[🇧🇩] Save the Rivers/Forests/Hills-----Save the Environment

[Saif]

BELA demands cancellation of road, car park project in Osmani Udyan

In the letter, sent on February 9, BELA urged authorities to immediately halt all activities encroaching upon open spaces in the park. It also called for consultations with urban planners to remove unauthorised structures and ensure unrestricted public access, according to a press release

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BELA demands cancellation of road, car park project in Osmani Udyan

The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association yesterday sent a formal letter demanding the cancellation of the proposed road construction through Osmani Udyan and the planned 20-storey car parking facility within the park.

In the letter, sent on February 9, BELA urged authorities to immediately halt all activities encroaching upon open spaces in the park. It also called for consultations with urban planners to remove unauthorised structures and ensure unrestricted public access, according to a press release.

Recent media reports revealed that the Ministry of Public Administration plans to build a connecting road from Fulbaria Phoenix Road to Abdul Gani Road through Osmani Udyan to facilitate vehicular movement towards the Secretariat. Additionally, a 20-story car parking facility is planned within the park.

Over the past seven years, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has constructed various structures inside the park under the guise of renovation, restricting public access.

According to urban planners, while legal provisions allow a maximum of 5 percent infrastructure development in parks, 23 percent of Osmani Udyan has already been occupied by structures.

Bangladesh's laws prohibit using or transferring playgrounds or open spaces for any purpose other than their intended use. The courts have also issued clear directives for preserving parks and playgrounds, including the removal of unauthorised structures.

BELA sent the letter to several top officials, including the secretaries of the ministries of housing and public works, public administration, and environment, as well as the local government division. It was also addressed to the administrator of DSCC, the chairman and chief town planner of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, and the chief engineer of the Public Works Department.

The letter strongly opposes any decision that contradicts existing laws and court directives regarding the preservation of parks and open spaces.​

 

[Saif]

Nearly all nations miss UN deadline

Nearly all nations missed a UN deadline to submit new targets for slashing carbon emissions, including major economies under pressure to show leadership following the US retreat on climate change.

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Nearly all nations miss UN deadline

Nearly all nations missed a UN deadline to submit new targets for slashing carbon emissions, including major economies under pressure to show leadership following the US retreat on climate change.

Just 10 of nearly 200 countries required under the Paris Agreement to deliver fresh climate plans by February 10 did so on time, according to a UN database tracking the submissions.

Under the climate accord, each country is supposed to provide a steeper headline figure for cutting heat-trapping emissions by 2035, and a detailed blueprint for how to achieve this.

Global emissions have been rising but need to almost halve by the end of the decade to limit global warming to safer levels agreed under the Paris deal.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell has called this latest round of national pledges "the most important policy documents of this century".

Yet just a handful of major polluters handed in upgraded targets on time, with China, India and the European Union the biggest names on a lengthy absentee list.

Most G20 economies were missing in action with the United States, Britain and Brazil -- which is hosting this year's UN climate summit -- the only exceptions.

The US pledge is largely symbolic, made before President Donald Trump ordered Washington out of the Paris deal.

- Accountability -

There is no penalty for submitting late targets, formally titled nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

They are not legally binding but act as an accountability measure to ensure countries are taking climate change seriously and doing their fair share toward achieving the Paris goals.

The sluggish response will not ease fears of a possible backslide on climate action as leaders juggle Trump's return and other competing priorities from budget and security crises to electoral pressure.

Ebony Holland from the International Institute for Environment and Development said the US retreat was "clearly a setback" but there were many reasons for the tepid turnout.

The EU, historically a leader on climate policy, has been delayed by elections and internal processes and is bracing for fresh polls in Germany and Poland.

