A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report has said floods and storms were the leading cause of climate-related hazards in Asia. It warns of "major repercussions." Asia was most affected by climate and weather-related events in 2023, a United Nations report said on Tuesday, with floods and storms causing the most deaths and economic loss. The "State of the Climate in Asia 2023" report released Tuesday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the "accelerating rate" of key climate change indicators will have "major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems." These indicators include average temperatures, precipitation levels, glacier retreat and sea level rise. "The report's conclusions are sobering," said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of WMO. "Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies and, most importantly, human lives," she said.  Flooding and storms in Asia In 2023, a total of 79 water-related disasters were reported in Asia with more than 80% of these being floods and storms, which killed more than 2,000 people and affected another 9 million people directly. "Floods were the leading cause of death in reported events in 2023 by a substantial margin," the WMO said, noting the continuing high level of vulnerability of Asia to natural hazards.  The report comes as southern China experiences torrential rain and flooding, with over 100,000 people having been evacuated in the Pearl River Delta region. Chinese state media said the level of flooding is "seen around once a century." High temperatures and melting glaciers  Temperatures across the world hit record highs last year, but Asia heated up at a particularly rapid pace, the WMO said.  According to the report, particularly high average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to central Asia and from Eastern China to Japan. Japan experienced its hottest summer on record. At the same time parts of China suffered a drought. Most glaciers in Asia also melted at an accelerated rate, which affects water security. The High-Mountain Asia region, located on the Tibetan Plateau, contains the world's largest volume of ice outside of the polar regions. What can be done? The WMO said there was an urgent need for national weather services across the region to improve tailored information to officials working on reducing disaster risks. "It is imperative that our actions and strategies mirror the urgency of these times," Saulo said. As for measures to counter climate change, "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the evolving climate is not merely an option, but a fundamental necessity," she added.

Dutch authorities have detained Greta Thunberg and other climate protesters from the Extinction Rebellion group after they blocked a motorway in The Hague on Saturday. Dutch authorities have detained prominent climate activist Greta Thunberg, along with several Extinction Rebellion demonstrators, after they occupied a motorway in The Hague. Thunberg and members of Extinction Rebellion were seen waiting in a bus, while police arrested more people. The protest was against fossil fuel subsidies.  Dozens of police officers, including officers on horseback, were seen blocking protesters from getting onto the A12 motorway leading to the parliament in The Hague. Activists from the group have blocked the highway more than 30 times previously to protest the subsidies. A small group of people managed to sit down on another road and were detained after ignoring police orders to leave.  The demonstrators waved and chanted: "We are unstoppable, another world is possible." "It's important to demonstrate today because we are living in a state of planetary emergency," Thunberg told AFP news agency. "We must do everything to avoid that crisis and to save human lives," she added.  Asked whether she was worried about being arrested, Thunberg said: "Why should I be?"  Extinction Rebellion has said it will continue to hold protests until the Dutch government stops using public funds to subsidize the oil and gas industry.  Protest to apply pressure on Dutch government to ditch fossil fuel subsidies "Meanwhile the ecological crisis continues to rage and the country's outgoing cabinet pretends that we have all the time in the world, while the crisis is now," Extinction Rebellion said in a statement posted on X. The protest was part of a plan to apply pressure on the Dutch government ahead of a planned debate about fossil fuel subsidies in June. Thunberg inspires global youth movement to fight climate change In February, Thunberg, who is 21 years old, was cleared of a public order offense by a London court over a protest at an oil and gas conference in October. In January, she was detained with other activists during protests against the demolition of the German coal village of Luetzerath. She shot to fame in 2018 when she began staging weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament. She has repeatedly been fined in Sweden and the UK for civil disobedience in connection with protests.  

