Saarc adopts climate change action plan

Dhaka, July 4: India and other Saarc members have adopted a three-year action plan to combat climate change, pressing the developed countries to establish a special fund to save them from the drastic effects of the phenomena.

"The Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region is most vulnerable to climate change and thereby seriously affecting our agricultural production, crippling our vital infrastructures, diminishing our natural resources and limiting our development options for the future," said a joint declaration issued at the end of the three-day regional meeting here.

The ministers said the region needed more technology to fight climate change, while developed countries needed to reduce their carbon emissions apart from raising a special fund as suggested after the Bali conference. The six action plans prioritised in the meeting included capacity building for clean development mechanism (CDM) projects, exchange of information about disaster preparedness, exchange of meteorological data and mutual consultation in international negotiations.

Environmentalists have warned that Saarc members Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be among the worst affected in the world by the climate change.

"We have decided to adopt the action plan for climate change to raise our voice unitedly against the climate change at all types of international forums to strengthen our negotiation capacity with the major carbon emitters," Bangladesh’s chief adviser’s special assistant for environment and forest Raja Devasish Roy said.

—PTI