An EU spokeswoman said a collective target for the 27-nation bloc would be unveiled "well ahead" of the UN COP30 climate conference in November.​

 

[Saif]

Natural disasters cost Bangladesh $3 billion annually

Extreme weather events, including floods, droughts, storms, and heatwaves, cost Bangladesh nearly US$3.0 billion annually, affecting over 6.3 million people each year. These findings are part of 'The Climate Risk Index 2025' report, released Thursday by the Germanwatch. The report focused o

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Natural disasters cost Bangladesh $3 billion annually
FE ONLINE REPORT
Published :
Feb 13, 2025 17:47
Updated :
Feb 13, 2025 18:18

Extreme weather events, including floods, droughts, storms, and heatwaves, cost Bangladesh nearly US$3.0 billion annually, affecting over 6.3 million people each year.

These findings are part of 'The Climate Risk Index 2025' report, released Thursday by the Germanwatch.

The report focused on the disproportionate impact of climate change on global south countries.

Between 1993 and 2022, more than 9,400 extreme weather events worldwide caused nearly 0.8 million deaths and $4.2 trillion in economic losses.

Dominica, China, and Honduras were the most affected countries, while Bangladesh ranked 31st.

The report said a devastating heatwave from March to May 2022, which reached 49.5°C in Pakistan and extended to India and Bangladesh, caused over 90 deaths.

A study by the World Weather Attribution project found that climate change made this heatwave 30 times more likely, underscoring the growing threat of compounding climate events.

Despite its vulnerability, Bangladesh has become a global leader in disaster risk reduction.

Cyclone-related deaths have dropped more than 100-fold over the past 40 years—from 0.5 million in 1970 to 4,234 in 2007—thanks to improved early warning systems and community preparedness.

The report also noted that China, India, and the Philippines face recurring extreme weather, while Dominica, Honduras, Myanmar, and Vanuatu are most affected by exceptional disasters.

Italy, Spain, and Greece were among the top 10 most affected countries globally, showing that even wealthy nations are not immune.

Laura Schaefer of Germanwatch warned that the climate crisis is becoming a global security risk, requiring urgent action. David Eckstein emphasized that $4.2 trillion in losses over 30 years equals Germany’s GDP, urging stronger mitigation efforts.

Lina Adil from the same organisation called for increased climate finance for vulnerable nations, particularly at the upcoming Brazil Climate Summit, to keep global warming near the 1.5°C target.​

 

[Saif]

Coats plans to go greener in Bangladesh

The UK-headquartered thread manufacturer Coats Group has been expanding its operations in Bangladesh to meet the growing demand from local customers, according to a top official.

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Coats plans to go greener in Bangladesh

David Paja

The UK-headquartered thread manufacturer Coats Group has been expanding its operations in Bangladesh to meet the growing demand from local customers, according to a top official.

The globally leading thread-maker is also opting to go green as it aims to take the "driving seat in sustainability," said David Paja, the group chief executive officer (CEO) of Coats.

In an interview with The Daily Star at a hotel in Dhaka last week, Paja said the group has set targets to use 60 percent recycled content by 2026 and 100 percent non-virgin raw materials by 2030.

Currently, Coats uses 45 percent of its raw materials from non-virgin sources.

In Bangladesh, the thread-maker runs two production plants -- one in Gazipur and another in Chattogram. The Chattogram factory was built 35 years ago, while the second plant was opened in Gazipur in 2002.

The factories employ more than 2,000 workers.

The company says it has been facing growing demand from local customers as Bangladesh's apparel exports have increased substantially. The demand for apparel accessories, such as thread, is also on the rise.

It now supplies sewing thread to more than 800 customers in Bangladesh, Paja said.

He added that the group now looks to produce sustainable and recyclable products, as the demand for items like recycled thread, yarn and apparel has been increasing worldwide due mainly to changing consumer habits in fashion.

According to Paja, the thread business is promising in Bangladesh due to its ready customer base, geographical proximity to manufacturing hubs and the country's large number of manufacturing units.

Moreover, Bangladesh holds a strong position in the global tariff regime and has a solid track record about its apparel might.

Besides, the country gets the benefit from a ready workforce, with more than 20 lakh people entering the job market every year.

The group CEO said that over the last five years, the group has continued to invest in expanding its capacity in Bangladesh, as the market is very promising.

