The effectiveness of the response of countries to the issue of climate change is determined by climate policies at the local, national, and international levels, yet success depends on the political commitment, financial resources, and inclusion of society. The Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) in Bangladesh is a comparatively effective national policy, which is facilitated by the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF). It has been successful due to its high national ownership and the clear adaptation focus, given that Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to floods, cyclones, and rise of the sea level.
The global front has also been promoted to participate widely with Paris Agreement since nations have the opportunity to set their own climate targets in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). But it is voluntary and has poor enforcement systems that limit its capacity to provide emissions reductions on a scale that can be used to achieve global climate targets.
The Kyoto Protocol on the other hand failed because it had few players who were the big emitters and this minimized its efficiency. To generalize on this, climate policies in most countries in the Global South are hampered by inadequate financial resources, institutional capacity limitations and other development priorities.
The political and economic aspects include, but are not limited to, the quick electoral processes and reliance on climate-dependent industries, which hinder climate action, and the fact that social inequality can defeat the policies which fail to represent the vulnerable groups. The experience of Bangladesh shows that it is essential to focus on the adaptation, ensure the availability of domestic climate finance, and a match climate policy to the development objectives. There should be more accountability, predictable international finance, and locally led adaptation strategies in order to overcome the policy-action gap.