Every day the planet loses more and more trees to deforestation, according to a new study. But why are forests so important for us anyway? More than half the habitable land on Earth was once covered in lush forest. Humans have been chopping away at it for 10,000 years, but in the past century, deforestation has accelerated dramatically. Since 1900, an area the size of the United States has been stripped of forest. That's the same amount that was lost in the previous 9,000 years, according to online science platform Our World in Data. And losses are ongoing. Every week in 2023, the planet lost tropical forest cover the size of Singapore, according to a new Global Forest Watch study published by research organization World Resources Institute (WRI). That came to a total of 3.7 million hectares (9.2 million acres) in 2023, although forest loss dropped slightly compared to 2022. Usually forests are cut down to clear land for agriculture — mainly beef, soy and palm oil — or for timber. Others burn down as climate change supercharges wildfires. Record-breaking fires in Canada led to a fivefold increase in forest loss last year.  If forests continue to shrink it may eventually leave the planet unlivable for humans. Most countries have pledged to stop forest loss by 2030 but are nowhere near the levels needed to achieve this. "The world took two steps forward, two steps back when it comes to this past year's forest loss," Mikaela Weisse, Global Forest Watch Director at WRI, said in a statement. Countries such as Colombia and Brazil have reduced rates of tropical forest loss dramatically, but their gains were largely wiped out by huge increases in countries such as Bolivia, Laos and Nicaragua, according to the study data researched by the University of Maryland.  But why are forests so important? Healthy forests ensure humans have enough air to breathe by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Forests also recharge our drinking water and act as natural filters. Their root systems absorb excess nutrients and pollutants from rainfall runoff before it enters aquifers, keeping water safe to consume. Tree roots protect against landslides by holding the soil together, combat flooding after heavy rainfall by aiding water absorption, and in the case of mangrove forests, act as a coastal bulwark during storms by buffering surges.  Forests have a role to play in ensuring we have enough food to eat, too, either through directly harboring fruit and wild animals that people eat, or by supporting agriculture through sheltering pollinators and supplying water.  They directly sustain the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people, providing timber, fuel, food, jobs and shelter. About 300 million people live in forests. As well as human lives, forests support more than 80% of biodiversity on land, including 80% of amphibians, and 75% of birds. Tropical rainforests are especially heavy lifters, holding more than half the world's vertebrate species. When tropical rainforests are cut down, as many as 100 species are made extinct each day, according to international conservation NGO WWF. Biodiversity is fundamental to the ongoing survival of humanity. How are forests and climate change linked? Forests are essential to slowing climate change. Modeling by UN science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), showed that stopping deforestation and restoring trees is fundamental to keeping planetary heating under 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit). That's the limit agreed by world leaders in Paris in 2015 to stop the worst effects of the climate crisis.  This is because forests are the largest carbon sinks on the planet alongside oceans and soil. They hold vast quantities of climate-warming gases which are largely released by burning fossil fuels. But when forests are cleared, CO2 is released back into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change. If deforestation is stopped and some 350 million hectares of destroyed and degraded forests are restored, they could sequester 5 gigatons of carbon dioxide each year. That's roughly what the United States emits each year. But it's not just their role in regulating CO2 that affects the atmosphere. Forest also helps to create clouds, which reflect sunlight back into space. They act as a natural air conditioner too when they release moisture into the air through evaporation. Even the shape of tree canopies plays a complex role in wind movements and weather systems. A recent study found forests reduced temperatures in the eastern United States by 1 degree Celsius to 2 degrees Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) each year. What can be done to save forests? Reversals in deforestation are possible. In 2023, Brazil reduced primary forest loss by 36%, while losses dipped 49% in Colombia, compared to the previous year, partly thanks to political action. Colombia's gains have largely been driven by a peace process within the country, with negotiations among different armed groups explicitly prioritizing forest conservation. Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has made deforestation a policy goal through strengthened law enforcement, revoking environmentally destructive policies, and recognizing indigenous territories. This was in direct opposition to his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, whose policies helped drive forest loss in pursuit of economic development.  "Countries can cut rates of forest loss when they muster the political will to do so. But we also know that progress can be reversed when political winds change," said Rod Taylor, WRI's Global Forests Director, in a press call. To counter this yo-yo effect, Taylor said, "the global economy needs to increase the value of standing forests relative to the short-term gains on offer from clearing forests to make way for farms, mines or new roads." How else can forests be protected? Some ways to do this include global initiatives that place a value on forests based on how much carbon they can store. There are also nascent efforts to directly pay residents and landowners who help preserve forested areas. Regulations can help tackle deforestation by focusing on supply chains. The European Union's new Deforestation Regulation, for example, will push companies to ensure imports of cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood items don't come from newly deforested land. Supporting Indigenous communities in healthy forests can help protect against deforestation. About 36% of remaining intact forests are on Indigenous lands, according to the World Bank, and they are shown to be adept at preserving biodiversity. Restoring cleared forests will be integral to achieving the Paris Agreement, and many countries are even looking at afforestation — the practice of establishing a forest where there previously was none. "Bold global mechanisms and unique local initiatives together are both needed to achieve enduring reductions in deforestation across all tropical countries," said forest expert Taylor.

