Addressing environmental issues on highest priority basis
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Humayan Kabir
A few developed countries are engaged in unabated polluting activities. But the entire humanity has to pay the devastating price for it. This situation has heightened the concern over the worldwide environmental insecurity. Concerted international actions are considered urgent in this context to address the mounting concern over degradation and pollution of the environment on a priority basis.
The United Nations' General Assembly (UNGA), in its current session, is deliberating on the ways and means for concretising such actions and sequencing them properly, in the light of the priorities that are to be agreed upon. However, the effectiveness of the UN in areas of such pivotal concern for mankind remains yet doubtful. Our past experiences do not make us much optimistic about the outcome of efforts through the UN, at this stage, in mitigating international concerns over environmental issues. On its part, the international community is now more aware than before about the imperatives for concerted actions, particularly involving the rich advanced nation, for addressing matters of common concern in areas of environmental pollution and degradation for promoting sustainable development in the countries across the globe.
There is no denying that toll of environmental insecurity would be the worst for Bangladesh, if the related concern is left unaddressed for long. The country would lose a large part of its land territory to the sea and start experiencing severe climatic catastrophes on a regular basis such as drought, flood, cyclones, etc. The environment-related problems, thus, would make unbearable the struggle for survival of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is already very overpopulated. It is economically weak to be able to cope with the shocks of climate change. No doubt, the developed countries in varying degrees would be also affected by climate change. But these countries would be better poised to face up to the changing climate: they possess huge wealth, expertise and other assets that would facilitate their coping process. But countries like Bangladesh are hugely backward in these respects. That is why they would be very much deserving international assistance on a large scale to, at least, mitigate their losses from climatic change.
As it is, Bangladesh has been a late starter in both drawing attention to the environmental catastrophe it would have to absorb on account of the irresponsible actions of other countries and sharpening the demand for international assistance as a sort of compensation. However, as the adage goes, it is better to be late than never. Internationally, the environmental threat to developing countries like Bangladesh, has been recognised. The awareness is greater now even among the developed countries that the non-compliant among them in relation to the Kyoto protocol to regulate earth-warming discharge of greenhouse gases, must come around swiftly to adhere to the protocol and embrace more regulations.
By and large, there is now an international admission of the need to assist the developing countries which would be most adversely affected by climate change. In this situation, the present session of the UNGA is devoted largely to the issue of concerted global actions for protecting the environment and promoting the goal of sustainable development. To be really meaningful and effective, such actions should include the moves for putting a hard brake on emission of greenhouse gases, mobilisation of an international fund to help poor and developing countries to cope with climate change and to assist them also with technological assistance and related transfer of technology for the purpose. All such measures should not only remain now under active consideration of the UN and the developed countries but also move into the areas of operationalisation and, thus, into some concrete action-oriented programmes.
On its part, Bangladesh should make it one of the highest priorities in its foreign policy to be very closely associated with all international moves which aim to put a harness on climate change and organise assistance programmes for the potentially most affected countries. It should play a proactive role in these diplomatic moves so that dangers to it and countries like it from climate change remain in the international limelight.
Bangladesh does also need to draw up on its own a comprehensive plan of action against climatic change and for mobilisation of the required amount of resources for implementing it. Any UN-sponsored plan on country basis for the same reason can be combined with the national plan to bolster the claim to draw adequate resources from an international fund for the same purpose. But it is crucial for the country that a head-start is made in these matters.
Internally, time is also ripe for Bangladesh to start paying attention to encourage entrepreneurship but not at the cost of the environment. All industries and enterprises in the country must be obliged to set up and run effluent treatment plants (ETPs). New enterprises should be encouraged to simultaneously build and operate ETPs, before they go operational. In all earnestness a comprehensive policy to protect the environment of the country should be adopted with a strong emphasis for putting in place an effective implementation mechanism for the same. For this purpose, the capacities of the relevant ministry and departments under it must be enlarged and strengthened.
