The government should prepare a road map clearly detailing perspectives on climate change and plans to face the challenge ahead of Paris COP21 summit due to be held in Paris from November 30 to December 12, environment experts and representatives of civil society said on Sunday.
They said the road map will also tell about the selection process of representatives who will attend the upcoming Paris COP21 summit and include the list of participants, their activities and responsibilities, taking opinions from all stakeholders and report on it, ensuring a scope where civil society and media could contribute in the conference.
Bangladesh, which is among the countries most prone to effects of climate change, will prepare a report on the achievements of the summit immediately after it concludes.
They demanded government to create an inclusive team with the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and representatives of opposition parties, panel of experts and representatives of civil society to attend the conference.
Expressing their worries, experts and green activists said that selection of issues on climate change and choosing proper experts who are specialized in their respective fields will play a major key role for a strong negotiation.
They also noted that already government officials have arranged view- exchange meetings with a few experts on climate change issues. The opinions expressed at this meeetings could be included in the conference and based on it they are supposed to adopt a draft.
Mostofa Kamal Akando, a Green activist noted that government should include people who are experts on climate change and have wide knowledge on it.
"This conference is very important for us. What issues have been discussed in the earlier conferences, the COP 21 is the extremely final result. So we need experts who have strong ability to debate on negotiation and achieving our rights from the international platform," he said.
COP 21 is being considered as a milestone where three major decisions, including a legally binding global climate agreement, will be taken in regards to combating the ill effect of climate change.
According to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable nations regarding the negative impacts of global climate change.
It is expected in December 2015, the world's leader will assemble in Paris for COP 21 in an effort to sign a meaningful, universal global agreement on climate change.
The main aim of signing the agreement is to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emission, aiming for zero waste and recycling the materials used for the various structures and in future all development across the world will be followed based on this treaty.
Ainun Nishat, a Water Resource and Climate Change Specialist, talking to the Daily Observer said that climate change is a dynamic issue which is continuous changing.
"Climate change is a complex phenomenon. Efforts are needed from diverse sectors for presenting a holistic picture," he said.
Government should seek input from the academics, researcher and representatives of civil society so that they provide contributions to the government negotiations, he said.
Different research reports and findings shows that several sectors in Bangladesh, especially agriculture and water, will be badly affected by increased salinity, drought and more frequent cyclones events and tidal surges as a result of global warming.
When asked why the government is so secretive about its road map, Environment Minister Anwar Hossain Manju said they were still reviewing some proposals, and once it done,we will make it public.
Bangladesh is supposed to hand in its proposals COP21 committee by this month.
Dr Abdul Matin, General Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) said if Paris COP 21 conference is being joined by only government's bureaucrats then it will fail to bring any positive outcome to Bangladesh on climate change.
Referring to the last Lima the 20th Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate change was held in Lima last year, said that the Lima Conference virtually collapsed as government officials of Ministry of Environment and Forest could not play active role especially in negotiation.
Referring to government's plan of setting up Rampal Power Plan, he said that for a strong negotiation, government must withdraw its double standards.
Government will not be able to continue a strong negotiation in the conference if it would not change its policy setting up Rampal Power Plant, he said.
"Government will talk about climate change and ask compensation from the carbon emitters countries and in the same time will plan to set up power plant in Rampal. This is contradictory and government must come out from this duality," he said.
Kamrul Islam Chowdhury, an Environmentalist and General Secretary of The Press Club suggested the delegation should be combined with the participation of all stakeholders.