CLIMATE VULNERABILITY : France, Germany express empathy

France and German foreign ministers on Monday expressed empathy for the vulnerability of Bangladesh in the face of climate change and hoped the next climate conference, scheduled for November in Paris, would come up with some concrete measures to address the concern.
Bangladesh was heavily threatened by the adverse effects of climate change and ‘we share their concern,’ French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said at a press conference in Dhaka.
Reaching on a consensus for arranging $100 billion each year from 2020 for getting rid of adverse impact of climate change ‘is a big challenge’ as no study had been done from where the financing would come, said Laurent Fabius, who would chair the Paris conference widely known as the COP21.
‘I am actively optimistic’ about the outcome of the COP21 in Paris, Fabius said, adding that every country and every stakeholder needed to discharge their responsibility for protecting people from climate change induced disasters all over the world.
Some 196 countries have to find out a way out to decarbonise the economy, he said, adding that ‘we have to limit emission within two degrees’ Celsius.
Fabius and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier were on a one day joint official visit in Dhaka.
In the run-up to the crucial climate conference, this visit gave the two dignitaries first-hand impression of the impact of global warming and the possible adaptation strategies in the areas of disaster risk reduction and long-term agricultural adaptation, the embassies of the two countries said in a joint statement.
The French and German ministers jointly inaugurated on Monday evening a joint chancery building to be shared by their diplomats at Baridhara from summer next year. Bangladesh foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali also spoke at the function.
German minister Steinmeier said at the inauguration that the governments needed to address the root causes of the climate change. ‘We must stop emission’, he said.
Steinmeier did not attend the press conference.
The French and German ministers were scheduled for Monday to inaugurate one of the cyclone shelters built with the support of German development cooperation in Patuakhali district and talk to the local people and farmers on adapting with the consequences of climate change. They had to cancel the trip because of bad weather. Instead, they took a boat trip on the Bangshi River on the North-West of Dhaka district.
They witnessed vast inundated areas, where bricks were usually made, now under flood water and only the chimneys could be seen.
They also talked to local people about coping up with the changes in the livelihood because of adverse impacts of climate change and other reasons.
Their joint trip underlined the commitment of the two countries to broker a pragmatic, yet comprehensive, legally-binding agreement in Paris, the statement said.
On their return from the boat trip, Fabius and Steinmeier called on prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her office and had a lunching meeting with Mahmood Ali.
The two dignitaries were set to leave Dhaka by this morning.

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