Also, the company has set a target to invest in water recycling processes to reuse 50 percent of its wastewater as part of its sustainability plan.

Coats has been planning its sustainability strategy around five pillars: reducing emissions; transitioning materials from virgin to recycled products; water recycling; ensuring zero waste to landfill; and making Coats a great place to work for its people and promoting female leadership.

Paja said, "Coats has been the global leader in thread for decades, and it has a responsibility. We have decided to take the driving seat in sustainability. We have an energy roadmap for 2050."

Regarding energy costs and availability, Paja said his company has already focused on energy sustainability, which is why energy-efficient tools have been installed at its plants.

The company has invested in heat recovery systems and motors to reduce energy consumption. Currently, 30 percent of the company's energy demand is met by solar panels installed on its rooftops, while 60 percent is generated by the company itself. The remaining 10 percent of the energy requirement comes from the national grid.

When asked whether Bangladesh could benefit from the Trump administration's decision to impose tariffs on China and other countries, Paja said it is difficult to anticipate and forecast.

However, Bangladesh has already benefited from the additional tariffs, as work orders have shifted from China to Bangladesh.

Apart from the apparel accessories sector going green, Paja said the fashion industry itself needs to transform, as consumers are now demanding more sustainable products.

Digital technologies must be further developed, as brands face pressure to provide greater traceability of raw materials and finished products. Digital solutions help consumers trace products accurately, he added.

The group CEO said that three key issues -- sustainability, digital technology and innovation -- will shape the future of the fashion industry; and Coats is well ahead in all three areas.​

 

[Saif]

Reclaiming canals: Now or never

With the canal reclamation drive on the agenda of the interim government, one wonders whether it makes Dhaka dwellers at all optimistic about its success, given the decades of repeated failures to accomplish the task. Despite the undeniable benefits of reclaiming lost and threatened canals, urban e

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Reclaiming canals: Now or never
Wasi Ahmed
Published :
Feb 18, 2025 22:49
Updated :
Feb 18, 2025 22:49

A canal in Dhaka illegally occupied by local people is filled with household waste and garbage. —Collected Photo

