UN climate summit and the call of the hour

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is convening UN Climate Summit in New York on 23 September to spur strong political momentum to launch a new climate treaty in Paris in 2015, for inclusion of climate as a stand-alone sustainable development goal in the post-MDG era and bolstering robust climate finance to take concrete actions on the ground.
Over 130 heads of state or government from around the globe are scheduled to reach UN headquarters for joining this summit but some important leaders are also not showing up. Ministers and negotiators would speak at different panels and roundtables next week on the sideline of the climate summit. Civil society and stakeholders would join the People's Climate March in Manhattan on 21 September.
As a frontline country fighting against the adverse impacts of climate change, this summit is important for Bangladesh. At the summit and during different panels and roundtables developing countries, especially most vulnerable LDCs including Bangladesh, should raise the concerns and showcase the success stories and best practices in our fight against adverse impacts of climate change.
The Delegation of the European Union is hosting a ministerial roundtable on 20 September evening where a number of key ministers including Bangladesh environment minister Anwar Hossain Manju would reflect on measures of success of the climate negotiations in Lima end this year and in Paris in 2015 and how can political leaders work to ensure it. Here the EU should play a leadership role. EU did a commendable job by reaching its own 2020 emission reduction target six years ahead of schedule without any job cut or economic pain. This proves carbon cut is reachable, not so painful and not so expensive. This roundtable will certainly give the ministers an opportunity to discuss the crunch issues in an informal setting.
All 49 LDCs are determined to mobilise their efforts to face boldly the climate crisis as these countries are deeply concerned that climate change poses a serious threat to the survival, ecological balance and development efforts of developing countries especially in the LDCs and other vulnerable countries.
With the release of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Fifth Assessment Report, science is very loud and clear and calls for taking urgent global actions and warn that any further delay in taking action to tackle climate change will not only lead to greater adverse effects increasing the needs for adaptation but also to severe loss and damage in LDCs and other vulnerable developing countries.
Therefore, any measure of success of the climate negotiations in Lima and Paris are first to take IPCC Fifth Assessment Report seriously and make strong and urgent global actions without further delay. Political leaders must work together to ensure that. Negotiations for the 2015 climate agreement should provide an opportunity for Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to aim for and incentivise universal participation for addressing climate change in a more ambitious, fair and robust manner. That is one of the measures of success.
At the summit global leaders should re-emphasise that a 2oC temperature rise will risk our safety and survival. All Parties should agree on a global goal of limiting temperature increase below 1.5oC, a goal that is supported by all LDCs, Small Island Developing States and African countries, more than 100 countries in the world and more than 50 per cent of UN membership. A 1.5oC goal must be accompanied by appropriate mid and long-term targets. This means immediate mitigation actions are needed including rapid scaling up of the full portfolio of mitigation actions and quick transition to a low-carbon development pathway.
A decision on national contributions to the 2015 Paris Agreement, reconfirmation of the clear timeline, guidance on the accompanying information to make contributions fully explicit in terms of mitigation impact, adaptation benefit and establishment of a consultation process would be one of  the measures of success. The contour of elements of the new agreement with narratives should be agreed at Lima and should be the foundation for further negotiations in 2015. Decision on the future work-stream on enhancing pre-2020 mitigation ambition is another measure of success.
Lima conference should make clear announcement of initial resource mobilisation for the Green Climate Fund, delivery status of climate finance, decide on the composition of and procedure for the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, progress on national adaptation plans and land, agriculture and forests, technology transfer and capacity building.
Political leaders from developed countries should come up with concrete pledges and commitments at the summit. Ministers should play key role through roundtables, consultations and informal parleys from now on to Lima and in the run-up to Paris. Some of the ministers should work on some of the key issues to make advancement in the process of negotiations in an inclusive and balanced manner.
As carriers of a vision for a climate-smart future, political leaders must work together rescue the Mother Earth. Global leaders must raise our ambitions-- both mitigation and adaptation. The principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibility with respective capability, should be the guiding principles in shaping ambitious outcomes in Lima and Paris. All must learn from each other, share the best practices and help implement global collective decisions.
All should be ready to play their part in the global efforts. In fact, like Bangladesh, all other LDCs are taking many actions on climate change. Therefore, the industrialised countries should take the lead and raise their level of mitigation ambition. Many LDCs, including Bangladesh, have put in place policies, institutional arrangements and programmes for addressing climate change. Bangladesh has already prepared National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) in 2005 and updated it in 2009 to address urgent and immediate adaptation needs. Even though not mandatory for LDCs including Bangladesh, we are submitting our Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to the UNFCCC. Over and above, Bangladesh went one step ahead in formulating Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) in 2009 declaring to pursue a low carbon development pathway and created Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund with a national budgetary allocation of $350 million and Bangladesh Climate Resilient Fund with $ 190 million from development partners to help implement BCCSAP action programmes.
Global leaders have to prioritise adaptation for managing climate change impacts. Political leaders must fully operationalise Green Climate Fund and Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage. Bangladesh and some other LDCs are finalising the Road Map of National Adaptation Plan (NAP). Therefore, global leaders should make provision for adequate and timely support for formulation and implementation of NAPs.
LDCs including Bangladesh are reiterating that these countries need increased and additional financial, technology and capacity building support to deal with climate change related needs, in accordance with Article 4.9 of the UNFCCC which must continue to operate under the 2015 Agreement.
LDCs including Bangladesh have always argued that mitigation is the best adaptation. Moreover, adaptation has also limitations. The international community should be more ambitious in mitigation actions and stand in support of the most vulnerable countries.
All Parties should consider a major paradigm shift through a technology revolution for energy efficiency and renewable energy to face and address runaway climate change.
Global leaders and all Parties should consider UN Climate Summit as a unique opportunity to steer the momentum and head towards COP 21 in Paris with a real sense of urgency and purpose. All leaders must mandate their negotiators to deliver a meaningful, balanced, fair and ambitious climate agreement in December 2015 to address the greatest challenge of our time and thus rescue the most vulnerable people from climate cross-fire.
The writer is a climate negotiator and chairman of FEJB and APFEJ.
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