Bangladesh has called for stronger regional cooperation and increased blue carbon financing to protect vulnerable coastal communities, strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable economic growth in delta regions.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo made the call while addressing the international session titled “Accelerating Integrated Climate Action in Asia and the Pacific: Regional Cooperation for Blue Carbon Finance,” jointly organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Landscape Alliance at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok recently.
In his keynote address, the minister urged the international community to recognise blue carbon ecosystems as vital climate, community and development assets, stressing that mangrove forests and coastal wetlands are critical national infrastructure for climate resilience in Bangladesh.
Citing World Bank estimates, Mintoo said cyclones cause Bangladesh an average annual economic loss of around US$1 billion, while climate change could force 13.3 million people to become internally displaced by 2050.