A few developed countries are engaged in unabated polluting activities. But the entire humanity has to pay the devastating price for it. This situation has heightened the concern over the worldwide environmental insecurity. Concerted international actions are considered urgent in this context to address the mounting concern over degradation and pollution of the environment on a priority basis.
The United Nations' General Assembly (UNGA), in its current session, is deliberating on the ways and means for concretising such actions and sequencing them properly, in the light of the priorities that are to be agreed upon. However, the effectiveness of the UN in areas of such pivotal concern for mankind remains yet doubtful. Our past experiences do not make us much optimistic about the outcome of efforts through the UN, at this stage, in mitigating international concerns over environmental issues. On its part, the international community is now more aware than before about the imperatives for concerted actions, particularly involving the rich advanced nation, for addressing matters of common concern in areas of environmental pollution and degradation for promoting sustainable development in the countries across the globe.
There is no denying that toll of environmental insecurity would be the worst for Bangladesh, if the related concern is left unaddressed for long. The country would lose a large part of its land territory to the sea and start experiencing severe climatic catastrophes on a regular basis such as drought, flood, cyclones, etc. The environment-related problems, thus, would make unbearable the struggle for survival of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is already very overpopulated. It is economically weak to be able to cope with the shocks of climate change. No doubt, the developed countries in varying degrees would be also affected by climate change. But these countries would be better poised to face up to the changing climate: they possess huge wealth, expertise and other assets that would facilitate their coping process. But countries like Bangladesh are hugely backward in these respects. That is why they would be very much deserving international assistance on a large scale to, at least, mitigate their losses from climatic change.
As it is, Bangladesh has been a late starter in both drawing attention to the environmental catastrophe it would have to absorb on account of the irresponsible actions of other countries and sharpening the demand for international assistance as a sort of compensation. However, as the adage goes, it is better to be late than never. Internationally, the environmental threat to developing countries like Bangladesh, has been recognised. The awareness is greater now even among the developed countries that the non-compliant among them in relation to the Kyoto protocol to regulate earth-warming discharge of greenhouse gases, must come around swiftly to adhere to the protocol and embrace more regulations.
By and large, there is now an international admission of the need to assist the developing countries which would be most adversely affected by climate change. In this situation, the present session of the UNGA is devoted largely to the issue of concerted global actions for protecting the environment and promoting the goal of sustainable development. To be really meaningful and effective, such actions should include the moves for putting a hard brake on emission of greenhouse gases, mobilisation of an international fund to help poor and developing countries to cope with climate change and to assist them also with technological assistance and related transfer of technology for the purpose. All such measures should not only remain now under active consideration of the UN and the developed countries but also move into the areas of operationalisation and, thus, into some concrete action-oriented programmes.
On its part, Bangladesh should make it one of the highest priorities in its foreign policy to be very closely associated with all international moves which aim to put a harness on climate change and organise assistance programmes for the potentially most affected countries. It should play a proactive role in these diplomatic moves so that dangers to it and countries like it from climate change remain in the international limelight.
Bangladesh does also need to draw up on its own a comprehensive plan of action against climatic change and for mobilisation of the required amount of resources for implementing it. Any UN-sponsored plan on country basis for the same reason can be combined with the national plan to bolster the claim to draw adequate resources from an international fund for the same purpose. But it is crucial for the country that a head-start is made in these matters.
Internally, time is also ripe for Bangladesh to start paying attention to encourage entrepreneurship but not at the cost of the environment. All industries and enterprises in the country must be obliged to set up and run effluent treatment plants (ETPs). New enterprises should be encouraged to simultaneously build and operate ETPs, before they go operational. In all earnestness a comprehensive policy to protect the environment of the country should be adopted with a strong emphasis for putting in place an effective implementation mechanism for the same. For this purpose, the capacities of the relevant ministry and departments under it must be enlarged and strengthened.