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

[Saif]

Pollution, encroachment: Bangshi river dying slowly

The once-vibrant Bangshi River in Jamalpur is slowly dying. Merchants once navigated its waters on large boats, but now, the three-kilometre stretch within Jamalpur municipality barely resembles a three-meter-wide canal before merging with the Brahmaputra

www.thedailystar.net

Pollution, encroachment: Bangshi river dying slowly

The once-vibrant Bangshi River in Jamalpur is slowly dying. Merchants once navigated its waters on large boats, but now, the three-kilometre stretch within Jamalpur municipality barely resembles a three-meter-wide canal before merging with the Brahmaputra.

Illegal encroachment, pollution, and unchecked siltation have led to its decline.

In 2007, local authorities began demarcating the river's land and excavating it to reduce waterlogging. However, the river was soon filled with garbage dumped by residents.

"Whenever it rains, our houses flood with dirty water as the river can no longer drain it away. The bad odour from the river is a constant nuisance. The municipality should take urgent steps to clean the river," said Aminul Sheikh, a resident of Dayamayi area.

"The river has become a canal over the years due to illegal land grabbing. Now it is filled with garbage and serves as a mosquito breeding ground. The municipality should clean up the waterbody and excavate it to prevent waterlogging and improve the environment," said Jahangir Selim, president of the Jamalpur District Environment Protection Movement.

Mayor Mohammad Sanowar put the onus on the local residents for the river's plight.

"We repeatedly try to prevent residents from throwing waste into the water body. Mass awareness needs to be raised," he said.​

 

[Saif]

Air pollution linked to 135m premature deaths globally: study

Pollution from man-made emissions and other sources like wildfires have been linked to around 135 million premature deaths worldwide between 1980 and 2020, a Singapore university said yesterday.

www.thedailystar.net

Air pollution linked to 135m premature deaths globally: study

Pollution from man-made emissions and other sources like wildfires have been linked to around 135 million premature deaths worldwide between 1980 and 2020, a Singapore university said yesterday.

Weather phenomena like El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole worsened the effects of these pollutants by intensifying their concentration in the air, Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) said, unveiling the results of a study led by its researchers.

The tiny particles called particulate matter 2.5, or "PM 2.5", are harmful to human health when inhaled because they are small enough to enter the bloodstream.​

 

[Saif]

What will happen when the 'Doomsday Glacier' disintegrates?

As climate change drives global temperatures ever higher, glaciers and ice sheets will inevitably melt.

www.thedailystar.net

What will happen when the 'Doomsday Glacier' disintegrates?

The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is seen in this undated NASA image. Photo: Reuters

Punishing heatwaves is not the only measure of global climate change that is undergoing an abnormally rapid change. Numerous other indicators, such as violent storms, long-lasting droughts, devastating floods, raging wildfires, and permafrost thawing, among others, suggest a more general global warming trend. An indicator that does not get much attention but will nevertheless have reverberating effects across the globe is the melting of glaciers and ice sheets, particularly in Antarctica.

As climate change drives global temperatures ever higher, glaciers and ice sheets in the polar and mountainous regions will inevitably melt. According to a paper published in Nature Climate Change (June 2020), Antarctica has warmed at over three times the global rate since 1989. As a result, glaciers in Antarctica, which contain about 90 percent of all the ice on Earth, are flowing into the oceans where they melt and raise the sea level. From 1979 to 1989, some 40 billion tonnes of glacial ice in Antarctica melted each year. A study published in 2019 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that the amount jumped to 252 billion tonnes each year starting in 2009.

Since 1880, global sea levels have risen roughly 23 centimetres. Over the past decade, the sea level is rising at a much faster rate of 3.9 millimetres per year, as measured by NASA's satellite-based radar altimeters. The rise is mostly due to a combination of water melting from glaciers and ice sheets, as well as thermal expansion of seawater as it warms.

Scientists are particularly concerned about Thwaites Glacier, a massive block of ice in West Antarctica, approximately the size of Florida. It is nicknamed the "Doomsday Glacier" because if it were to collapse and melt, it could single-handedly cause global sea levels to rise by as much as 65 centimetres. As one of the fastest melting glaciers currently losing 50 billion tonnes of ice annually, Thwaites already accounts for four percent (0.15 millimetre) of the planet's sea level rise. In the 1990s, it was losing just over 10 billion tonnes of ice a year.

When all the glaciers in Antarctica will melt, sea level will rise some 70 metres, according to the US Geological Survey. Moreover, if the rest of the glaciers on Earth melts too, 7.6 metres will be added on top of Antarctica's drastic total, wiping out most of the low-lying countries in the world, while in urban settings along coastlines, it will threaten infrastructure vital for local jobs and regional industries.

The coastal edge of Thwaites that interacts with the ocean stretches 120 kilometres, while its thickness from bedrock to surface measures between 800 metres and 1,200 metres. A platform of ice called an ice shelf that floats above the Pine Island Bay acts as a brace, holding this frosty goliath back on the land, thereby slowing its journey to the sea. Thwaites also acts as a natural dam to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica and hence provides an important defence against the sea-level rise.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Keep trees, greenery intact during development projects: BAPA

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon today urged authorities concerned to plan and implement development projects while keeping existing trees and greenery intact as much as possible

www.thedailystar.net

Keep trees, greenery intact during development projects: BAPA

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon today urged authorities concerned to plan and implement development projects while keeping existing trees and greenery intact as much as possible.

