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

[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)​

 

[Saif]

‘Climate change to affect aquaculture’

Climate change will affect aquaculture production in Asia, which accounts for almost 90 percent of global aquaculture production.

www.thedailystar.net

'Climate change to affect aquaculture'

Climate change will affect aquaculture production in Asia, which accounts for almost 90 percent of global aquaculture production.

Consequently, aquaculture in Bangladesh, one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, is also expected to suffer, said Cherdsak Virapat, director general of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (Cirdap).

"Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Vietnam have been identified as the most vulnerable countries worldwide," he said.

The Cirdap and the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF) organised the seminar, styled 'Promoting Climate Resilient Aquaculture and Fisheries for Integrated Rural Development in Bangladesh', at the Cirdap Auditorium in the capital yesterday.

During his presentation, Virapat said: "The impacts of climate change are serious and must be addressed now because the longer we fail to take action, the bigger the cost to remediate the impacts."

Preemptive mitigation of climate change should be a key consideration for the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector, he added.

Speaking about overcoming these challenges, Virapat said four strategic actions need to be established.

The first is increasing climate resilience of farmers, farming systems, and breeds available for farming.

The second is to increase the capacity to manage short- and long-term climate risks and reduce losses from weather-related disasters.

The third action should be improving sustainability of genetic diversity in brood stocks as a resource for long-term and continuous adaptation to climate change.

And finally, the third initiative should be finding potential and developing the capacity of aquaculture in mitigating the impact of and/or sequestrating the release of greenhouse gas emissions.

He also pointed out a way forward, seeking to define adaptation strategies for the main environmental, disease and genetic threats caused by climate change in order to inform and guide aquaculture community.

Virapat also underlined the need for improved water storage capacity and effective water utilisation for agriculture, industry and households and reduced fishing pressure along coastal areas.​

 

[Saif]

No environmental surcharge for firms for owning more than one car

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has exempted companies and firms from paying the environmental surcharge for owning more than one car.

www.thedailystar.net

No environmental surcharge for firms for owning more than one car

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has exempted companies and firms from paying the environmental surcharge for owning more than one car.

Only individual taxpayers will be required to pay the surcharge for having second, third, or more cars, particularly sedans, jeeps and microbuses, the NBR said in a circular issued this week.

The tax administration imposed the environmental surcharge on additional vehicles for the first time in fiscal year 2023-24 to discourage their ownership and enable Bangladesh to contain air pollution and meet its commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

In the first year, the NBR imposed a surcharge on all taxpayers, including companies and firms, on ownership of more than one car. The tax authority said the surcharge would be applicable for ownership of each car in excess of one.

If the engine capacity of the second vehicle was up to 1,500cc or 75 kilowatts, the NBR collected Tk 25,000 as a surcharge.

The surcharge goes up as the engine capacity of the vehicles increases.

For example, it slapped Tk 50,000 as a surcharge on the ownership of a second car with higher engine capacity -- between 1,500cc and 2,000cc or 75 kilowatts and 100 kilowatts.

The surcharge is Tk 3.50 lakh if the engine capacity of the vehicle is 3,500cc or 175 kilowatts, according to the NBR notification.

The tax administration has kept the rate of surcharge against the engine capacity of cars unchanged for FY25 but said it would only be applicable for individual taxpayers.

A senior official of the NBR said it exempted companies and firms from payment of the surcharge since the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is yet to prepare a proper database of ownership of vehicles by companies.

Officials cannot properly track the ownership of cars by firms and companies during the renewal of registration or issuance of fitness certificates, the official said.

"They can do this for individual taxpayers. So, we have kept the surcharge payments for individual taxpayers," he said.

As per the NBR's circular, taxpayers must pay the surcharge during the renewal of fitness certificates.

The NBR also imposed conditions for the renewal of fitness certificates in the circular.

It imposes higher taxes if owners of vehicles, including those operated commercially, fail to show proof of submission of income tax returns for the current fiscal year, according to the circular.

As of June this year, Bangladesh had 61 lakh registered vehicles. Of those, the number of private passenger cars, microbuses, and jeeps stood at 6.3 lakh, according to BRTA data.