The WMO, the United Nations' weather observer, says a string of global temperature records have been broken  and in some cases even smashed. The agency warned that sea ice loss was of particular concern. A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report confirmed on Tuesday that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with global average surface temperatures at 1.45 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The UN agency warned that the changes were interwoven with growing food insecurity and population displacement. What the report showed The WMO study showed broken records across numerous parameters, including greenhouse gas levels and temperature. The agency noted particularly alarming changes at sea, with a worrying rise in surface levels and acidification. Its report said Antarctic sea ice loss, rising ocean heat, and glacier loss were of particular concern. Antarctic sea ice extent was "by far the lowest on record," with the maximum extent at the end of winter at 1 million kilometers squared below the previous record year — the size of France and Germany combined. Glaciers suffered the largest loss of ice on record, driven by "extreme melt" in both western North America and Europe. The authors also pointed out increasingly frequent heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires, and intensifying tropical cyclones. They caused "misery and mayhem, upending everyday life for millions and inflicting many billions of dollars in economic losses." What is the UN agency's warning? The organization's Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said the world had never been so close to, at least temporarily, exceeding the 1.5 degrees Celsius lower limit of the Paris Agreement on climate change. "The WMO community is sounding the red alert to the world," said Saulo. A report by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) last showed average global surface temperatures for 2023 had actually nudged above the threshold. "Climate change is about much more than temperatures," said Saulo. "What we witnessed in 2023, especially with the unprecedented ocean warmth, glacier retreat, and Antarctic sea ice loss, is cause for particular concern." The report drew attention to the number of people who are acutely food insecure worldwide, noting this had grown from 149 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic to 333 million in 2023. "The climate crisis is the defining challenge that humanity faces and is closely intertwined with the inequality crisis — as witnessed by growing food insecurity, and population displacement, and biodiversity loss," Saulo said. Professor Tina van de Flierdt of Imperial College London said the latest WMO report "reinforces that climate change is not a distant threat – it is here now." Finally, some good news While its warning was dire, the WMO highlighted "a glimmer of hope" in the form of the increased use of renewable energy. Renewable energy capacity grew by 50% in 2023 to 510 gigawatts (GW). "Renewable energy generation, primarily driven by the dynamic forces of solar radiation, wind and the water cycle, has surged to the forefront of climate change action for its potential to achieve decarbonization targets," the report said. "We're seeing year on year increases in the amount of energy being produced in that way, so that's that's one kind of positive thing that's happening," WMO scientist John Kennedy told DW.   "We're moving in the right direction in terms of energy generation."  

In the current fiscal year, 24 ministries of the country have allocated Tk 35,000 crore to tackle climate change. The United Nations (UN) has assured that UN will provide substantial funding to Bangladesh through its various agencies to tackle climate change.  Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, Saber Hossain Chowdhury today (Feb 26) briefed reporters after a bilateral meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis at his residence in Paribagh in the capital. on Monday. The UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis said that she had a discussion with the environment minister about how Bangladesh can get international funding to tackle climate change.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today handed over the 'Asia Climate Mobility Champion Leader Award' to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. "Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud handed over the Asia Climate Mobility Champion Leader Award to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban this morning," Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsansul Karim told BSS. Earlier, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud and the Head of Bangladesh delegation in the COP28 high level segment, received the Award on behalf of the Prime Minister. The award was conferred on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, acknowledging her voice of leadership in championing the climate actions and a lead global advocate for vulnerable communities. The Global Centre for Climate Mobility, supported by IOM and the UN system conferred the Award during a high-level panel on the sidelines of the COP28 in Dubai on December 1. President of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Dennis Francis and Director General of IOM, Amy Pope co-hosted the high-level panel. During the UNGA78 Climate Mobility Summit, the Prime Minister drew the sharp focus of the global leaders to the urgency of climate-forced migration and displacement. The award is a significant international recognition to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the country's continuous advocacy in addressing climate mobility and the challenges derived from it. Botswana, Suriname and Palau also received the award from Africa and the Pacific. The Global Centre for Climate Mobility works for cooperative and comprehensive solutions to addressing climate mobility collaborating with the United Nations system, regional intergovernmental organizations and development finance institutions.  During COP27, the award was given to five African Heads of State and Government as Climate Mobility Champion Leaders. Source: BSS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has coauthored an article with CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation Patrick Verkooijen on climate change in the famous American weekly news magazine, Newsweek. The article was published on Thursday (November 30) while the global leaders are convening for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to find ways to fight climate change impact globally. Following is the full article: Let's Put People Back at the Heart of Climate Action By Sheikh Hasina and Patrick Verkooijen Climate change is a global disaster inflicted by the rich upon the poor-and increasingly upon themselves. Global leaders convening for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai need to understand that their top-down approach can never work. Rather, we need to put the victims in charge of the fight back and fund their battle. The climate breakdown will not wait while leaders equivocate. It is already unleashing