The group of least developed countries (LDCs) at the UN climate conference COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, has called for annual adaptation finance to be tripled to $120 billion before 2035. Bangladesh also asked for more money to deal with climate loss and damage, easier access to funds and faster disbursement. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo set out the demands in a written statement at a press conference of the Bangladesh delegation on Friday (13 November).
The statement said Bangladesh contributes less than 0.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions yet faces cyclones, floods, salinity, heatwaves and other climate risks. According to the World Meteorological Organization's 2026 climate update, global temperatures from January to September were about 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Under its nationally determined contribution (NDC 3.0), Bangladesh aims to cut emissions by 6.39 per cent below business as usual by 2035, and by a further 13.92 per cent with international support. The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) said on Thursday that Bangladesh is among the first five countries each expecting $30 million, to be spent on strengthening coastal infrastructure and expanding climate-smart agriculture.
Climate finance remains at the centre of the talks, the delegation said, with easier direct access to the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility and the Adaptation Fund among the priorities. On the Belem adaptation indicators for the global goal on adaptation, Bangladesh wants measures that capture real gains in climate resilience without adding a heavy reporting burden. The LDCs also voiced concern that the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) is underfunded.
Bangladesh stressed protecting workers, farmers, women, young people and informal-sector workers in a just energy transition. It raised concern that unilateral climate-related trade measures such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism could hit developing countries' industries, workers and exports unequally, and called for adequate funding for weather and climate services, early warning systems and technology transfer.
For Bangladesh, the statement said, climate talks are not only about decisions; what matters most is that their benefits reach vulnerable people. The delegation said it would keep working with the LDC group, the G77 and China and other partners in the conference's second week. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed and State Minister for Environment Sheikh Faridul Islam attended the press conference.
This report is based on a story by Sarabangla. The photograph shows Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo at a COP31 preparatory event in Hatay, Turkey, in May this year.
Photo: Press Information Department / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Sarabangla
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