The NBR collected Tk 1,575 crore in taxes from the issuance of fitness certificates and renewal of registration in FY21, which was 48 percent higher compared to the previous year.​

 

[Saif]

Managing Sundarbans' resources sustainably

Though often touted as a protected landscape, the world's largest closed canopy mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, cannot be said to be entirely protected. In fact, the Sundarbans, is under severe ecological distress, thanks to its depredation by humans as well as the vagaries of Nature. The victims

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Managing Sundarbans' resources sustainably
FE
Published :
Jul 12, 2024 21:30
Updated :
Jul 12, 2024 21:30

File photo
Though often touted as a protected landscape, the world's largest closed canopy mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, cannot be said to be entirely protected. In fact, the Sundarbans, is under severe ecological distress, thanks to its depredation by humans as well as the vagaries of Nature. The victims are not only the Bengal Tigers, but also the birds and other animal species including the river dolphins and waterfowls surviving in its aquatic environment. To save this forestland declared a UNESCO world heritage site as well as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar convention, Bangladesh and Germany are learnt to have reached two deals recently. The agreements so inked would reportedly ensure sustainable management of the Sundarbans and the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Swatch of No Ground (SONG). Notably, established in October 2014, the so-called 'Swatch of No Ground Marine Protected Area' is a reserve covering an area of 1,636 square kilometres and located 30 km away from the Dublar Char islands of the Sundarbans in the Bay of Bengal. It is a habitat of some endangered species of dolphin and whale.

A collaborative effort between the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) and the ministry of fisheries and livestock (MoEFL), the endeavour, also termed SONG project, as spelt out in the agreements, aims to strengthen marine conservation in Bangladesh by way of improving collaboration and capacity building among responsible authorities and stakeholders. Understandably, the users of the Sundarbans' resources including fishermen, women and youth of the coastal communities living close to the MPA are among the stakeholders. As they are dependent on the Sundarbans for their sustenance, their participation is vital for what the project terms sustainable management of the Sundarbans and the MPA. But how can they possibly contribute effectively to the humongous task of protecting and managing the resources of the mangrove forest and the marine protected area while at the same time conserving their delicate ecosystems without the knowledge and skills required for the purpose? Here comes the question of developing their planning and surveillance capacities, skill of scientific monitoring and the ability of knowledge-based decision-making using digital tools. Once equipped with the required capacities and skills, it is expected that the coastal communities would be able to understand how they are inextricably linked to the Sundarbans and its MPA ecosystem and how they can thrive by way of proper management and conservation of the system.

As the neighbouring India does also share a portion of the Sundarbans, the strengthening of regional cooperation including financing is an imperative for sustainable management of the Sundarbans and restoration of the coastal ecosystem both in Bangladesh and India. To this end, a project styled, Sundar-BAY, is also learnt to be under implementation jointly by Bangladesh and India between March 2024 and February 2027 stressing public-private partnership between the two neighbours. As expected, this project will also focus on the conservation of the mangrove forest by providing ecosystem services to the local communities. Alongside building institutional capacity, promoting joint training programmes and providing environmental education, the SUNDAR-BAY project will also help initiate sustainable income generation activities among the local communities.

Both the projects will contribute towards meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those concerning conservation of biodiversity and natural resources. There is no denying that managing the resources of the Sundarbans including the marine protected area surrounding it sustainably is about meeting a major existential challenge for Bangladesh. A host of other projects are also working with similar objectives in the Sundarbans. What is important is that they should be in a synergy to come up with a positive outcome.​

 

[Saif]

When protector turns polluter

The Sundari canal in Chattogram’s Hathazari upazila is facing a severe environmental crisis due to indiscriminate dumping of garbage by the municipality.

www.thedailystar.net

When protector turns polluter
Hathazari municipality dumping waste in canal; landfill set up next to waterbody without permission

It's tough to notice Sundari canal amid the piles of waste dumped next to one of its banks. Hathazari municipality has set up a landfill next to it without permission and continues to dump household waste there. A portion of the canal has already been turned into a narrow drain, obstructing its waterflow. Photo: Star

The Sundari canal in Chattogram's Hathazari upazila is facing a severe environmental crisis due to indiscriminate dumping of garbage by the municipality.

As the state agency, who is the custodian of the canal, has been dumping household wastes for years, a portion of the canal has already turned into a narrow drain, obstructing the waterflow of this waterbody.

