Step up the ambitions for emissions cut

We have to break the status quo of very little action and return global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. We as the global community have to scale up our efforts on emissions reduction and global mitigation actions before it’s too late.

While delegations from all corners of the world are getting ready for COP21 in Paris life goes on as always in Doreen Village near Faridpur in Bangladesh.

Doreen Village is a low-lying sandy island in the lower Ganges. It regularly faces flooding endangering crops, homes and livelihood of the communities.

With the help of ActionAid the communities have raised their homes. A community market place has been built above sea level. A disaster preparedness plan and solar panels for electricity have also improved the resilience the community.

But in the long run these coping strategies are like a drop in the sea. They do not put a halt to the increasing global temperatures, they do not roll back the climate changes and they do not stop the floods.

For that to happen the local community’s efforts - however big they are - are not enough. It takes the whole world to get together and combine its efforts on how to tackle climate change.

By far the largest parts of the emissions come from the rich countries, yet the consequences of climate change hit the most vulnerable countries hardest.

We are all living in the same world; we all have to survive on the same planet in the future. The rich countries are in a position where they can cut down on their emissions. For the rich countries it is a matter of political will and priorities while it’s a matter of life and death for the people of Doreen Village.

United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 will take place 30th November – 11th December in Paris 2015. Farah Kabir will give her take on climate justice before and during the COP21 climate negotiations. Watch this space in YouTube.