It also demanded immediate action to recover and protect waterbodies and the creation of a "blue network" connecting waterbodies with rivers to improve the livability of cities.

Bapa organised a discussion on the importance of the environment in sustainable urbanisation and unveiled a proposal booklet at the Sagar-Runi Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters' Unity.

Bapa Vice President and Architect Iqbal Habib presented the main article while scholars and activists discussed how to ensure sustainable urbanisation, focusing on waterbodies, greenery, open spaces, playing fields, and air and sound pollution.

Discussants proposed a tree census and a database of roadside trees to control tree felling in the name of development-related activities. They also proposed a policy to ensure tree plantation, maintenance, and urban forestry.

"Due to encroachment and pollution, Dhaka's waterbodies and greenery have decreased alarmingly. The city authorities should take effective action to restore and safeguard the waterbodies. Before taking any development project, a proper Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Mitigation Plan must be done and stakeholders should be informed about these," said Iqbal Habib.

Ishrat Islam, professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Buet, said, "The city corporation is responsible for protecting canals and waterbodies. We may still have time to save the existing ones. The scenario outside Dhaka is almost similar and needs special attention too."

"Assessment and accountability are needed from those who are responsible for saving the environment. An evaluation of their performances can be helpful," Prof Ishrat added.

Prof Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, joint secretary of Bapa, said uncontrolled construction works and unfit vehicles are responsible for air and sound pollution in Dhaka.

He stressed short, mid and long-term plans to improve the situation.

Speakers also demanded protection of agricultural lands and maximum use of non-agricultural lands.​

 

[Saif]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/environment/fy25-budget-allocation-for-climate-finance-inadequate-say-experts

FY25 budget allocation for climate finance inadequate, say experts
Published :
Jun 13, 2024 21:42
Updated :
Jun 13, 2024 21:42

Despite formulating long-term plans like the Centenary Delta Plan to tackle climate change, Bangladesh's annual budget allocations remain insufficient for effective implementation, experts said at a seminar on Thursday.

They made the remark during a seminar titled "Independent Climate Finance Inevitable for Sustainable Development" organised by EquityBD, AOSED, CLEAN, CSRL, and COAST Foundation at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity. The event was presided over by Dr Qazi Khaliquzzaman Ahmad and moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD, according to a press release.

Abul Hasan of Coast Foundation presented the keynote, with three major demands for climate finance: allocating at least 3.0 per cent of GDP to climate finance to reduce reliance on foreign loans and protect vulnerable populations; prioritising the National Strategy Paper on Displacement Management in the climate finance framework; and ensuring local needs-based allocations separate from traditional embankment construction funds for coastal protection.

Hasan Mehdi of CLEAN pointed out the disparity between the national five-year plan's target of achieving 10 per cent renewable energy by 2025 and the current achievement of only 3.0 per cent.

Ziaul Haque Mukta from CSRL stressed the need for regional plans to address local climate impacts, stating that national plans are inadequate for regional-specific issues.

Dr. Qazi Khaliquzzaman Ahmad noted that although the National River Protection Commission has identified river encroachers, it lacks the enforcement power to take action against them.

Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said Bangladesh could follow the success of community-involved embankment maintenance models in Bhola and Charfashion.​

 

[Saif]

Work begins to breathe life into dying Ichamati

The long-awaited project to rejuvenate the Ichamati river began under the supervision of Bangladesh Army, bringing joy to the people of Pabna

www.thedailystar.net

Work begins to breathe life into dying Ichamati

The long-awaited project to rejuvenate the Ichamati river began in early June under the supervision of Bangladesh Army, bringing joy to the people of Pabna.

The Water Development Board (WDB) initiated the "Rejuvenating River Ichamati" project with a budget of Tk 1554.90 crore.

"We have started dredging operations in the Madhpur-Jagannathpur area of Santhia upazila, Pabna, under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army Engineering Division," said Shudhangshu Kumar Sarkar, project director of the Ichamati project.

This three-year project involves dredging 110km of waterways. This includes 33.772km of the main river, 44.072 km of connecting canals, 20 km of the Sutikhali River, and 12.37 km of Varara Canal to restore water flow.

Sarkar, who is also the superintendent engineer of WDB Pabna, added, "Dredging of the main river will be conducted first, and then other works will begin."

In addition to dredging, the project includes constructing a 10-km retaining wall, 10 km of drainage, 23 new bridges, 56 ghats for boat parking, and a 10-km walkway. The project also plans to plant 42,310 trees along the riverbanks for beautification.

A visit to the Madhpur-Jagannathpur area a few days ago revealed rapid progress in the dredging work.

The 82-kilometer-long Ichamati River, which originates from the Padma River and reaches Hurasagar in Bera upazila, flows through the district headquarters of Pabna. However, it has been severely affected by rampant encroachment and pollution over the decades.

"The people of Pabna have been striving to protect the Ichamati River, essential to their livelihoods," said SM Mahabubul Alom, founder of Ichamati Rokhkha Andolon.

"We want proper dredging of the Ichamati according to the CS map for rejuvenating the river," he added.