typhoons and floods on communities, and spreading hunger through crop failures and drought. Only a tiny fraction of climate funding reaches the people battling the worst effects of climate change-they are without the resources needed to protect themselves and their livelihoods, leaving them more vulnerable. Climate injustice is being exacerbated. Climate action at a global level makes no sense unless it helps protect people on the frontlines of climate change. We need to find ways to quickly and efficiently channel all necessary funding to locally led climate-resilience initiatives. This calls for fresh thinking and a new approach. At COP28, the world needs to double down on adaptation finance. The Loss and Damage Fund must become fully operational so we can respond rapidly and urgently to meet the needs of local communities to rebuild infrastructure and adapt more effectively to climate impacts. This is also a vital step toward climate justice. Moving from Global to Local To ensure adaptation finance flows from developed to developing countries double to reach $40 billion by 2025, as pledged at COP26 in Glasgow, finance providers must on average increase annual adaptation flows by at least 16 percent between 2022 and 2025. Yet adaptation finance flows to developing countries declined 15 percent in 2021 to $21.3 billion. That is clearly too little. Yet less than 6 percent of this sum, and perhaps as little as 2 percent, reaches climate-resilience projects led by local communities. Estimates vary due to a lack of properly tracking and reporting money flows-and this needs to improve. But it's also because climate policy and decision-making flows from the top down. The people who know which towns, streets, fields, and homes are most vulnerable are those who live there. We must encourage and empower them to get together and draw up and implement their own projects to protect themselves against the consequences of climate change. This is easier said than done. Local communities often lack the time and skills to manage longer-term projects aimed at strengthening climate resilience. They need help and training to draw up project proposals; and to access funding they need basic things such as legally constituted organizations and bank accounts. Bangladesh has always been a leader in locally led climate adaptation and recently the government has been exploring various ways to channel climate assistance to local communities. The Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan makes it easier to access low-interest loans for adaptation, has a climate risk fund to train communities and local governments to lead adaptation, expands green banking services, and explores paying communities for ecosystem services.    Through the Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation in Dhaka, the government is also helping scale up solutions and share best practices with other vulnerable regions of the world. These efforts are already achieving dramatic improvements on the ground. From Challenges to Opportunities In Mongla, the second-largest seaport in Bangladesh, the mayor and residents are drawing up a plan to identify economic opportunities in their climate challenges. Like other major cities, Mongla has seen a large influx of climate migrants even as it struggles with rising sea levels-a consequence of global warming-that are contaminating the city's fresh water supplies. Mongla is mapping settlements, identifying key climate vulnerabilities, and developing locally led initiatives. With the support of the U.K. and Canadian governments working through BRAC, an international development agency, and the Global Center on Adaptation, it is hoped that Mongla's People's Adaptation Plans might become a blueprint for other towns and cities adapting to climate change. This shows us that locally led adaptation is the way forward. But we need to massively scale up these approaches. For that, we need to find ways to finance local communities, without creating undue risk for donors. Strong intermediary organizations can be valuable here to act as a transmission belt to accelerate People's Adaptation Plans into the portfolio of large financiers, including international finance institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. COP28 will only be a success if it achieves real benefits for the communities most affected by the climate crisis. This year's climate summit must ensure that finance flows to the poor communities most affected by climate change, and into locally led, appropriate, and effective adaptation. If we achieve this, the world will have taken a big step toward redressing the gross injustices of climate change. Source: BSS

The German government failed at meeting emissions reduction targets in transportation and construction, the court ruled. A German court sided with environmental groups on Thursday, ruling that the federal government had failed to meet its own climate goals in the transport and building sectors. The ruling comes a day before Chancellor Olaf Scholz was due to travel to the COP28 climate summit. Deutsche Umwelthilfe and the BUND environmentalist groups had taken the German government to court, accusing it of violating Germany's Climate Protection Act, which currently stipulates annual targets for each sector to reduce harmful greenhouse gases. Specifically, the law requires individual ministries to implement an immediate action plan to reduce emissions if a sector misses the targets of the law, which are the reduction of 65% emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In Thursday's ruling, the court said Berlin must adopt an "immediate program" to reduce emissions in the transportation and construction sectors. Stefanie Langkamp, a spokeswoman for the Climate Alliance Germany network, said the verdict was a "severe reprimand" for the government. "It is internationally embarrassing and damaging that a court judgment is needed because the German government is not complying" with its own climate laws, she said. High emissions in transport and building The government was brought to court for not doing enough to get back on track with its climate goals, after missing emissions targets for transport and building in 2021.  That year, the transport sector exceeded its CO2 emissions target by 3.1 million tons, according to BUND, and in the construction sector, it exceeded emissions by 2.5 million tons. "The court has allowed the appeal. The Federal Government will examine the ruling and its justification in detail as soon as it is available in writing and then examine the next steps," Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck said in response. The ruling comes as the coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been under over its promises to tackle climate change after another court ruling reduced its ability to respond to the crisis. This month, Germany's Constitutional Court ruled that the government had acted illegally when it transferred €60 billion ($65 billion) of unused borrowing money from COVID-19 funds to a "climate and transformation fund." The ruling wiped out €60 billion from the climate fund, which had been worth €212 billion.  

