Disappearing Bangladeshi island tells story of climate change
The last time rising water levels forced Pervin Bibi to leave her home was three years ago. Now she knows it will happen again soon, as the coastal Bangladeshi island where she lives is disappearing from the map at increasing speed. Located in the estuary of the Meghna River, just a few kilometers from the Bay of Bengal, the island of Dhal Char is shrinking due to river erosion, which has been accelerated by climate change. “You will hardly find anyone on this island who has not relocated houses at least a couple of times,” Bibi, 45, told Arab News. “I had to shift my houses four times in the last 30 years due to river erosion.” She is not the only one. Most of the island’s 10,000 inhabitants have suffered forced displacement when water swept their homes away. Bibi said: “How can we bear the cost of rebuilding the house again and again?” She now lives with her husband and three children on her father’s land located further away from the river. But another relocation is looming. “Now, it’s also on the verge of disappearance,” she said. “Probably within the next six months I will have to relocate to a new place.” The water has deprived Dhal Char residents not only of their homes, but also their sources of livelihood. Another islander, Mohammad Shahjahan, 47, said that he used to have agricultural land on the island, but now, like many others, he is a landless fisherman. “We used to cultivate paddies on our own lands and there was no question of buying rice from the market,” he said. “Most of the people in Dhal Char live on fishing. Many areas of the island went underwater in the last two decades, so people don’t have enough land to cultivate anymore.”
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.