After the project was approved in the ECNEC meeting last October, the work was handed over to the Army Engineering Division, according to WDB.

Encroachers have occupied land forging documents in their names over the past few decades. The WDB has identified 1053 illegal structures on the Ichamati . Encroachers have filed a series of cases, with 73 cases still pending in court.

"Ichamati will be dredged according to the CS map, and illegal structures will be removed as per court directions," said Md Mosharaf Hossain, assistant director of WDB Pabna.​

 

[Saif]

Major brands join forces to decarbonise Bangladesh’s fashion industry

Some of the world’s biggest fashion brands such as like Gap Inc, H&M Group, Mango, and Bestseller have joined forces to participate in an initiative to decarbonise the fashion sector in Bangladesh.

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Major brands join forces to decarbonise Bangladesh's fashion industry

Some of the world's biggest fashion brands such as like Gap Inc, H&M Group, Mango, and Bestseller have joined forces to participate in an initiative to decarbonise the fashion sector in Bangladesh.

The Future Supplier Initiative offers a collective financing model to support decarbonisation in the apparel sector, according to a statement from H&M.

It is facilitated by non-profit The Fashion Pact in partnership with brand and manufacturer platform Apparel Impact Institute, consultancy firm Guidehouse and Singaporean DBS Bank.

Decarbonisation is the process of reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from processes such as manufacturing.

Future Supplier Initiative estimates that 99 percent of total fashion brand emissions occur in the supply chain.

It aims to accelerate the transition to net zero by sharing the financial risks and responsibilities of transitioning to renewable energy sources in garment and textile factories alongside their suppliers.

The initiative is a brand-agnostic mechanism that will develop and finance projects to support both brands and suppliers to meet their "Science Based Targets" (SBTs) and stay within the 1.5 degree trajectory.

The 1.5-degree trajectory is a specific goal outlined in the context of global efforts to address climate change, with the aim being to limit global warming to an increase of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

To this end, a combination of technical support and financial incentives will be used to help overcome the barriers that prevent many factories from adopting electrification and renewable energy solutions.

"The cost of inaction on climate change is unaffordable," said Eva von Alvensleben, executive director and secretary general of The Fashion Pact, according to a statement from H&M on June 13.

"If the fashion sector is to meet its goals and transform its supply chain, we urgently need to address the gap between ambition and action," she said.

"No business alone can solve this challenge, but by sharing the costs, risks and responsibilities of the transition to renewable energy, we can build an ecosystem of solutions and kickstart a new era of change," she added.

The H&M statement added that achieving significant emission reductions would mean that suppliers may need to adopt a range of energy-efficient technologies and processes, as well as transitioning to renewable energy sources, often with lengthy payback periods that can take decades.

This deters many suppliers from embracing electrification and renewable energy solutions, hindering progress towards decarbonisation goals.

To help accelerate progress and bridge these gaps, the Future Supplier Initiative aims to reduce the cost for suppliers by working with fashion brands to decrease the cost of capital for loans that can accelerate decarbonisation.

Alongside financial incentives, technical support will be provided to help suppliers identify and implement low-carbon technologies and solutions.

Baselining and monitoring emission reductions will also be conducted to demonstrate the impact of projects financed and implemented by the initiative.

The initiative seeks to identifying common factory units, interventions and costs and match projects with the highest potential for impact.

"At Bestseller, we are working intensively to improve our climate footprint," said Anders Holch Povlsen, owner and CEO of Bestseller.

"We have largely managed to tackle our direct emissions, but it is clear that emissions in our value chain require ambitious efforts on a scale that calls for innovative, joint solutions," he said.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Air pollution caused most deaths in 2021

Air pollution has become the leading cause of death in Bangladesh, outpacing fatalities from high blood pressure, poor diet and tobacco use, found a new study.

www.thedailystar.net

Air pollution caused most deaths in 2021
2.36 lakh people died in Bangladesh, says global study; children under 5 years particularly vulnerable

Air pollution has become the leading cause of death in Bangladesh, outpacing fatalities from high blood pressure, poor diet and tobacco use, found a new study.

In 2021, at least 236,000 lives were lost in Bangladesh due to air pollution, according to the fifth edition of the State of Global Air report, which was released yesterday.

In contrast, there were 200,000 deaths linked to high blood pressure, 130,100 deaths linked to tobacco use and 130,400 deaths linked to poor diet.

Children in Bangladesh are particularly vulnerable to air pollution: the country ranked fifth globally in 2021 in the total number of deaths among children under the age of five due to air pollution.

As many as 19,000 children under five years old died due to air pollution, said the report, which was produced by the State of Global Air Initiative, a collaboration between the Health Effects Institute (HEI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's Global Burden of Disease project in partnership with Unicef.

India tops the list with 169,000 deaths in children under 5, followed by Nigeria (114,000), Pakistan (68,000) and Ethiopia (31,000).

"In the last 20 years, we have talked a lot about air pollution but when it comes to action, we rarely see any action -- even the interventions that we saw are very insignificant," said Abdus Salam, one of the reviewers of the study.

The study focuses on the danger of both indoor and outdoor pollution and the vulnerability of children due to indoor air pollution in Bangladesh, said Salam, a professor of chemistry at Dhaka University.

