Mizan R Khan

The 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ended just days ago.

The UN’s longest-ever climate negotiations, continuing non-stop for almost two extra days, drew to a close on December 15 with not much to celebrate. Nations on both sides—developed and developing—held hardline positions resulting in utter disappointment, so expressed grudgingly by the UN Secretary General himself. Countries failed to agree on many of the sought-after outcomes, including rules to set up a global carbon market, steps to mobilise dedicated funding for loss and damage (L&D) and mobilisation of long term finance (LTF) for the most vulnerable.

The Asia-Pacific Climate Week was held at the UN Conference Centre, Bangkok from September 2 to 6, 2019. The objective was to have a regional dialogue on how to rachet up ambition in mitigation and speed up adaptation actions.

We, the global community, already live in a climate-changed world, evidenced by the successive reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The word “city” comes from the Latin root “civis/civitas”, meaning citizen/citizenship. The expressions “civil/civic/civilisation” owe their pedigree to this Latin origin. Eventually, it came to correspond with the French “urbs”, meaning city in a more physical sense.

The dictionary meaning of “growth” is “getting bigger”, in size or volume, whereas “development” is improvement in the quality of a system. It can be an individual, a community, or a nation.

We have managed to turn a serene, rustic, romantic Dhaka into a dishevelled, messy concrete slum just within a century.

The two-day summit of the exclusive but informal club of G20 comprising of the big industrial and developing countries, held between July 7-8, ended with the issuance of a Communiqué, a ritualistic outcome of such events.

World oceans play the crucial role of a life support in poverty alleviation, food security, human health, and curbing climate change.

On June 1 President Trump declared his administration's intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement (PA).

Women members of the mobilised groups proved as better 'husbands' of local resources, establishing a culture of their sustainable use, while conserving and improving the quality and quantity of local natural resources.

The 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ended on November 19, 2016 in Marrakech.

The Paris Agreement (PA) has just taken effect, only eleven months after it was adopted at COP21 of the UNFCCC in Paris last December.

With formal deposition to the UN Secretary General of instruments of joining the Paris Agreement (PA) so far by 60 countries, COP22 of the UNFCCC to be held in Marrakesh between November 7 and 18 is also likely to be the first Meeting of Parties to the Agreement.