The landfill, adjacent to the canal, was established in 2013 without obtaining environmental clearance from the Department of Environment (DoE).

The canal, around 5km in length, started from Jangalchari and ended at Subedar Pukur area under the upazila.

This correspondent visited the spot on Saturday and observed that a huge amount of plastic packets of chips, biscuits and several types of single use plastic (SUP) were lying along the banks on both sides of the canal.

Sultan Ahmed, a resident of the Madhyakhil area near the landfill, said, "It is unbearable for me and my family to stay home when the bad smell spreads after the municipality dumps the garbage."

Mansur Alam, a resident of the Rangipara area, regularly cultivates crops using water from the hilly canal.

"Sometimes the canal water turns black during discharge of untreated wastewater from the landfill into the waterbody," he added.

A protected forest, around 50 acres, is located near the landfill. Due to dumping garbage next to the forestland, some trees have already died.

Anwarul Islam, forester of the Hathazari Forest Office, said he verbally urged officials of the municipality to take measures to shift the landfill.

According to the Environmental Conservation Act, filling a canal (waterbody) is a punishable offence.

Nur Hasan Sajib, an assistant director of DoE, Chattogram, who has been transferred to Noakhali recently, confirmed that the municipality is using the land as a landfill without obtaining permission from DoE.

"We asked the authorities several times to set up a waste management plant. But they don't heed to our instructions," he claimed.

Lokman Hossain, a activist and resident of the upazila, said the environmental destruction is going on in broad daylight.

Asked why the municipality is violating the law and dumping waste in open spaces and the waterbody, Biplab Muhuree, secretary of the Hathazari municipality, said they are trying to set up a waste management plant.

"We are working to buy land to establish a plant. But we are facing a shortage of funds," he claimed.

He also admitted they established the existing landfill without getting permission from the authorities concerned as they had no space to dump the collected waste.​

 

[Saif]

Canals are no one's property to destroy at will

Strict enforcement of environmental laws vital to protect them

www.thedailystar.net

Canals are no one's property to destroy at will
Strict enforcement of environmental laws vital to protect them

VISUAL: STAR

Two recent reports of The Daily Star have once again highlighted the worrying trend of canals and such waterbodies being subjected to misuse and exploitation, leading to them being filled up and obstructing their flow. We have seen the destructive effects of such practices in urban areas, including in Dhaka, which as recently as Friday got severely waterlogged as drainage canals filled with waste couldn't channel rainwater to the rivers. Abuse of canals in rural areas, where they play a crucial role by holding excess water and helping in irrigation, can have myriad other implications.

Our first report sheds light on the woeful state of a canal in Chattogram's Hathazari upazila. The local municipality has been dumping waste there for years, turning a part of it into a narrow drain. Adjacent to the canal is a landfill established without the necessary clearance from environmental authorities. This has only exacerbated the situation, with plastic waste seen littering the banks. Locals have described unbearable stench and adverse effects on their crops, but they are not the only victims. There is a 50-acre protected forest nearby that is being degraded, too.

A similar situation prevails in Kurigram's Rajarhat upazila, where a local influential has seized a portion of a canal for fish farming. Reportedly, the canal flows through 8-9 bighas of land owned by Bangladesh Railway and the Water Development Board before emptying into Teesta River. But its illegal occupation is disrupting the water flow, causing inundation of farmlands and affecting farmers.

Clearly, the degradation of canals is jeopardising not only local ecosystems but also the lives and livelihoods of people. And often, this is being done either by government bodies themselves, which is deeply alarming, or because of their negligence and inaction. The question is, why are they allowing this to happen despite knowing its devastating effects? While practical issues may sometimes create the scope for degradation of canals, like in the case of Hathazari municipality, the authorities must find a way to resolve them and ensure that no one—however powerful—can compromise these important waterbodies. The government should also ensure strict enforcement of all environmental laws and regulations.​

 

[Saif]

Indifference is killing our canals

Cumilla EPZ authorities must answer for pollution of canals

www.thedailystar.net

Indifference is killing our canals
Cumilla EPZ authorities must answer for pollution of canals

Given the speed with which our rivers, canals, and other water bodies are being grabbed or polluted, it may appear as if we are in some kind of a sick competition to destroy them. Every day, we are bombarded with news of influential people and institutions harming the lifelines of the country—not just big rivers but also the canals running through cities and towns. According to a recent report by this daily, the canals in Cumilla Sadar south upazila have been facing such onslaughts for some time now.