On Tuesday Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for International support for the countries affected worst due to climate displacement, suggesting five things need to be addressed on human mobility to protect them from human crisis. "Most climate displacements take place within national borders and across borders in some dire situations. The worst-affected countries need international support and solidarity to prevent such situations from turning into a humanitarian crisis," she said. The premier made the remarks in a video statement that broadcast at the high-level segment on "Climate Impact on Human Mobility: A Global Call for Solutions" in the three-day 114th Session of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Council at its headquarters at Geneva in Switzerland. The Prime Minister said those who displaced or trapped due to climate change need to have access to basic services, social protection, and livelihood options. "The adverse impacts on their host communities also need to be addressed in an inclusive manner," she said. It is estimated that climate change could displace 216 million people by 2050, Sheikh Hasina said, adding that among these, 40 million alone would be in South Asia. In Bangladesh, 20 per cent of our population lives along the coastal belt. "Sea-level rise, salinity intrusion, frequent floods, and severe cyclones make them vulnerable to forced displacement. Such displacements are happening at a faster pace than we think," she warned. Bangladesh's coastal district of Cox's Bazar now hosts 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar, the premier said. "Some of these people fall victim to trafficking networks with security risks for the entire region. Such mixed migration flows make the issue of climate mobility even more problematic," she added. The Prime Minister mentioned that Bangladesh believes that the impact of climate change on human mobility should be placed high on the international agenda. She also said that Bangladesh is working together with IOM and other partners to highlight the need for effective solutions. "I feel assured that many Small Island Developing states are also taking leadership on this. We are pleased that COP-28, GFMD, and other international forums are attaching due importance to it," Sheikh Hasina said. In Bangladesh, she said that the government has started taking special initiatives for climate migrants within our modest resources. "Under my flagship Ashrayan project, we are constructing 139 multi-storey buildings in Cox's Bazar to provide safe housing to 4,400 families displaced due to a severe cyclone," the premier said. She also said that this world's largest climate rehabilitation project is expected to become a local fishing, tourism, and wind power hub. The Prime Minister offered five suggestions to address the issue of impact of climate change on human mobility. These are: First, we need to address the climate impact of human mobility in a rights-based manner in line with the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration; Second, we should consider the situation of climate migrants through the lens of climate justice to find context-specific solutions for the loss and damage they suffer. Third, we must get prepared at local, national, and international levels for looking at migration as a climate adaptation strategy where it proves to be the best possible solution; Fourth, we need to review the existing international protection standards to repurpose them for climate migrants, especially women, children, and other vulnerable groups; and Fifth, we should invest in well-researched data and evidence on the impact of climate change on human mobility to build an objective case for it beyond narrow political considerations. Source: BSS

Day 4 of the United Nations General Assembly saw speeches by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, and the leaders of several island nations. Work on the sidelines was carried out on the deteriorating security situation in Haiti as well as the human rights situation in Belarus.  'On the cusp of an historic peace' — Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday told the United Nations General Assembly, "There's no question the Abraham Accords heralded the dawn of a new age of peace," continuing, "But I believe that we are at the cusp of an even more dramatic breakthrough: an historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia." Netanyahu said he believes, "making peace with more Arab states would actually increase the prospects of making peace between Israel and the Palestinians." Still, the Israeli leader said Palestinians should not be allowed to exercise "a veto over the process" of signing peace deals with Arab nations. Though Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has confirmed the progress Netanyahu boasted of, he said any final agreement on the status of relations between the kingdom and the Jewish state would be contingent upon Israel's relations with the Palestinians. After his speech, Netanyahu's office was forced to walk back what it said was a misstatement by the prime minister when he said, "Iran must face a credible nuclear threat" to keep it from attaining a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu's office said his written remarks called for a "credible military threat" and that he had simply misspoken.  