As much as 36 percent of preterm births in Bangladesh in 2021 were linked to exposure to air pollution.

Air pollution impacts children's health in many ways -- from pregnancy through early childhood -- through impacts on newborns including preterm birth, as well as through lower respiratory infections and asthma in children,said Pallavi Pant, head of global health at HEI.

The study found South Asia to be the most polluted region in the world in terms of air: about 18 percent of the total deaths in the region are linked to air pollution.

Bangladesh also featured in the top 20 countries with the highest outdoor PM2.5 exposures.

More than 92 percent of the country's population live in areas that exceed the least stringent interim target for PM2.5 (35 µg/m3) from the World Health Organisation, the report said.

Exposure to household air pollution caused by the use of solid fuels for cooking is also linked to the development of cataracts, a debilitating disease that affects many across South Asia, Pant told The Daily Star.

Across South Asia, residential solid fuel use continues to be an important contributor to outdoor PM2.5, together with energy, industry, agriculture and transportation sectors.

"It is promising to see progress including reductions in PM2.5 levels and exposure to household air pollution over the last few years. However, exposures to various pollutants remain high in much of South Asia, and the data brings into focus the need for sustained and science-based local and regional action to improve air quality," said Pant, who oversaw the report's release.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Resorts in Sundarbans: Environment must not be destroyed

Resorts in Sundarbans destroying environment with illegal constructions and pollution, risking natural heritage

en.prothomalo.com

Resorts in Sundarbans: Environment must not be destroyed
Published: 18 Jun 2024, 17: 34

The Sundarbans is not only a part of the global heritage but a crucial natural resource of Bangladesh. The recent Cyclone Remal was a reminder of the fact that this forest protects us from natural disasters.

The way a mother hold her child close to keep it out of harm's way, the Sundarbans also protects us from the cyclones every single time.

But alongside cutting down trees indiscriminately, a cluster of resort owners have got down to destroying the Sundarbans in the name tourist service. Prothom Alo reports that resorts are being built one after another in the ecologically critical area (ECA) adjacent to the Sundarbans.

As many as 14 resorts have already been constructed in Khulna and Satkhira by felling trees of the forest and filling up canals. Meanwhile, the construction of another eight resorts is underway.

Noisy generators are roaring to keep the resorts running. There are deafening sound systems installed. And, air conditioners (ACs) have been installed in most of the resorts.

According to the Environment Conservation Act, the area within the 10-kilometre radius of the Sundarbans has been declared an ecologically critical area. Construction of any establishments or any sort of activities that destroy the natural features is completely prohibited in these areas.

However, the resort owners have been building establishments one after another without paying heed to these prohibitions. Water, sound and earth pollutions are increasing in the surrounding areas of these resorts. And the wild animals are leaving that part of the forest.

While conducting a baseline study on community-based ecotourism centering the Sundarbans two professors from Khulna University recently found out that there were only three eco cottages around the forest in Dakop of Khulna and in Mongla of Satkhira back in 2018. Then the number reached to twelve in 2023.

All the 74 rooms in those 12 resorts could house as many as 260 tourists then. Meanwhile, another eight cottages having a total of 58 rooms are being constructed this year and the construction of 42 new rooms in seven of the old cottages is also underway. The accommodation capability of 20 cottages would reach 560 persons towards the end of 2024.

What's more intriguing is that a couple of non-government organisatins have also become involved in constructing resorts. NGOs are supposed to serve poor people and protect the environment. Then why would they run resort business by destroying the environment?

Former chief forest conservator and ex country director of IUC, Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo, "Various threats including the establishment of factories around the Sundarbans are on the rise. If resorts continue running illegally like this, the condition of the Sundarbans will also become like the Bhawal forest of Gazipur."

Khulna environment directorate director Md Iqbal Hossain has also acknowledged that the establishment of resorts one after another is causing harm to the environment as well as to the Sundarbans.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Air pollution is now the biggest killer in Bangladesh

Take action against those responsible for this situation

www.thedailystar.net

Air pollution is now the biggest killer in Bangladesh
Take action against those responsible for this situation

VISUAL: STAR

It is alarming to know that air pollution has become the leading cause of death in Bangladesh, outpacing fatalities from high blood pressure, poor diet, and tobacco use, according to a newly unveiled global study. The study found that in 2021, at least 236,000 lives were lost due to air pollution in the country. By comparison, 200,000 deaths occurred due to high blood pressure, 130,100 due to tobacco use, and 130,400 were linked to poor diet. This deserves critical attention.

Unlike other major causes of deaths, air pollution is something that affects everyone, particularly children. In fact, in 2021, the country ranked fifth globally in terms of deaths among children under the age of five due to air pollution. And as much as 36 percent of preterm births in Bangladesh were also linked to it. Aside from deaths, air pollution impacts children's health in many ways and at many levels, starting from pregnancy through early childhood. These issues may continue to affect an individual throughout their life.

Despite these severe health impacts—and the resulting burden on the nation—we wonder why the government has failed to make any significant progress in reducing air pollution. A number of previous studies have shared similar findings, which make it obvious that this has turned into a silent killer that must be urgently addressed. According to a study by Clean Air Fund (CAF), between 2017 and 2021, Bangladesh received $2.3 billion to curb air pollution. Where did this fund go? What was it used for? Does the government have any notable achievement to show that it was properly utilised?