The problem has been traced to untreated industrial waste from the Cumilla Export Processing Zone (Cumilla EPZ) being discharged into at least five canals. As a result, some 70,000 people of 50 villages have lost their livelihoods. In the past, when the water of the canals was clear, it could be used for irrigation, fishing and other household purposes. But now the water has turned black and foul and is destroying crops while the fish population has also depleted. Two of the canals have already lost their navigability and shrunk due to deposition of industrial sludge.

The question is, why are the Cumilla EPZ factories discharging untreated waste into nearby canals despite there being a Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) since 2014? It has been alleged that EPZ authorities often keep CETP operations suspended. What is the point of setting up a CETP if it cannot serve its purpose? Why is nothing being done despite the immense sufferings of local people?

Like these canals in Cumilla, there are countless others in the country that have been facing the same existential threat due to grabbing and indiscriminate waste disposal. The canals of Dhaka are perhaps the worst example in this regard, but those in Chattogram and other major districts are in no better shape. We have seen how the Chaktai canal in Chattogram was reduced to a narrow strip over the years. These filled-up water bodies are why many cities go under water even after a moderate rain. We, therefore, urge the authorities to revive at-risk canals by stopping illegal waste disposal.​

 

[Saif]

Dhaka’s canals cannot be saved without decisive leadership

Alarming loss of canals over the past 80 years

www.thedailystar.net

Dhaka's canals cannot be saved without decisive leadership
120 kilometres of canals have been lost over the past 80 years

VISUAL: STAR

The crisis surrounding Dhaka's rivers, ponds and open spaces has been repeatedly highlighted in recent years. A new study by the River and Delta Research Centre (RDRC) now turned the spotlight on canals, which are fast disappearing thanks to encroachment, unplanned urbanisation, and negligence from the authorities. According to the study, Dhaka has lost a staggering 120 kilometres or 307 hectares of canals—which is more than the distance between the capital and Mymensingh city—over the past 80 years. Researchers compared the 1880-1940 land survey, known as the Cadastral survey, with satellite images from 2022 before concluding that some 95 canals have been completely lost or reduced to less than half of their original length.

In other words, 55 percent of the land occupied by canals and river channels during the Cadastral survey has been lost by now. Even though successive governments have excavated 10 major canals and created four new lakes, it was nothing compared to the critical loss of water bodies that Dhaka continues to suffer to this day, as various reports have shown. If the trend holds, it may not be too far into the future that these once-treasured features of the city would cease to exist, at least in the way they were intended to.

The question is, how long before we realise the gravity of this situation? How long before we say, "enough is enough"? Canals, like other waterways, are vital for our existence. They serve as lifelines for local communities, facilitating drainage, supporting ecosystems, and contributing to the overall well-being of the people. But the encroachment and filling of these waterways with structures, farmland, and streets have exacerbated flooding, waterlogging and environmental degradation.

Often, this happened at the behest of the government itself. As a recent Rajuk survey showed, 68 public ponds within its jurisdiction alone have been illegally occupied and filled up by individuals and government organisations. Many canals also had to go through the same fate, as did many riverbanks, low-lying areas and open spaces.

While the canals that disappeared may not be recovered, preserving or restoring the ones that still exist is possible, experts say. We think this is where we must urgently focus on. A key challenge in this regard is the lack of specific authorities for many canals and the prevalence of collusion among land grabbers, responsible officials, and politicians that often enable encroachment. We must break this cycle. It will require decisive leadership, effective policies and strict enforcement, as well as active participation from all stakeholders.​

 

[Saif]

No denying we’re victims of climate change, but we’re leaders of solutions, responses

The world is still not taking climate change seriously enough, even though the annual United Nations Conferences of Parties (COPs) try to focus minds on the urgency of the task

www.thedailystar.net

No denying we're victims of climate change, but we're leaders of solutions, responses

The world is still not taking climate change seriously enough, even though the annual United Nations Conferences of Parties (COPs) try to focus minds on the urgency of the task.

