Bangladesh in US-led new climate group

Lovlu Ansar in bdnews24.com: The United States, the biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases, has launched a new six-country global initiative by keeping Bangladesh and four other nations into its fold to fight climate change. The effort is also designed to protect health, improve agricultural productivity and ensure energy security.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the 'Climate and Clean Air Coalition' at an international conference at Benjamin Franklin auditorium on Friday. She regretted that the world had not done enough to fight climate change and the coalition of the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, Mexico, Sweden and Ghana would work to curb black carbon, methane and hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs).

Hillary said the US would contribute $12 million while other countries of the group would provide another $15 million to the initiative to disseminate ideas and practices.

Bangladesh's environment and forest minister Hasan Mahmud, Peter Kent of Canada, Lena Ek of Sweden, Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada of Mexico, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) executive director Achim Steiner, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lisa P. Jackson and US special envoy for climate change Todd Stern along with ambassadors of different countries, researchers and NGO representatives were also present at the meeting...