Meet discusses WBG 2010 environment strategy

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FE Report
State minister for environment and forests Dr Hasan Mahmud has called for formulating a global strategy on environment accommodating different countries' related work plans to face global warming and environmental degradation in a uniform manner.
"All kinds of environmental degradation have a local origin and global impact," he said on Tuesday laying emphasis also on adopting local strategies of mitigation and adaptation to the global environmental strategy.
The state minister was addressing a consultation on environment strategy 2010 of the World Bank Group (WBG) in Dhaka on Tuesday.
WB country director Elle A Goldstein addressed the consultation organised by the World Bank Group to prepare the fresh environmental strategy 2010 upgrading its 2001 strategy for achieving environmental sustainability upon accommodating the views of all its member-countries.
Though Bangladesh being among one of the vulnerable countries faces many environmental hazards, the state minister said the country has also set examples of adaptation capacity for the rest of the world.
He said in the present context, urban environment is a common global problem due to rapid increase in urban population.
He said although the country's urban population is now only 25 per cent, the days would not be far when 50 per cent of the population will be leaving urban areas.
"Lots of initiatives are being taken up by the government to save the country from environmental degradation and protect it from climate change impacts. We also need to continue development, industrialisation," he said calling upon the WBG to accommodate all these issues from global, regional and local points of view while formulating the environment strategy.
The WBG consultation was also participated by representatives from the government, civil society members, development partners, academicians, environmentalists and research institutions.
The participants also pointed out the environmental issues related to rapid urbanization, land management, food security, water management and energy.
They said the strategy should consider the changing issues related to climate change, technological advancement and finance to make it workable globally, regionally and locally.