Island leaders: 'Beginning to question this annual parade of flowery speeches' Leaders from some of the smallest nations on the planet — islands facing rising sea levels — say that inaction by the world's large industrial and developing nations are a direct threat to their very existence and implored nations represented at the General Assembly to finally act. "There are many amongst us, the small and marginalized islands of our globe, surrounded by rising seas and scorched by rising temperatures, who are beginning to question this annual parade of flowery speeches and public pretense of brotherhood, otherwise known as the UN annual General Assembly," Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip Pierre told those gathered Friday. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, speaking Friday, said, "The problem is that those whose actions we most need may be so confident in their survival that they do not act early enough for us." That complacency was a common thread earlier in the session as well, with Micronesia's President Wesley Simina saying: "Unfortunately, the international community has not done nearly enough to get us on track to limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius." Earlier, Marshall Islands President David Kabua called for the establishment of an international financing tool to assist small island and low-lying atoll nations confronted with the effects of natural disaster. Kabua said countries must recognize the world is failing to deliver on the Paris Agreement and determine a roadmap for course correction — including ending fossil fuel dependence. "These challenges might be inconvenient for large economies — but I can assure you, the climate's impact is already at our door." US President Joe Biden intends to lend island leaders an ear when he convenes the second Pacific Islands Forum at the White House Monday. In a setting designed to showcase US engagement in the region in the face of a forward-leaning Chinese quest for influence, is set to be near the top of the agenda. Pakistani caretaker PM pleads for release of long-overdue flood aid Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, told the UN General Assembly his country desperately needed to receive aid promised for rebuilding after it was devastated by massive floods last year that were found to have been aggravated by the global climate crisis. More than 33 million people were impacted by the catastrophe, with more than 1,700 killed. Kakar also implored wealthy nations to honor their promise to provide $100 billion in annual climate funding for less-developed nations. Kakar said Pakistan was pitching specific projects from the country's $13 billion (€12.2 billion) resiliency and recovery plan to donors. "I hope our development partners will accord priority to the allocation of funds," he said. Pakistan sorely needs the funds, yet donors are concerned about the fiscal health of the Islamic nation. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), for instance, delayed a bailout earlier this year, citing lack of fiscal reform. Still, Pakistan says it has failed to receive the $10 billion it was promised by various donors, including the Islamic Development Bank, The World Bank, Saudi Arabia, the EU and China, after last year's flooding. Kakar also pledged that Pakistan wants peace with it's neighbors before saying, "Kashmir is the key to peace between Pakistan and India." He urged the UN Security Council to honor its 1948 resolution calling for a plebiscite to determine the future of the region. The two nuclear-armed neighbors dispute control of the region and have fought two full-blown wars and numerous regular skirmishes over it. Calls for a UN-backed security mission to Haiti The US has said that up to 12 countries back a multinational security mission in Haiti, to help the Caribbean country fight gang violence. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a meeting in New York to address the security situation in the country that the mission could deploy "within months." Blinken said the Biden administration would work with the US Congress to provide $100 million (approximately €93.7 million) to back such a mission with logistical and financial assistance. He nevertheless stopped short of promising troops.  "Ten to 12 [countries] came with concrete offers to this mission," State Department number two Victoria Nuland said after a ministerial meeting on Haiti on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Kenya has offered to lead the force with a contribution of 1,000 security personnel and Jamaica, the Bahamas and Antigua have made known their willingness to participate. Addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Kenyan President William Ruto said: "We must not leave Haiti behind." Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry addressed the General Assembly on Friday, calling for urgent help at what he described as a "critical point," saying that "criminals feel that they are all powerful." "I am asking for help to allow Haitians to stay in their homes," he said, again requesting "help to bolster the national police of Haiti so that it can truly respond to the challenges it faces" and for Security Council authorization for that help. Many countries have been cautious regarding their support for Henry's unelected administration, with the country left without any elected representatives since January. The prime minister argues that fair elections cannot be held amid the current insecurity.