Ahead of COP29 in Azerbaijan this November, Bangladesh's Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, has been in Brussels for talks with the EU's Climate Action Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, and to participate as a panelist in the opening session of the Second Conference of the Environment and Climate Mobilities Network (ECMN) in the city of Liège.

The minister spoke to Political Editor Nick Powell about his country's strategy and ambition to face the challenges of climate change, not as victims but as champions of a belief that heeding the warnings of science is also a pathway to a prosperous future.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury does not hide from the size of his task. He told me that Bangladesh faces, what he calls, "a rather frightening reality" of climate change "desertification, sea level rise, loss of food security, it's all there".

His country is what he describes as one of the world's "most dynamic, most populous delta", where the River Ganges and its tributaries reach the Bay of Bengal.

"When sea levels rise, people get displaced, you lose land. We'll lose about 17% of our land between now and 2050. There'll be forced migration of at least 12 million people. That's huge and that's in a country that's already one of the most densely populated in the world.

"We've had remarkable successes over the past years on food security. We've ensured food security but even that is now going to be challenged. Once you lose land, once you have erratic rainfall patterns, once you have salinity pollution, it's going to reduce your yields, these all contribute to make challenges steeper."

Unsurprisingly, he told me there is an "absolute imperative of ensuring that COP29 delivers -- and that delivery has to be across all the major themes of mitigation, adaptation and finance. Those themes include not only getting the planet on track to avoid unsustainable overheating --exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- but also meeting the enormous costs of adapting to the reality that humanity faces even if that target is met".

To make for effective adaptation, there have been pledges of money from the world's wealthier countries, who have long been the principal beneficiaries of economic growth achieved only at a huge ecological cost.

But the minister argues that it's time "to move from the billions to the trillions" of US dollars, if the world is going to get real about the size of the task. "It's a cost that is only increasing," he points out, "because we are so far away from the 1.5 degrees Celsius target -- that needs urgent action."

The idea of a loss-and-damage fund for countries like Bangladesh, which has played a negligible part in causing climate change but faces some of its most severe consequences, was first agreed upon at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. The European Union's support for the idea was decisive in obtaining agreement. At COP28 in Dubai, funds were pledged but only in the hundreds of millions.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury said Bangladesh needs over US$230 billion by 2050 just on account of adaptation. But he told me there is a crucial next step to make at COP29, even before the amount of money is agreed upon.

"Before we even go the quantum, it is absolutely imperative to have an agreed upon definition of climate finance … If we are not able to define climate finance, how do you ensure monitoring? How do you ensure transparency? Those are fundamental questions.

"The last thing you want to see is funds pledged in the past repackaged as climate finance. Climate finance must be new and additional, not old money channeled as new."

As for the amount, it could easily be more than estimated.

"In Bangladesh, we need US$9 billion every year for adaptation. That's assuming that global temperatures will be 1.5 [degrees above pre-industrial levels]. If it's anything above that, then the requirement goes up. So, every tenth of a degree increase in temperature matters. 1.5 is not just a target, it's the absolute maximum that science tells us we can go to."

The minister is also acutely aware of the need to agree at COP29 the rules and definitions of climate finance.

"It cannot be loans, commercial loans, because that's a double whammy. We haven't created the problem in the first instance but we're having to deal with it. Having to pay interest on the money we borrow, that's something which is not acceptable.

"It's really one of the last opportunities for the world to come together, show solidarity and really act on climate change, not just words and platitudes but action, implementation and delivery."

He argues that as the science is very clear and everyone has signed up and agreed to it, "there is absolutely no excuse for further delay".

"There has to be a continuity of the process. We cannot go back and try to open up issues that have already been discussed and resolved.

"We talk about sea level rise in Bangladesh but even America is going to be affected as will be Europe due to cryosphere changes -- melting snow, ice sheets, glaciers and permafrost. It's all at a very critical level and some are suggesting that 1.5 is no good, we should be targeting 1.0 because the damage that we see today -- floods, cyclones, typhoons -- they've become regular events. Urgent action based on science, that's the important thing. It's not what Bangladesh says, it's what the science says."

