The Climate Justice Alliance yesterday criticised the outcomes of the COP28 climate conference, asserting that the global community's expectations were not adequately addressed.

Led by the Centre for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD), the coalition of 30 organisations expressed disappointment at a press conference at Jatiya Press Club in the capital.

Shamsuddin Ahmed, executive director of CPRD, said, "The COP28 conference failed to live up to our expectations. Countries were not required to phase out fossil fuels by a specific date, and there was no clear roadmap for increasing adaptation finance. This is a setback for climate justice."

The alliance also said the conference called for a three-fold increase in renewable energy capacity by 2030, but the commitment did not include adequate financial support for developing and least-developed countries.

Juliate Keya Malakar, executive director of Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh, said, "Climate change leaves a severe impact on the lives of the most vulnerable people, yet we spent the last eight years deciding relevant definitions, jargons, and terminologies. This conference significantly lacks remarkable changes and actions required for the climate-vulnerable community."

Speakers also emphasised the need to phase down unabated coal-based electricity generation and to transition away from fossil fuels. They also called for an end to ineffective subsidies on fossil fuels and encouraged the use of transitional energy, such as gas, to ensure energy security while prolonging increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

CPRD Research Officer Sheikh Nur Ataya Rabby and Elmee Tabassum delivered a presentation on the achievements and expectations of COP28, urging countries to take urgent action.

Khodeja Sultana Lopa, country director of diakonia; Prof Ahmed Kamruzzaman Majumder, chairman of the Department of Environmental Science at Stamford University Bangladesh; Molla Amzad Hossain, editor of Energy and Power, and Syed Aminul Haque, director of the Coast Foundation, were also present.