Major pollutants like construction dust, traffic fumes, factory emissions, and brick kilns continue to be unchecked to this day. According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), of the 60 lakh registered vehicles in the country, about 6.17 lakh run with no or expired fitness certificates. Additionally, Bangladesh produces about 30 lakh tonnes of e-waste every year—most of which contain carcinogenic elements. Brick kilns, too, continue to heavily pollute the environment. In other words, the government has done little to nothing to address the killer air that citizens are breathing in.

Last year, the High Court rightly lambasted the Department of Environment (DoE) for failing to take effective steps to control air pollution in Dhaka despites its repeated directives. But even that seems to have changed nothing. It is high time, therefore, for the relevant state institutions as well as polluting entities to be held responsible for their negligence or contributions in this regard. Perhaps then they will finally start to act as they are legally bound to do, and help prevent needless deaths of citizens.​

 

[Saif]

We must protect Tengragiri forest at any cost

We can’t afford to lose the ‘second Sundarbans’ to timber thieves.

www.thedailystar.net

We must protect Tengragiri forest at any cost
We can't afford to lose the 'second Sundarbans' to timber thieves

VISUAL: STAR

We are outraged to learn that another reserved forest is being plundered by timber thieves who are felling and stealing trees indiscriminately, with no visible steps to stop them. According to a recent report by Prothom Alo, an organised criminal gang has been stealing trees from the Tengragiri mangrove forest and setting the stumps on fire to destroy evidence, in the process causing damage to the trees that still remain standing. Locals complained that this has been going on for a long time, alleging that these thieves are working in cohort with forest officials.

The Tengragiri forest, situated along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, stretches from Taltali upazila of Barguna to Kuakata in Patuakhali, covering 13,644 acres of area, according to data from the Forest Department. In 1960, it was designated as a reserved forest based on a survey done in 1927. Home to an incredible biodiversity system, Tengragiri is the second largest mangrove forest in Bangladesh, and is often called the "second Sundarbans."

Such an invaluable gift of nature—which, much like the Sundarbans, acts as a natural barrier to calamities and protects the locals—already faces a host of threats to its survival, such as the rising sea level and increasing salinity due to global warming, erosion, etc. Its chances of survival are being further jeopardised because of the greed and recklessness of local influentials. A recent visit has revealed that 3,000 trees have been felled and stolen in the forest's Behular Char area. According to the Prothom Alo report, in March, a fire broke out there and burned as many as 10,000 trees, damaging a lot of others. What really puzzles us is that after the fire was reported, it took local forest officials 18 hours to reach the scene and bring the fire under control. Another fire incident happened in the Disirkilla area in April, but that was put out quickly enough, so the damage was minimal. For the March incident, the Forest Department filed a case against three suspects, who are already accused in a number of cases for tree robbery and smuggling, according to the report. However, the accused are out and about as all of the cases against them are still on trial.

When asked about their failure to prevent tree robbery and fire incidents, forest officials in Tengragiri cited lack of manpower and necessary resources, as well as logistical inconveniences. This seems to be their go-to excuse whenever there are reports of timber theft from reserved forests. We must ask: how difficult is it to ramp up the capacity of the Forest Department so that it can protect at-risk forest areas? Or is the concept of "reserved forest" lost on them? This lackadaisical attitude is totally unacceptable, especially considering Bangladesh's dwindling forest coverage. We urge the authorities to ensure that no further damage is done to what's left of our precious forests.​

 

[Saif]

2.57 lakh acres of forest land under illegal occupation: Saber

Over 2.57 lakh acres of forest land under the forest department have been illegally occupied, Environment Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury told parliament today

www.thedailystar.net

2.57 lakh acres of forest land under illegal occupation: Saber

Photo: UNB/File

Over 2.57 lakh acres of forest land under the forest department have been illegally occupied, Environment Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury told parliament today.

In a scripted answer, he said of the total grabbed land, a total of 30,162 acres of forest land have been recovered as of last May.

The minister said this in reply to a query from Awami League MP M Abdul Latif.

The minister said, "Eviction proposals are being sent to recover 5,000 acres of encroached forest land through a 100 working day priority action plan. Moreover, activities have been intensified to recover remaining encroached forest lands."

In response to a query from Independent MP Sohrab Uddin, he said from January to June, 170 mobile courts conducted operations against 611 illegal brick kilns, collecting fines worth Tk 15.08 crore and demolishing 250 brick kilns.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh significant contributor to economic loss due to inadequate e-waste mgmt: ITU

The global loss due to inadequate e-waste management practices amounts to $37 billion annually, with Bangladesh being a significant contributor, according to a study conducted by the International Telecommunication Union...

www.newagebd.net

Bangladesh significant contributor to economic loss due to inadequate e-waste mgmt: ITU
Taufiq Hossain Mobin 03 July, 2024, 22:46

Old and worn-out electronic devices are seen at a shop in the capital Dhaka recently. The global loss due to inadequate e-waste management practices amounts to $37 billion annually, with Bangladesh being a significant contributor, according to a study conducted by the International Telecommunication Union. | New Age photo

The global loss due to inadequate e-waste management practices amounts to $37 billion annually, with Bangladesh being a significant contributor, according to a study conducted by the International Telecommunication Union.

