The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The developed and rich countries should contribute 50 billion US dollars per year to a UN fund, as they are mostly responsible for increasing the level of Carbon-di-Oxide in the atmosphere, which is causing climate change.

Speakers demanded this on Saturday at a press conference after the launching of a book jointly organised by COAST and Equity and Justice Working Group (EJWG), two local NGOs, at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Speakers said the main element of climate change Carbon-di-Oxide is mostly expelled into the air by the developed countries, so they should contribute 50 billion US dollars in the UN Climate Change Adaptation Fund every year for payment to the LDCs as compensation.

They also said the rich countries should reduce emitting Carbon-di-Oxide and they should not create any pressure on the LDCs by imposing any condition on them.

The NGOs organised the press conference to raise these demands in the next Bali ministerial level conference from December 10 to 12.

The speakers urged the developed countries to handover the clean and green technologies that they invented to reduce climate change free of cost.

Chief guest at the conference Dr Muhammad Ibrahim urged the main leaders of the LDCs to take necessary steps to reduce the bad effects of climate change, otherwise the World would not be liveable in the next 20 to 30 years.

Dr Tofail Ahmed urged the Government to publish an annual research report on effects of climate change in Bangladesh.

HM Bazlur Rahman of EJWG presented the charter of demands in front of the journalists at the press conference.

Later the NGOs organised a human chain at the Manik Mia Avenue in 4:00 to 5:00 pm and the same programmes were simultaneously organised in 45 districts of the country.