Bangladesh’s Climate Diplomacy: COP31 Expectations and Reality

Sadman Safi Protik

Bangladesh is one of the countries most at risk from global climate change. Yet its share of global carbon emissions is less than half a percent. Sea level rise, land subsidence along the coast, salinity, irregular floods and cyclones are putting the economy, farming, public health and people’s livelihoods at growing risk.

In this situation, Bangladesh is preparing to strengthen its position at the coming COP31 summit. It will focus on international finance to deal with climate losses, climate justice and keeping the promises of developed countries. The summit will begin in Antalya, Turkey, early next month. Climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage, and cutting dependence on fossil fuels will be key topics.

Turkey will host the summit, and Australia will lead the formal climate talks. For Bangladesh, this summit is not only a chance to secure international pledges. It is also an important stage to win recognition for real losses caused by climate change and to ensure the support needed to recover.

Mr. Kazi Ehsanul Haque, Director General of the Climate and Environment Wing of the Foreign Ministry, spoke to Daily Inqilab. He said Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman’s speech on climate at the UN General Assembly can be seen as Bangladesh’s main position in international diplomacy. The policies and priorities he announced will be the base of Bangladesh’s stance at future climate summits. So the government values the country’s own efforts, along with international cooperation and winning fair rights.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. Shama Obaed Islam spoke ahead of COP31. She said the COP summit is an important platform to strengthen international cooperation against climate change. She said Bangladesh must carry out its action plan in line with national priorities. It must also secure enough, predictable and clear funding from international climate funds.

She said the gap between international pledges and actual money received is growing. Huge money is found to pay for war, but countries are unwilling to pay to fight the climate crisis. She cited data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which says world military spending was 2,887 billion dollars in 2025. In this reality, Bangladesh demands easier access to money from the Green Climate Fund and effective use of the Loss and Damage Fund. It also wants more technical help for farming and water security.

Mr. Abdul Awal Mintu, the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, says climate change is adding extra pressure on the economy. He says slow growth, inflation and pressure on the energy sector have made it harder for Bangladesh to deal with climate losses. He said Bangladesh has set a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 6.39 percent by 2035 on its own capacity. With international help, the cut can rise to 20.31 percent.

Experts doubt that the promised international help will actually arrive. Professor Mr. A K M Saiful Islam of BUET, a climate expert, says Bangladesh is a delta, so its land is low. Coastal land subsidence and sea level rise add to the risk. He said the 162 polders, or embankments, along the coast were not built with today’s changed sea levels in mind. So infrastructure upgrades and adaptation plans need fresh attention.

He said developed countries have not kept their climate finance promises, so the funding for such work is also in question. Mr. Sharif Jamil, coordinator of the environmental and rights group Waterkeepers Bangladesh, says developed countries hold the historic blame for climate change. Yet in the name of adaptation, a debt burden is placed on developing countries.

Earlier, 33 organisations published a position paper titled “Road to Antalya.” It says the international support of 90.23 billion US dollars needed to carry out Bangladesh’s NDC 3.0 should be fully grant based. The groups believe that even a decade after the Paris Agreement, big gaps remain in emission cuts, adaptation, finance and technology transfer.

The effects of climate change are no longer limited to an environmental crisis. People now demand that their real impact be counted in economic growth too. Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of the private research group CPD, says extreme heat, irregular floods and coastal salinity harm people’s health and cut productivity. Agriculture, industry and services are all affected.

Yet usual GDP figures do not fully show the real cost of environmental damage and the climate crisis. She said that if the economic value of these losses were counted, the real picture of the country’s growth would be clearer. Professor Mr. Rehman Sobhan, Chairman of CPD, says Bangladesh must build its own capacity and keep up a strong demand for compensation internationally.

He said a huge crisis like climate change is hard to handle with the country’s own budget alone. So national efforts must work together with international cooperation. Using more renewable energy and making the climate budget work well are also becoming important. CPD researchers have recommended making a target of 30 percent renewable energy in power and energy by 2040 legally binding.

Several environmental law experts and researchers say the legal framework at home and abroad shows a mixed picture on the harmful effects of climate change and compensation. Article 8 of the Paris Agreement formally recognised international cooperation on loss and damage. But because developed countries objected, it could not add any direct legal liability or duty to pay compensation. They see the formal launch of the Loss and Damage Fund at COP28 in 2023 as a historic win in climate diplomacy.

Nepal has become a real example of international finance for climate losses. Reports say Nepal received 20 million US dollars from the Loss and Damage Fund earlier this year. It is described as the first payment to any country from this fund. The help came after severe climate related floods in Nepal. It has brought the value of international finance back into focus for affected countries.

Disaster management researchers say that if Bangladesh gets money from such a fund, it can play an important role. It can help with coastal protection, rehabilitation after disasters and building climate resilient infrastructure. But the big question is how easy it will be to get the money, and how well the help will reach affected people.

International politics also matters for Bangladesh alongside the climate crisis. China is a long time friend of Bangladesh. It is an important partner in infrastructure, technology and economic cooperation. Environment Minister Mr. Abdul Awal Mintu said there is room to deepen cooperation with China on climate risk, tree planting, and green and sustainable development. He said China’s technical experience can help build climate resilience in coastal areas.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Mr. Yao Wen also said climate change and the green economy are key areas of broad strategic cooperation between the two countries. He said China wants to keep offering technology, knowledge and cooperation to help Bangladesh meet its environmental challenges and raise its adaptation capacity.

However, policymakers in India and several Western countries are worried about China’s growing economic and strategic influence. Questions of regional security and geopolitical interest have come up over China’s role in infrastructure, ports, defence and technology. People describe Chinese loans as a “debt trap.” Offers of other investment and technology partnerships, and moves to limit China’s influence, are discussed as part of this competition.

But geopolitical analysts say the security and economic interests of those countries should also be kept in mind behind these worries. In dealing with the climate crisis, Bangladesh’s interest should be to get effective technology, finance and green investment from all partners, including China, without falling under pressure from any geopolitical side.

Earlier, the outgoing Chinese Ambassador Mr. Yao Wen said climate change and the green economy are among the main pillars of the broad strategic partnership between China and Bangladesh. He said China is committed to cutting carbon emissions and to sustainable development. He said China will keep giving its advanced technology, knowledge and strategic cooperation to help Bangladesh face its environmental challenges and build its climate adaptation capacity.

Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman also said the way China is making its industry green and moving it to renewable energy is praiseworthy. At the same time, he said he expects big economies to ensure easy term finance for countries hurt by climate change.