With the canal reclamation drive on the agenda of the interim government, one wonders whether it makes Dhaka dwellers at all optimistic about its success, given the decades of repeated failures to accomplish the task. Despite the undeniable benefits of reclaiming lost and threatened canals, urban experts remain sceptical due to the authorities' long history of inaction. Successive governments have pledged to take strict measures, yet tangible results remain elusive. The interim government's advisor for water resources, climate change, and environment, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, has announced an ambitious plan to reclaim nineteen canals across the capital this year by evicting encroachers. Of these, six canals-Baunia Canal, Rupnagar Canal, Begunbari Canal, Manda Canal, Kalunagar Canal, and Korail Lake-will be freed from encroachment and pollution before the upcoming monsoon. Speaking at the inauguration of the restoration works under Dhaka's two city corporations, the advisor also revealed plans to begin reclaiming 13 additional canals shortly. The government intends to introduce agricultural activities, greenery, and fish farming along the banks of the restored canals, while urging city dwellers to actively engage in the protection of these vital waterways. This time, the authorities seem more cautious than ever, acknowledging past failures and leveraging the advantage of being free from political influences. A key difference in this initiative is the level of inter-agency collaboration and community involvement, which was absent in previous efforts. For the first time, four ministries-Local Government, Environment, Water Resources, and Housing and Public Works-are jointly overseeing the project. Supporting entities include Dhaka WASA, Rajuk, the district administration, NGOs such as BAPA and Green Voice, and the Bangladesh Army. The plan involves demarcating canal boundaries, cleaning polluted waters, conserving canal banks, and integrating waste management and drainage systems. The first phase of work covers 23.66 kilometres across six canals: Baunia Canal (7.19km), Rupnagar Canal (3.5km), Begunbari Canal (1.69km), and Karail Lake (2.45km). Manda Canal (4.37km) and Kalunagar Canal (4.46km). Subsequent phases will reclaim 13 additional canals, including Boalia, Dumni, Shyampur, and Satarkul. A contemporary had reported some time ago that 39 canals in and around Dhaka have totally disappeared. Those that are still alive are mostly in the grip of influential quarters. Besides, due to construction of roads and walkways on both sides of the canals, there is hardly any space left to maintain them to allow discharge of water. On the other hand, unplanned urbanisation has led to the building of box culverts over the canals, an act believed to be instrumental in killing the vital arteries of the capital. According to the Dhaka WASA, until 1985, the capital had 54 canals and most of those were interlinked making their ultimate journey towards the four rivers around the city. It is not at all difficult to detect how most of them got lost or buried and the nature of hindrance that rendered them so. All it takes, according to the experts, is political will - one that we happen to experience only occasionally. In fact, it doesn't require an expert to bring home the importance of canals in rescuing Dhaka from the dreadful water logging and a host of other attendant problems and public sufferings. However, help from the experts is necessary to identify the routes of the canals lost to human greed and misdeeds. Professor Ainun Nishat, noted environmentalist, in an interview with a local daily, commented that tracing the routes of the canals can easily be done from documents, including the length and breadth of each and every canal. The Dhaka district administration can play a lead role in this. Most of the canals are 'owned' by the district authority. The Dhaka WASA is in charge of maintaining about two dozens of canals, the remaining few are virtually 'orphans' with no single agency assigned to maintain them. Another renowned urban expert Professor Nazrul Islam commented that the only way we can hope to recover the lost canals and maintain those is through enacting a law. Experts emphasise that once the reclamation work is completed, a long-term maintenance and monitoring plan must be in place to prevent future encroachment and degradation. Local communities should be actively involved in keeping the canals clean and functional. Awareness campaigns, legal enforcement, and community participation should go hand in hand to make this initiative a lasting success. Without a structured maintenance strategy, Dhaka risks falling back into the same cycle of negligence and destruction, rendering the entire effort futile. Canals in many big cities are life-lines potentially capable of cleansing the cities from dirt and garbage in a natural way-- besides flashing out rain waters as well as containing flash floods to a great extent. In Thailand's capital Bangkok, canals crisscrossing the city are also a treat for the eyes. The clean flow of water, courtesy of painstaking maintenance, is a good enough respite for the city dwellers amid the city's din and bustle. In traffic-choked Dhaka, canals could also be an alternative mode of travel for commuters, provided such a scheme is well designed and strictly enforced. But before we indulge in such wishful daydreams, we must see the canals first.​

 

[Saif]

Country needs to brace for climate catastrophe

Bangladesh has to bear the brunt of awful climate impacts though its contribution to global warming is negligible, believed to be less than 0.47 per cent of global emission. The Bonn-based green organisation Germanwatch reaffirmed this phenomenon and focused on how climate change is likely to leave

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Country needs to brace for climate catastrophe
Sarker Nazrul Islam
Published :
Feb 18, 2025 22:39
Updated :
Feb 18, 2025 22:39

Bangladesh has to bear the brunt of awful climate impacts though its contribution to global warming is negligible, believed to be less than 0.47 per cent of global emission. The Bonn-based green organisation Germanwatch reaffirmed this phenomenon and focused on how climate change is likely to leave disproportionate impact on countries like Bangladesh. It estimates that climate-induced disasters inflict a loss of $3.0 billion on this country annually and affect above 6.3 million of its people.

Because of its unique location and geophysical formation, Bangladesh is a disaste- prone deltaic plain, battered almost regularly by cyclones, floods, heat waves, erratic rainfall and drought that seriously hinder its development efforts. In recent years, these extreme climatic events are taking place in Bangladesh more frequently and with increased fierceness. Quoting Germanwatch, this newspaper reports that cyclones have assumed a more devastating proportion and are taking place recurrently in the Bay of Bengal under the impact of global warming. Bangladesh was devastated by some 49 cyclones since 1960 and was swept over by as many as five cyclones just in twelve months beginning from May 2023.