The report 'The Global E-WASTE Monitor 2024' published by the ITU, a specialised agency of the United Nations, Bangladesh is one of the largest e-waste generators in the South Asian region and the country generated 367 million kilograms of e-waste in 2022 at a rate of 2.2 kilograms per capita.

The report defined e-waste as the waste stream that contains both hazardous and valuable materials generated from disposed electrical and electronic equipment.

The UN agency published statistics of e-waste generation in 193 countries based on the data for the year 2022, showing that a record 62 billion kilograms of e-waste were generated globally in 2022, averaging 7.8 kilograms per person a year.

The report explained that despite gaining $28 billion from metal recovery and $23 billion from reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the costs of e-waste treatment and associated health and environmental impacts remain high.

With $10 billion spent on treatment and $78 billion in externalised costs, the net result is a staggering $37 billion annual loss in global e-waste management, it said.

The externalised costs amount to an estimated $36 billion in long-term socioeconomic and environmental costs, $22 billion representing the cost of illnesses and decreases in human capital, and the average monetised value of working lives caused by mercury emissions, $19 billion arising from the release of plastic waste into the environment, less than $1 billion arising from the release of lead into the environment and its effects on wildlife and humans.

Experts said that Bangladesh was incurring loss in this sector due to lack of a formal mechanism in e-waste management, and said e-waste management could be an industry if the government had set up proper process.

Hridoy Roy, a lecturer of the chemical engineering department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, told New Age that assessing the economic impact of e-waste management in Bangladesh would be hard for various reasons.

'One of the main reasons is currently there is no formal mechanism for collecting and recycling e-waste in the country. Policies regarding this need to be introduced accordingly,' he said.

The ITU report stated that Bangladesh had only a few licensed e-waste dismantlers, which used basic resource recovery practices that were polluting and unsafe.

In the Southern Asian region, India, Iran, Thailand and Pakistan were above Bangladesh in generating e-waste, amounting to 4,137 million kilograms, 817 million kilograms, 753 million kilograms and 559 million kilograms of e-waste respectively in 2022.

Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan and the Maldives stayed below Bangladesh.

Of these countries, the first three generated 175 million kilograms, 42 million kilograms, 32 million kilograms respectively and the remaining two five million kilograms each.

While not highlighting on the formal and informal e-waste management in Bangladesh, the report said that only 22.3 per cent of this e-waste was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner in the global scenario.

The report said that e-waste had a direct and severe impact on the environment and people's health.

E-waste contains toxic and persistent substances, such as the flame retardants that are used in appliances and in EEE containing plastics.

It also said that several international studies of the emissions caused by open burning of various materials, including hazardous materials, highlighted the health risks of inhaling the heavy metals and brominated flame retardants contained in plastic e-waste.

Mentioning unmanaged recycling of temperature exchange equipment, such as refrigerants as another major, but often overlooked concern, the report stated that it contributed to climate change and depletion of the ozone layer.

The report observed that the ministry of environment, forest, and climate change of Bangladesh issued the e-waste Management Rules in 2021, after nearly 10 years of talks.

The rules introduce the extended producer responsibility framework for e-waste management, requiring producers of almost all EEE to register with the Department of Environment, have an approved e-waste management plan and reach collection targets of 10 per cent in 2022, increasing annually by 10 percentage points to 50 per cent by 2026.

The report said that the government of Bangladesh had been unable to implement the rules despite the progress made.​

M Shahidul Islam, chairman of the department of geography and environment at the University of Dhaka, told New Age that consumption of electrical and electronics enhanced in Bangladesh, so disposing these goods had become a matter of concern, as it was a densely populated country.

'Bangladesh has two main resources, water and soil. Either disposed EEE, or e-waste goes to water, or mixes in soil. Water and soil get polluted by the heavy metals of e-waste, such as lead,' he said.

'Specific policy and its implementation are needed for e-waste management. But e-waste management in Bangladesh is currently treated as a casual issue without much seriousness,' he added.

 

[Saif]

Heroes and villains of the climate crisis

The “climatic” factor brings us back to the question of climate justice.

www.thedailystar.net

Heroes and villains of the climate crisis

Visual: Shutterstock

In Alexander Ward's book The Internationalists, there is an account of a debate between the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on how the United States should address the issue of China in climate negotiations. Kerry argues that America and China must cooperate. Sullivan disagrees—they should focus on "boxing China out" and make deals with other countries. Sullivan argues that they should instead present China as the main climate villain, and force them to the negotiating table on US' terms.

Economist Raghuram Rajan recently wrote an article for the Financial Times in the aftermath of the Indian elections, arguing that the Modi administration's focus on expanding manufacturing is misguided: "The world does not have political or climatic room for another China-sized economy exporting manufactured goods." Notably, the lack of room is both "political" and "climatic". The unspoken "political" factor here is the recent American anxiety around Chinese overcapacity—G7 economies are worried about losing advanced manufacturing capacity to competitors in all emerging markets (not just China).

The "climatic" factor brings us back to the question of climate justice.

Who is the real "climate villain?"

