Bangla glossary of COP climate terms launched at Bangladesh Pavilion in Antalya

A book titled 'COP and Climate Change Glossary' has been published to help readers understand the complex terminology of international climate diplomacy and environmental discussions in easy Bangla.

The book was formally launched on Thursday (12 November) at the Bangladesh Pavilion at the COP-31 Centre in Antalya, Turkey.

The book was written by Professor Dr Ahmed Kamruzzaman Majumder, dean of the Faculty of Science at Stamford University Bangladesh, joint secretary of the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and chairman of the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS). The foreword was written by climate change and water resources expert Emeritus Professor Dr Ainun Nishat.

The book was jointly published by C3ER, LEDARS, OCL and SRCL.

Present at the launch were State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid, State Minister for Environment Sheikh Faridul Islam, Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Nurul Islam, Save the Children deputy country director Rahmat Ullah and CPRD chief executive Shamsuddoha, among others.

According to the publication sources, the book contains easy Bangla explanations of a total of 1,294 important environmental and climate-related terms.

Alongside the abbreviated forms of various international climate agreements and the meanings of technical negotiation terms, the book also includes brief descriptions of notable government, non-government and international organisations working on climate change, environmental protection and sustainable development. Relevant and important data on Bangladesh in the context of climate change has also been included in the book.

The sources said new technical terms such as adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage fund, carbon market, NDC, tipping point and climate refugee are being added to global climate diplomacy and policymaking discussions. The glossary was compiled to present the real meaning and context of these English terms clearly in Bangla.

Those involved believe that, with the COP-31 conference in view, the glossary will serve as an essential aid for students, researchers, journalists, development workers and policymakers, and will play a role in strengthening the country's climate activities and diplomatic efforts.