiest of the fossil fuels that drive global warming, as a study showed the carbon dioxide they release into the atmosphere had rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels.

‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan’ which has been presented at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) will be implemented in 2030 and it needs local and foreign funds.

Australia has shown keen interest to help Bangladesh in developing climate resilience and in Rohingya repatriation.

Banks, insurers and investors with $130 trillion at their disposal pledged on Wednesday to put combatting climate change at the centre of their work, and gained support in the form of efforts to put green investing on a firmer footing.

Climate troubles will only get more pronounced and disastrous.

The wars of the 21st century will be fought over water, the former World Bank Vice-President Ismail Serageldin had predicted in 1995. And a recent visit to the Chattogram Hill Tracts suggests the region is inching that way.

The outcomes of the COP26 Summit depend on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and four other such influential dealmakers, who have been tasked with committing the 197 countries to the changes, according to a BBC report.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said effective action plans are not possible without adequate, sustained, and flexible climate finance.

Houses, croplands, a mosque and several establishments have disappeared due to sudden erosion of Sugandha river near Rahamatpur area under Babuganj upazila in Barishal in the last one week.

The outcomes of the COP26 Summit depend on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and four other such influential dealmakers, who have been tasked with committing the 197 countries to the changes, reports BBC.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the world would have to share the responsibilities of climate migrants, as she addressed the Scottish Parliament at an event titled “Call for Climate Prosperity”.

The Bezos Earth Fund pledged $2 billion Tuesday to fight climate change through landscape restoration and the transformation of agricultural systems.

World leaders yesterday issued a multibillion-dollar pledge to end deforestation by 2030, a promise met with scepticism by environmental groups who say more urgent action is needed to save the planet’s lungs.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said structural inequalities in society along with inherent social customs are causing disproportionate impacts of climate change on women.

More than 100 countries were set to pledge Tuesday to end deforestation, which scientists say is a major driver of climate change.