Historical emissions and global inequality
How can one measure climate villainy? If we were to take annual carbon emissions, then the primary villain is very clear—it is the People's Republic of China, followed by the United States of America. If we measure "climate villainy" on this scale then one can even present the US as a relative "climate hero"—it's an example of a large, high-population economy that can sustain a higher quality of life than China while producing fewer emissions. Thanks to the radical green agenda in Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (glowingly endorsed by progressives) and the visionary entrepreneurialism of Elon Musk, it will be the US that saves the world from the climate crisis, just as it saves the world from every crisis.

This is the story US progressives would like to tell—of the climate hero America saving the world from the climate villain China.

The problem with looking only at annual carbon emissions is that carbon has accumulated over time. The climate crisis is not caused by present-day emissions, it is caused by the sum total of historical emissions. Once we account for the issue of historical emissions, we confront the heart of the matter: the benefits of historical carbon consumption are restricted to a small handful of advanced economies, former Warsaw Pact countries and Gulf Arab petrostates, but the costs have to be borne by us all.

Consider the figure below, taken from a Nature Sustainability paper by climate scientist Jason Hickel:

Cumulative CO2 emissions with respect to 1.5 degrees Celsius fair shares versus cumulative GDP per capita, 1960-2018. Source: Jason Hickel
The y-axis shows the cumulative GDP per capita from 1960-2018. The x-axis measures how much each country has overshot or undershot the global carbon budget needed to restrict warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, relative to a hypothetical world where historical carbon consumption was divided equally according to population—a value of 1 represents a country that has consumed exactly its fair share of global carbon.

A striking pattern emerges almost immediately—almost 70 percent of cross-national differences in cumulative per capita GDP can be explained solely by differences in cumulative emissions over time. Thus, it is impossible to disentangle the issue of global inequality from historical carbon emissions. With the exception of primarily the Gulf petrostates, the entirety of the Global South is in the bottom left of the chart, coloured in green. The figure ends in 2018, rapid economic development in the intervening period has since caused China to slightly overshoot its fair share. But the main climate villain when we take historical emissions into account is very clear—it is the US.

Liability vs generosity

The solution to the problem of historical emissions is quite straightforward—Global North (red in the graph) countries owe liability payments to Global South (green) countries for exceeding their fair shares of the atmospheric commons. This would enable emissions reductions while still allowing for "catch-up" growth in the Global South, and help solve long-standing issues of global inequality. COP would be the ideal venue to negotiate these payments.

However, the topic of liability payments at COP is consistently blocked by the Western negotiating bloc, particularly the US. The concept of Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR) was enshrined into international climate law in the Paris Agreement to acknowledge the issue of historical emissions but is under attack every year from Western nations. CBDR acknowledges that while all countries must act on climate change, the nature of our responsibilities is different and corresponds to our historic emissions. This framework is essential to protecting every sovereign nation's inherent human right to development. It is also essential to preserve as we pursue climate justice. Jake Sullivan's strategy for climate negotiations with China suggests that senior American policymakers have abandoned it completely, choosing instead to use climate politics to suppress economic development in Global South competitors.

Let us return to Raghuram Rajan's prescriptions for the Indian economy. "Climatic" factors are only a barrier to industrial development in India if we take the US position that only present-day emissions matter in determining climate responsibility. A historical emissions framework gives countries in the Global South room to grow and to reach some kind of parity in economic prosperity with the advanced economies. Liability payments offer a mechanism to achieve that parity.

By now I hope the readers can fully comprehend the dark motivations behind the consistent blocking of liability payments at COP. We should recognise this for what it is—an attempt by the Global North to use the climate crisis to lock in current patterns of global inequality and maintain their position of privilege in the commanding heights of the world economy. In the context of China, it was even to be used as a way to neutralise an economic competitor.

We speak of Bangladesh in terms of "climate vulnerability". This is how the Global North would like to see us, as "vulnerable" people who exist only to be saved by their generosity and benevolence. This is the language of NGOs and aid dependency. This language also directs us away from the issue of liability payments that we are owed by the Global North. The climate crisis was not caused by Bangladesh, but the lives it claims will be disproportionately from Bangladesh. When you are not owed liability, you can only be grateful for generosity. We need to break out of this paradigm.

Look again at the figure given.Don't look at it through the lens of personal self-sacrifice and bleeding-heart activism. Don't look at it through the eyes of NGOs. Look at it through the lens of your material self-interest. The emergence of China as a peer competitor to the United States creates the scope for the formation of a counter-hegemonic Global South bloc that can exercise coercion on Global North countries to demand liability payments and an acceptance of the historical emissions framework. In the present moment, this is the clearest path forward to climate justice.

Zain Omar Ali is a PhD student in genetics at Lund University. Bareesh Hasan Chowdhury works on environment and climate and is interested in the sustainable energy transition.​

 

[Saif]

Adapt or die: Bangladesh joins the race to climate-proof cities

Discover how Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, is tackling climate change with its first climate action plan. Learn about the city's strategies to become carbon-neutral by 2050, including renewable energy, electric vehicles, and green spaces.

en.prothomalo.com

Adapt or die: Bangladesh joins the race to climate-proof cities
Dhaka launches climate action plan to future-proof city

Lack of financial resources is a challenge

Across Asia, city authorities face up to climate hazards

Thomson Reuters FoundationDhaka
Published: 03 Jul 2024, 09: 57

Dhaka cityFile photo

Lashed by torrential rains and scorched by brutal heatwaves, Dhaka's workers - from rickshaw drivers to those working in clothes factories - are exposed more than most to the reality of the climate emergency.