He also said, "That perspective isn't just a national perspective, it's also a global perspective because what happens to Bangladesh will not remain in Bangladesh. A country that is landlocked won't experience sea-level rises. But it will still have extreme heat. The frequency of hurricanes [is] increasing, the intensity of the harm that it causes is there for all to see. It won't just be the voice of Bangladesh, but a voice of the world."

Saber Hossain Chowdhury sees the European Union as a strong ally. It has been a crucial development partner for Bangladesh and offers a more equal trade and cooperation relationship as the country becomes increasingly prosperous.

"We've found the European Union to be quite progressive, when it comes to climate … Of course, there've been elections recently in Europe and we have to respect the mandate of the people. But through all that, when it comes to the climate agenda, there's going to be consistency. Europe is also very important in the global negotiations".

The minister recalled the breakthrough in the COP process achieved in Paris, "because you had a community of China, the European Union and the US that actually came together. To us, the European Union is actually a bridge between the various groups and how it can bring China and the US to the table, so that we have global consensus and solidarity, political ownership and commitment, is going to be very important".

He told me that no one is going to question the EU's net zero targets but when it comes to a country like Bangladesh trying to deliver on net zero, the realities of the developing countries and the least developed countries also have to be factored in.

"So, in terms of our exports of ready-made garments to Europe, how's that going to play out? You have due diligence; you have all of the new regulations that are coming in. But it's important that those are enforced in a transparent, a practical and a realistic manner."

Saber Hossain Chowdhury stressed to me that Bangladesh did not approach the enormous challenges it faces with the mindset of a victim.

"Of course we are victims, nobody is trying to deny that … victims to a greater extent than most of the other countries. But we are also a leader when it comes to solutions … responses to climate change".

He spoke of the world's growing interest in Bangladesh's pioneering work in creating an early warning system for natural disasters, such as severe storms and flooding. Even as global warming has worsened those phenomena; the country has reached a point where hardly any lives are lost when it is hit by these.

It was, he said, just one aspect of the remarkable transformation achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"Her vision is of Bangladesh not just being a victim but also a champion … The climate change trust fund set up in 2011, when climate wasn't a major issue -- or at least not as major as it is today.

"We have the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan, which has a very ambitious trajectory. We want to move from vulnerability to resilience and then on to prosperity. How many countries in the world, how many prime ministers, have tried to reframe climate change as a potential pathway to prosperity?"

He added, "These are areas where Bangladesh, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is showing the path for others to follow. That's also important, that we're not just victims but we are also champions when it comes to adaptation. We are a role model when it comes to mobilising local communities. Locally-led adaptation is something that everyone follows".

He pointed to achievements across his portfolio of environment, forest and climate change. When he took office in January, he gave himself 100 days to start addressing Bangladesh's environmental problems. He told me that good progress has been made.

"We've done an evaluation and went public on this because I think it's important that we create space for accountability and public discussion on what we promised and what we delivered. So, there were 28 targets, 28 work programmes that we had initiated. The success rate in completing them, not taking into account those that were partially addressed, is around 78 percent.

"Of course, ideally, I would have loved to have seen 100 percent. But the fact that we are being transparent, acknowledging that there is room for improvement, this indicates how steep the challenges are. We addressed not just climate change but also air pollution and marine pollution. There's a global plastics treaty that is being negotiated now and hopefully, by the end of this year, we'll have a legally binding agreement."

He further said, "Air quality is a major concern for us and both air quality and marine pollution also have transboundary connections. You need national action of course, but you also must have regional aspiration -- countries in the region coming together to collaborate.

"Of the 10 most polluted rivers in the world, two are in Bangladesh. The Ganges and the Jamuna flow through Bangladesh. It's not just our waste, it is the waste of the surrounding countries because it all flows down to the Bay of Bengal. We're having to manage waste that we ourselves have not produced."

The minister added, "Our domestic priority is to reduce the cost of environmental degradation. We've done extremely well in terms of GDP growth and other economic fundamentals but we want to make sure that the growth trajectory continues. The cost of environmental degradation is high, not just in economic terms but also in terms of public health.

"We've also started to focus on biodiversity. The forests are a very important reserve for us. We've the largest mangrove forest in the world. So basically, environment, forests, biodiversity and climate change; these are the four pillars on the basis of which we will work".

