USAID LAUNCHES NEW $20.5 MILLION CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION ACTIVITY IN BANGLADESH TO PROTECT WILDLIFE, FORESTS, AND LIVELIHOOD
During her trip to Bangladesh, USAID Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming Isobel Coleman launched a new five-year, up to $20.5 million USAID Ecosystems/Protibesh activity to protect critical biodiverse areas in Bangladesh from degradation. The program targets two key areas, including the Sundarbans mangrove forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site home to the Royal Bengal tiger, and forest and freshwater wetland ecosystems of the Sylhet border region in northeastern Bangladesh. The project will also help communities build long term climate resilience by adopting climate-smart agriculture approaches and learning business skills to diversify and increase their incomes, moving away from reliance on natural resources from forests for their livelihoods. The new Protibesh program builds on a long history of partnership between USAID and the Government of Bangladesh and local community leaders to protect and sustainably manage the country’s biodiverse landscapes and ecosystems. Applying lessons learned from previous interventions to strengthen environmental governance and sustainable forest and wetland management, Protibesh will be locally-led by community members and GOB counterparts, including the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Land, and the Bangladesh Forest Department. As a result of Protibesh conservation, and climate adaptation and mitigation activities, Bangladesh will be able to combat the effects of climate change, protect the country’s critical natural resources––a rich source of life and livelihoods for the people of Bangladesh––and build resilience to climate-induced natural disasters.
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.