Bangladesh calls for 1.5°C target, scaled-up finance, and climate equity at COP30

Bangladesh has urged world leaders to deliver urgent, equitable, and accountable climate action as COP30 entered its high-level segment today (19 November).

Delivering the country’s national statement in Belém, Brazil, Mohammad Navid Safiullah, deputy head of delegation and additional secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, warned that climate change is already pushing millions of Bangladeshis to the brink.

“Climate change is not a future scenario – it is a daily reality,” Safiullah said, describing extreme heat, erratic rainfall, floods, intensifying cyclones, sea-level rise, and salinity intrusion, which are displacing millions, damaging harvests, and pushing vulnerable families to the edge. 

Despite contributing less than 0.5% to global emissions, Bangladesh is “choosing leadership, responsibility and hope,” he added.

He outlined several national initiatives, including NDC 3.0, aligned with the Global Stocktake, which sets a target of 20% renewable electricity by 2030 and 25% by 2035—a fourfold increase from current levels. 

Bangladesh is also implementing significant methane reduction efforts across agriculture and waste sectors, advancing the National Adaptation Plan with 113 priority actions focused on locally led adaptation, early warning systems, and community resilience, and initiating a long-term low-emission development strategy.

Referring to the Paris Agreement’s equity principles, Safiullah stressed that developed nations must take the lead through urgent, deep emission cuts and scaled-up climate support. He called for stronger public finance commitments, including tripling adaptation finance to $120 billion annually and prioritising financial flows that strengthen resilience, adaptation, and address loss and damage. 

Highlighting Article 2.1(c) of the Paris Agreement, he emphasised that aligning global financial flows with climate-resilient pathways must support sustainable development in vulnerable countries rather than impede it.

Citing the Global Stocktake, Safiullah reiterated that limiting warming to 1.5°C must remain “at the centre of global efforts.” 

He also referenced the 2025 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion, which affirmed nations’ binding obligations to mitigate climate change, prevent harm, cooperate, and support vulnerable states, reinforcing Bangladesh’s long-standing call for equity and accountability.

Bangladesh arrives at COP30 with “hope and determination,” Safiullah said, urging world leaders to ensure that the summit becomes a turning point where “commitments become action” and “ambition is matched with equity.” 

“For countries like Bangladesh, this is not diplomacy – this is survival,” he told delegates, calling for collective courage to protect future generations. 

The high-level segment of COP30 continues this week as negotiations intensify over finance, mitigation pathways, adaptation targets, and the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund.