US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue: What Next?
On March 20, Bangladesh hosted the eighth United States-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue, the umbrella platform established in 2012 to elevate the “robust relationship” between Dhaka and Washington. The once-annual dialogue had been on hold since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This dialogue, which coincided with the celebration of 50 years of bilateral ties between Bangladesh and the United States, took place amid new complications. Bilaterally, ties between Dhaka and Washington have been strained since the U.S. sanctions against Bangladesh’s elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and its top officials and the decision not to invite Bangladesh to Biden’s democracy summit in late 2021. More recently, Dhaka’s abstention from the historic U.N. General Assembly vote on the Ukraine crisis on March 2 also highlighted divergent positions. More broadly, the dialogue was held against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine by “revanchist” Russia, the growing assertiveness of “revisionist” China, and the “decline” of the U.S.-led liberal order, which is fostering the creation of a new geostrategic environment in a rapidly changing world order. On the surface, the dialogue seemed to produce a positive outlook, if not success. U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland – the third highest-ranking official in the U.S. State Department – led the U.S. delegation and termed the talks as an “appetizer for the feast,” implying more good things to come. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, who led the Bangladeshi delegation, likewise touted the dialogue as “the beginning of a rejuvenated robust engagement with our U.S. friends.”
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.