Scorching heat waves have become an almost common feature of the country's weather pattern during the summer months. According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department, mercury rose to a record high of 43.8 degree Celsius in Jashore in April last year. The World Weather Attribution claims that climate change has made heat wave 30 times more likely, indicating a growing threat of compounding climate disasters.

Drought is increasingly becoming more and more damaging due to declining rainfall ? for example, 66 per cent in April, 44 per cent in May and as low as 16 per cent in June in 2023. But the most devastating impact of climate change on this low lying country is that some 17 per cent of the country's total area along the coastal belt is likely to be permanently submerged under seawater due to rise of the sea level by only one metre at the end of the century. This will lead to a complete destruction of the flora and fauna of the affected areas, forcing millions to migrate to other areas.

The combined effect of all these climate calamities will lead to a human catastrophe in this most densely populated country. Poverty of about 21 per cent of the population is a harsh reality, only to be aggravated by almost every disaster. Poverty scenario follows a cyclic pattern in this country due in part to climate catastrophe: as a section of the poor people somehow pulls itself out of poverty, another section slides down to it following a disaster. Climate catastrophes make poverty eradication a difficult task in this country.

Germanwatch underscores the need for urgent action as climate crisis is increasingly becoming a worldwide security risk with the intensification of global warming. It also called for increased climate finance for vulnerable countries to keep global warming near the set target of 1.5 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial level. Though some of the wealthy nations like Spain, Italy and Greece are exposed to Nature's fury, coastal countries such as Bangladesh are most vulnerable to it. Since these countries have to suffer the impact of global warming despite no or negligible contribution to greenhouse gas emission, they deserve due compensation from the worst polluters to tide over the crisis. Experts suggest, as the global climate change is taking place due to GHG emission by developed countries, they are obligated to provide for the loss-and-damage fund as adopted by the UN at the Dubai climate conference in 2023. Bangladesh must strive hard to get its legitimate share of the global climate fund and at the same time go on with its own mitigation and adaptation programme.​

 

[Saif]

Wealthy nations owe Bangladesh $5.8 trillion in climate debt

ActionAid says

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Wealthy nations owe Bangladesh $5.8 trillion in climate debt
ActionAid says

Bangladesh, a country grappling with an increasing external debt burden, is owed a staggering $5.8 trillion in climate debt by rich, high-polluting nations, according to a report by ActionAid released this month.

The report, titled "Who Owes Who?", highlights the urgent need for debt cancellation and global financial justice.

Based on historic and projected atmospheric appropriation using low-range estimates since 1992, wealthy nations owe Bangladesh $5.8 trillion in climate debt, the report said.

It also underscored the stark imbalance between the debts that low- and lower-middle-income countries owe and the obligations that high-income countries continue to evade.

The report said that as we enter 2025, 54 countries are in a debt crisis and are being forced to cut spending on basic public services and climate action in order to pay external debts.

Bangladesh, whose external public sector debt stood at $84.44 billion as of September 2024, made debt repayments totalling $4.77 billion to its creditors in 2023.

The country on the Bay of Bengal, one of the most vulnerable to climate change, has to divert its resources towards debt repayment rather than essential public services, while wealthier nations fail to meet their own financial obligations relating to climate justice and reparations.

In 2024, Bangladesh spent 16.9 per cent of its national revenue on external debt repayments, while only 3.08 per cent was allocated to health and 11.73 per cent to education.

"Bangladesh needs debt cancellation and freedom from colonial debt structures to address both the debt crisis and climate change," ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir said.

The new report highlights the debt burden of low- and lower-middle-income countries versus the financial obligations of rich nations regarding climate damages, compensations, and unmet commitments, she added.

The Global South, which broadly represents countries mostly in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, must secure debt cancellation and push for the establishment of a new UN Framework Convention on debt this year.

She emphasised the impact of the climate crisis, especially on women and girls.

"We have seen time and again how women are at the forefront of the climate crisis. The failure by the rich polluting countries to pay their climate debt is standing in the way of mitigation and adaptation."

The ActionAid report said that lower-income countries collectively paid $138 billion just to service their debts last year, sacrificing health, education, people's rights, and sustainable national development to satisfy wealthy creditors.