Bangladesh's capital, one of the world's most congested and polluted mega-cities, is home to around 10 million people, including thousands who have fled floods and droughts in other parts of a country that is on the frontline of climate change.

Managing these huge numbers while also climate-proofing the riverside city is a huge challenge but it is an urgent one that city authorities are hoping to address with their first climate action plan, which was launched in May.

"Transforming Dhaka was critical towards making Bangladesh green and climate-resilient," said Environment Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury at the launch.

The plan will serve as a roadmap to enable the city to become carbon-neutral by 2050 and includes strategies to help it cope with ever more frequent floods and heatwaves.

It includes proposals to switch to renewable energy sources, introduce electric vehicles, increase green spaces, restore natural drainage systems, establish early flood warning systems and ensure a secure water supply by 2030.

Dhaka is just the latest city in the region to seek to face the climate challenge head-on.

Asia was the world's most disaster-hit region from climate hazards in 2023, including floods, storms and heatwaves, and the region is also warming faster than other areas, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

With around 704 million people living in urban areas in South Asia, the race is on to equip cities for a hotter, more dangerous future.

First of all, cities must set baselines for greenhouse gas emissions and risks so that they can measure progress over time, said Shruti Narayan, managing director at the C40 Cities network, a global network of cities working on climate action.

"Data-driven targets and monitoring is critical to turning the plans into reality," Narayan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The C40 platform helps cities align their climate plans with the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).


More than 60 cities have announced such plans under the platform so far, including some of Asia's biggest urban areas.

The Indian cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru have already adopted climate plans and Karachi in Pakistan is drawing up its own blueprint.

The stakes are high: the Asian Development Bank says that unless planet-heating emissions are cut, the collective economy of six countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka - could shrink by up to 1.8 per cent every year by 2050 and 8.8 per cent by 2100, on average.

Already, the livelihoods of more than 200 million people in these countries are threatened by the rapid loss of snow cover in the Himalayas and rising sea levels, according to the ADB.

Financing Green Ambitions

Cities consume two-thirds of the world's energy and house 50 per cent of the global population. More than 10,000 cities have committed to cutting emissions and adapting to climate hazards.

As part of its climate plan, Dhaka's twin municipalities - north and south - established emissions inventories for 2021-22 by identifying most polluting sectors and then set a target of cutting 70 per cent of emissions by 2050.

One challenge is financing the required changes; cities in the Global South have long complained about richer countries not paying their fair share to cover the costs of climate change.

This year's COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan is expected to focus on setting a goal for the levels of climate finance that will be needed from 2025 onwards to help poorer nations curb emissions, adapt to worsening extreme weather and higher seas, and respond to unavoidable climate "loss and damage".

In the meantime, some cities in the Global South have invested in innovative digital tools, like digital twins, to build climate resilience, while others scramble for resources.

Mumbai - the richest municipality in India with an annual budget of nearly 600 billion Indian rupees ($7.2 billion) in 2024-25 - was able to allocate around 100 billion Indian rupees ($1.2 billion) for various climate actions like expanding tree cover, reviving urban parks, and managing floods.

Mumbai's climate allocation dwarfs the entire budget of northern Dhaka - 53 billion taka ($450.3 million) in 2023-24 - which means the resource-strapped city must prioritise cheaper actions, said Md Sirajul Islam, chief town planner of Dhaka South City Corporation.

Jaya Dhindaw, head of the South Asian chapter of the World Resources Institute (WRI) that developed the climate plans for several Indian cities, said realistic, achievable actions help set the pace for progress.

For example, in early June, Bengaluru's deputy chief minister announced extended opening hours for urban parks to provide shade for the city's people.

"With low-hanging actions like these, you can drive cities' confidence that climate actions are doable projects," Dhindaw said.

However, Dhaka will need funding to raise the share of renewable power to 85 per cent, treat a massive amount of organic waste to stem methane emissions, and ensure that 95 per cent of vehicles are electric.

The city might need to call on global donors, said Jubaer Rashid, the Bangladesh country representative of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, a global network of local and national governments.

"We will work closely with city officials to help them develop proposals for fundraising," said Rashid, who worked with Dhaka's municipalities on their climate plans.

Cities Reimagined

Urban planners and environmental activists said that another priority must be pushing back against the poor planning that has exacerbated problems caused by the changing climate.

For example, in the northern part of Dhaka, green cover has shrunk by 66 per cent in last three decades alone with canals and fields destroyed to make space for densely populated residential zones.

The city's rapid, unplanned growth has choked rivers like the Buriganga and blocked drains causing worse flooding, said urban planner Mehedi Ahsan, who represents the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Bangladesh.

The climate action plan aims to restore the canals and expand green spaces to cover 25 per cent of the city by 2050.

But with up to 2,000 people arriving in northern Dhaka every day, including many fleeing floods and droughts in other parts of the country, time is not on the authorities' side.

"The place we got ourselves into is not created by the climate crisis alone but the city climate plan provides us a hitch to shift away from a predatory pattern of building cities to protecting our ecology as we imagine a different future," said Ahsan.

($1 = 117.0000 taka)​