Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury has said that climate justice and global collaboration are crucial to addressing the global climate crisis.

He made the remarks as a panelist of a discussion titled “Colonizing the Future: Climate Justice, Democracy and Migration Governance” held Tuesday evening in the city of Liege, Belgium.

The panel discussion opened the Second Conference of the Environment and Climate Mobilities Network (ECMN) in Belgium.

While elaborating and emphasizing the issue of climate justice, the environment minister claimed that Bangladesh is one of the least contributors to global carbon emissions making 0.5% of total emissions, yet it is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.

Saber highlighted the steps taken by the Bangladesh government to deal with climate change threats.

He said climate change is an existential threat for Bangladesh as it is being predicted that 17% of the country’s coastal areas could be submerged in rising sea levels by the end of the century.

The panelists highlighted the North-South divide, the need for more meaningful measures in tackling climate change and rebuilding trust as well as a fairer, more democratic and inclusive international governance.  Bangladesh’s frontline role in COP negotiations, particularly on loss and damage, were appreciated by the panelists.

The panelists also spoke about the need for reforming the global financial and governing mechanisms, with the Bangladeshi environment minister stressing that climate change is a litmus test for multilateralism.