Patna: Bihar Assembly Speaker PremKumar on Wednesday called for coordinated global action to tackle climate change, describing it as a shared challenge that transcends national boundaries and threatens livelihoods, security and sustainable development.Addressing the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Kumar spoke on the theme, “RoleofParliamentaryLeadershipinEnhancingClimateAdaptationandResilience.” He stressed the importance of climate justice, saying developing countries were bearing a disproportionate share of the climate burden despite their relatively lower historical emissions.Referring to UN estimates, Kumar said billions of people worldwide were already facing the effects of climate change, including extreme weather events, water stress and food insecurity. He also highlighted India’s climate adaptation efforts, noting that the country had submitted its Adaptation Communication under the Paris Agreement in 2023.Underlining Bihar’s initiatives, Kumar cited the state assembly’s marathon discussion on climate and environmental issues, which contributed to shaping the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali campaign aimed at water conservation, afforestation and environmental sustainability.He outlined five priorities for legislatures to strengthen climate action: integrating adaptation into laws and budgets, relying on scientific assessments for policymaking, facilitating climate finance and technology transfer, creating a Commonwealth climate cooperation network, and ensuring greater participation of local communities and women in climate initiatives.Representatives from Jamaica, Kenya, Uganda and Pakistan also participated in the session. Kumar said climate justice, finance and international cooperation would be critical to building resilience and addressing the growing impacts of climate change worldwide.Kumar was welcomed by Juliet Ann Marie Holness, Speaker of the Parliament of Jamaica. He also felicitated Holness by presenting her with an angavastra.