It said that, based on the most systematic studies, the climate debt that rich polluting countries owe low- and lower-middle-income countries is $107 trillion.

This is more than 70 times greater than the total external debt of $1.45 trillion that these countries collectively owe.

The report urges global leaders to unite in demanding debt cancellation as part of payment of the climate debt and other reparations owed by high-income countries.

"As Bangladesh and other vulnerable nations continue to struggle under the weight of an unjust financial system, the findings of this report reinforce the need for urgent global action to address both debt injustice and the climate crisis."​

 

[Saif]

Global glacier melt is accelerating, scientists say

Ice loss from the world’s glaciers has accelerated over the past decade, scientists said on Wednesday, warning that melting may be faster than previously expected in the coming years and drive sea levels higher...

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Global glacier melt is accelerating, scientists say
Agence France-Presse . Paris 20 February, 2025, 22:58

AFP file photo

Ice loss from the world’s glaciers has accelerated over the past decade, scientists said on Wednesday, warning that melting may be faster than previously expected in the coming years and drive sea levels higher.

The world’s glaciers, which are important climate regulators and hold freshwater resources for billions, are rapidly melting as the world warms.

In a first-of-its-kind global assessment, an international team of researchers found a sharp increase in melting over the past decade, with around 36 per cent more ice lost in the 2012 to 2023 period than in the years from 2000 to 2011.

On average some 273 billion tonnes of ice are being lost per year — equivalent to the world population’s water consumption for 30 years, they said.

The findings are ‘shocking’ if not altogether surprising as global temperatures rise with humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions, said Michael Zemp, a professor at the University of Zurich, who was a co-author of the assessment published in the journal Nature.

Overall, researchers found that the world’s glaciers have lost around five per cent of their volume since the turn of the century, with wide regional differences ranging from a two-per cent loss in Antarctica to up to 40 per cent in the European Alps.

Zemp said that regions with smaller glaciers are losing them faster, and many ‘will not survive the present century’.

The research — coordinated by the World Glacier Monitoring Service, The University of Edinburgh and research group Earthwave — was an effort to bring together field and satellite measurements to create a ‘reference estimate’ for tracking ice loss.

Zemp, who leads the WGMS, said the team’s observations and recent modelling studies suggest that glacier melt this century will be faster than projected in the most recent assessment by United Nations IPCC climate experts.

‘Hence, we are facing higher sea-level rise until the end of this century than expected before,’ he said, adding that glacier loss would also impact fresh water supplies, particularly in central Asia and the central Andes.

Glaciers are the second-largest contributor to global sea-level rise — after the rise caused by the expansion of seawater as it warms.

The nearly two centimetres of sea level rise attributed to glacier melt since 2000 means almost four million more people on the world’s coasts made vulnerable to flooding, scientists have estimated.

So far smaller glaciers are the main contributors to sea level rise, but Martin Siegert, a Professor at the University of Exeter who was not involved in the study, said the research was ‘concerning’.

That is because it predicts further glacier losses and could indicate how Antarctica and Greenland’s vast ice sheets react to global warming.

‘Ice sheets are now losing mass at increasing rates — six times more than 30 years ago — and when they change, we stop talking centimetres and start talking metres,’ he said.

Glaciers have been a key bellwether for human-caused climate change for decades, with WGMS data going back more than a century.

In the 20th century, assessments were based on field measurements from some 500 glaciers—involving scientists digging a hole on the top to record the amount of fresh snow that year and then assessing ice amounts lost on the ‘tongue’ where the melting ice flows.

More recently, satellites have allowed scientists to better track changes across the world’s 2,75,000 glaciers — using cameras, radar, lasers and methods to assess the Earth’s mass.

In January, the United Nations said saving the world’s glaciers was an important ‘survival strategy’ for the planet.

To do that, ‘you have to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, it is as simple and as complicated as that,’ said Zemp.

‘Every tenth of a degree warming that we avoid saves us money, saves us lives, saves us problems.’​