City Desk :
Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury on Wednesday called upon the South Asian countries to take urgent actions to cope with the adverse impacts of global warming, halting glacier melting in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.
He made the call while addressing the inaugural session of the ‘International Expert Dialogue on Mountain, People, and Climate’ held at Chandragiri Hill Resort in Kathmandu, Nepal, according to a message received, reports BSS.
Saber Chowdhury underscored the critical role of the Hindu Kush Himalaya in the global climate landscape, emphasising the region as “ground zero for climate change”.
He stressed the need for de-carbonisation, pointing out the inherent limitations of current adaptation and mitigation measures.
“Unless we de-carbonise, whatever we try to do in terms of adaptation and mitigation measures, it is not going to be enough. There are limits to adaptation and resilience,” he said.
The environment, forest and climate change minister criticised the paradoxical approach of increasing carbon emissions while formulating National Adaptation Plans, arguing that such contradictions exacerbate the problem.
Highlighting the concept of climate justice, he articulated the disparity faced by nations like Bangladesh and Nepal, which contribute minimally to global emissions but suffer disproportionately from climate impacts.
Saber Chowdhury lamented the difficult choices governments are forced to make between combating poverty and addressing climate change, calling it “a great injustice”.