Bangladesh urges FAO to build ‘digital hub’
Bangladesh has urged the Food and Agriculture Organization to set up a digital hub for the Asia-Pacific region so that developing countries can increase their agricultural production using modern technologies. The call was made at FAO's 36th Session of the Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific, yesterday, which was the last day of the event, hosted by Bangladesh at InterContinental Dhaka. Briefing reporters after the conference, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said, "We proposed setting up a digital hub for 47 countries of this region to make technologies available for increasing their agricultural outputs. Developing countries will benefit from it." Referring to South Korea and Japan where robots and drones are used to harvest crops, he said the countries that are lagging behind the technology-rich nations must adopt technologies to gradually ensure food security. Agriculture is the first thing that bears the brunt of climate change impacts, he said, adding that it is agriculture that fulfils people's fundamental right to food. "IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] assessment shows climate change threatens food the most. We discussed the climate change impacts, which is greater than what we anticipated. The final report which was accepted unanimously recommended making a roadmap on FAO strategies to fight climate change," he also said. Focusing on agricultural technologies, Razzaque said, they requested FAO to set up the digital hub. "We need technology to innovate saline resilient species and varieties as salinity is invading our arable land and fresh water."
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.