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

 

[Saif]

Recovering grabbed forest lands

Although it has been a wild guess that vast swathes of forest lands of the country are being grabbed every year, no statistics of the lost lands was available until an official statement weeks ago said that the government was going to intensify its efforts to recover 187,000 acres of illegally occu

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Recovering grabbed forest lands
WASI AHMED
Published :
Jul 16, 2024 21:49
Updated :
Jul 16, 2024 21:49

Although it has been a wild guess that vast swathes of forest lands of the country are being grabbed every year, no statistics of the lost lands was available until an official statement weeks ago said that the government was going to intensify its efforts to recover 187,000 acres of illegally occupied forest lands from the grabbers. The statement is unnerving given the less than required forest lands the country is supposed to have. Over and above, it speaks of colossal unruliness of a section of people eager to dodge government regulations as well as make the most of the inaction of the authorities that understandably includes collusion, to say the least.

It was reported that until June, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change sent eviction proposals to the Deputy Commissioners until June, 2024 to recover 51,007 acres of occupied land and cleared 30,162 acres as of May last. Referring to the move, the minister heading the ministry said at a press conference that his ministry is going to send more eviction proposals to recover the lands from the grabbers, as part of what he termed a 100-day priority action plan. He added that the ministry is set to implement natural resource mapping to identify and locate natural resources like hills, forest, mountains, wetlands etc. so that the grabbers cannot occupy natural resources of the country.

The total forest area of Bangladesh is 2.6 million hectares, which is nearly 17.4 per cent of the total land area of the country. Forestry sector accounts for about 3.0 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and 2.0 per cent of the labour force. However, these figures do not reflect the real importance of the sector in terms of monetary value. The GDP figure, however, does not count the large quantities of fuel wood, fodder, small timber and poles, thatching grass, medicinal herbs, and other forest produces extracted illegally. The low contribution of the forestry sector to the GDP is also explained by several other factors, e.g., the value added from wood processing is counted under the industry sector, rather than the forestry sector. The benefits provided by forest ecosystems include: goods such as timber, food, fuel and bio-products; ecological functions such as carbon storage, nutrient cycling, water and air purification, and maintenance of wildlife habitat; and social and cultural benefits. Services provided by forests cover a wide range of ecological, political, economic, social and cultural considerations and processes. The contribution of forest resources in protecting watershed and irrigation structures, reclaiming land from the sea, protecting coastal areas from storm damage, and in maintaining and upgrading the environmental quality, has not been quantified.

Owing to factors such as grabbing, over-exploitation, conversion of forest land into agriculture, forest resources in Bangladesh have been continuously depleting in terms of both area and quality. According to a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), between 1990 and 2015, Bangladesh annually lost 2,600 hectares of primary forest (FAO 2015). Primary forest land gradually decreased from 1.494 million hectares in 1990 to 1.429 million hectares in 2015. Thus annual rate of deforestation in Bangladesh was 0.2 per cent during 1990-2015 (FAO, 2015).

The economic, social and environmental importance of ecosystem services provided by forests is increasingly recognised globally. The primary objective of sustainable forest management relies on benefits from ecological services without compromising forest's ability to provide those services. Still, forestland grabbing is a harsh reality all over the world. Governments with well planned forest management and preservation schemes are alert in addressing the matter as a top priority. More than 1.6 billion people depend on forest for food, water, fuel, medicines, traditional cultures and livelihoods. Tropical rainforests produce up to 40 per cent of all terrestrial primary plant production, and play a vital role in safeguarding the climate by naturally sequestering carbon. Yet, each year an average of 13 million hectares of forest land disappear.

Coming to what has transpired from official statement about the grabbed forest land in the country, it is clear that for a long time grabbers have been benefiting from what may euphemistically be called 'laxity' of the regulators. Now, swooping on them may not be easy, since the eviction process might involve litigation-a process notable only for its time-consuming nature. In many cases, the grabbers have raised structures, and also it is not unlikely that some of them might have obtained lease from the government, in violation of the regulations, taking advantage of technical loopholes. So, for the 100-day priority action plan to succeed, there has to be a well orchestrated approach to addressing the situation. In this connection, the authorities need to look into the lease of lands in the
Chottogram Hill Tracts. Chances are high that these lease deeds are perhaps not in conformity with forest preservation rules.​