The clock is ticking
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Mahmudur Rahman
In the wake of a grim warning that the climate change impact will hit sooner than expected, world leaders will huddle together in Copenhagen next month to try and thrash out agreement on what to do. Given the divisive way that a pre-summit gathering in Barcelona ended, the signs are not encouraging.
Global non-government organisations (NGOs) point to the first countries to be affected and urge that time for action is now, not tomorrow. Maybe that is the spirit that has led to 50-odd MPs deciding to set up a forum to drive home the message to the government. It's not as if the government has been dragging its feet. Far from it, the Prime Minister has made it a point to raise global warning at every opportunity that she gets.
In the recent past the commerce minister has said that the developed world needs to foot the bill for the meltdown since it was their creation. Other ministers have said that the developed world being largely responsible for global warming need to help the Third World countries affected. One only hopes the help will be more than money and spread into the area of scientific know how and support.
At the same time there is no denying that a fair share of Bangladesh's problems vis a vis impact of climate change is her own doing. Reckless and unplanned urbanisation, suicidal deforestation and manual change of natural water flows all have their impact. While the concentration for now is Dhaka, let the soon-to-be devoid of hills Chittagong not escape attention. Architects and planners need to come up with out of the box solutions to save whatever is left of a dying Dhaka and Chittagong and ensure nothing similar happens to the other major towns.
Spare a thought for the ambitious tourist projects that the Prime Minister recently disclosed in parliament. There's nothing quite like making the country's beauty accessible and attractive for tourists but let it not be at the expense of the environment. Development executed without farsightedness can only be negative in the long run. The longest continuous sea beach in the world has remained because it has not been interfered with. Let our offspring not have to deal with problems that we create.
Saint Martin, the destination of an increasing number of local and foreign tourists is as pristine as one could imagine but the signs of decay from careless, thoughtless acts are already becoming evident. There are too many eyeing short term gains for comfort. The MPs forum is to be welcomed and there's nothing better than peoples' representatives working in earnest.
Guidelines that are strict but amenable are required to protect and preserve a coral island that is truly a gift of the creator. Let it remain so. (The writer is a former head of corporate and regulatory affairs of British-American Tobacco Bangladesh and former CEO of Bangladesh Cricket Board. He can be reached at mahmudrahman@gmail.com)
In the wake of a grim warning that the climate change impact will hit sooner than expected, world leaders will huddle together in Copenhagen next month to try and thrash out agreement on what to do. Given the divisive way that a pre-summit gathering in Barcelona ended, the signs are not encouraging.
Global non-government organisations (NGOs) point to the first countries to be affected and urge that time for action is now, not tomorrow. Maybe that is the spirit that has led to 50-odd MPs deciding to set up a forum to drive home the message to the government. It's not as if the government has been dragging its feet. Far from it, the Prime Minister has made it a point to raise global warning at every opportunity that she gets.
In the recent past the commerce minister has said that the developed world needs to foot the bill for the meltdown since it was their creation. Other ministers have said that the developed world being largely responsible for global warming need to help the Third World countries affected. One only hopes the help will be more than money and spread into the area of scientific know how and support.
At the same time there is no denying that a fair share of Bangladesh's problems vis a vis impact of climate change is her own doing. Reckless and unplanned urbanisation, suicidal deforestation and manual change of natural water flows all have their impact. While the concentration for now is Dhaka, let the soon-to-be devoid of hills Chittagong not escape attention. Architects and planners need to come up with out of the box solutions to save whatever is left of a dying Dhaka and Chittagong and ensure nothing similar happens to the other major towns.
Spare a thought for the ambitious tourist projects that the Prime Minister recently disclosed in parliament. There's nothing quite like making the country's beauty accessible and attractive for tourists but let it not be at the expense of the environment. Development executed without farsightedness can only be negative in the long run. The longest continuous sea beach in the world has remained because it has not been interfered with. Let our offspring not have to deal with problems that we create.
Saint Martin, the destination of an increasing number of local and foreign tourists is as pristine as one could imagine but the signs of decay from careless, thoughtless acts are already becoming evident. There are too many eyeing short term gains for comfort. The MPs forum is to be welcomed and there's nothing better than peoples' representatives working in earnest.
Guidelines that are strict but amenable are required to protect and preserve a coral island that is truly a gift of the creator. Let it remain so. (The writer is a former head of corporate and regulatory affairs of British-American Tobacco Bangladesh and former CEO of Bangladesh Cricket Board. He can be reached at mahmudrahman@gmail.com)