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

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/stop-disturbing-the-sundarbans-3572721

Stop disturbing the Sundarbans!​

Restrain traffic of ships through the forest

It is deeply concerning that on top of projects, megaprojects, illegal occupations and deforestation ravaging the Sundarbans, traffic of ships through the forest has increased dramatically in recent years. A recent report sheds light on how ships, discharging harmful fumes and sound pollution, and often carrying toxic materials through the forest, have nearly doubled in a decade—from 357 trips monthly in 2012 to 837 trips in 2022, and 701 trips monthly so far this year.

Under the first Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade between Bangladesh and India, signed in 1972, lighter cargo vessels can operate between the two countries using the waterways mostly through the Sundarbans. A major route for these ships goes through at least 100 km of the river system inside the mangrove forest, which takes around eight hours for the vessels to travel. While any motor vehicle, including boats and ships, is strictly prohibited from operating through the forest after sunset till sunrise, ships continue to operate 24/7 unrestrained. The customs station in Angtihara, the entry point to the forest on this route, only logs the trips of the ships and does not monitor if any laws have been broken. While the customs and immigration in India close off at night, our customs office continues to operate throughout the night.
​

By allowing these activities, we are now destroying the Sundarbans from the inside. The toxic fumes and loud sounds greatly impact wildlife habitats and breeding environments. The propellers disrupt the marine ecosystem, and the waves cause severe erosions. For instance, the width of rivers on this route has increased from 20-30 metres to 50-60 metres. Most of the ships on this route contain fly ash, coal, and stones from India for our riverside cement factories. In the last seven years, at least 15 such ships have capsized inside the forest, spilling these harmful materials directly into the river.

Bangladesh has now become a land of lost forestlands and dead ecosystems. We have irredeemably destroyed a number of forests and major sources of biodiversity throughout this delta, and even in the hill tracts. The Sundarbans is the last hope for any unique and great population of wildlife to survive. The government must ensure that any activity harming this forest is halted immediately, and look for an alternative route for maritime trade with India as well as consider moving major power plants and factories from the area.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh could earn billions from carbon trade: experts

Bangladesh could earn a few billion US dollars from global carbon trading each year if carbon reduction projects are properly implemented in the country, according to speakers at a discussion.

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Bangladesh could earn billions from carbon trade: experts

Bangladesh could earn a few billion US dollars from global carbon trading each year if carbon reduction projects are properly implemented in the country, according to speakers at a discussion.

The global carbon trading market was worth $4.5 trillion in 2022 and may reach $8.98 trillion by 2050, they said.

However, Bangladesh is not ready to tap into this market as it lacks the adequate information, legal framework and expertise required from both the public and private sectors, they added.

Carbon trade is the buying and selling of credits that permit a company or other entity to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

In case a company or entity does not need their excess credits, then they can sell it to another company or entity for actual money.

Each carbon credit is measured as 1 tonne of carbon dioxide, with the International Monetary Fund having proposed an average price of $75 per unit.

However, the unit price varies in different parts of the world depending on the demand.

So far, Bangladesh has only earned a few hundred million US dollars from carbon markets.

But as the country is one of the lowest carbon emitters in the world, accounting for only 0.5 percent of global emissions, it has the potential to earn significantly more.

In the proposed Bangladesh Green Growth Framework of the World Bank, Eun Joo Allison Yi, senior environment specialist of the multilateral lender, urged for strengthening environmental governance and accounting systems.

Additionally, YI stressed the need for enabling energy independence through energy efficiency and trade in renewable energy, and to promote inclusive connectivity through green transport and logistic systems.

She also suggested investing in new green industries and human capital to promote job creation and green innovation, fostering liveable green cities through urban regeneration and building new smart cities.

Yi was speaking as a panellist at a discussion on the "Application of Carbon Financing: Challenges and Policy Options for Bangladesh" at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in Dhaka yesterday.

Shams Mahmud, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said garment factories can be run with green energy but fabric production requires fossil fuel.

He said many special economic zones (SEZs) are not yet ready for industrial units even though the central bank already said the setting up of new industries will not be allowed outside of SEZs.

State Minister for Finance Waseqa Ayesha Khan said the government aims to generate 40 percent of the country's energy requirement from renewable sources by 2041.

Mahfuz Kabir, research director of the BIISS, presented the keynote paper, titled "Pathways of Carbon Financing: Imperatives for Bangladesh".

In his presentation, Kabir said the existing buyers of carbon credits include Microsoft, Shell, BP, Nestle, Amazon, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Coca-Cola, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs.

Some countries that buy carbon credits include Canada, the US, China, South Korea, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Iceland.

Besides, garment exporters in Bangladesh are also potential buyers of carbon credits, he added.​

 

[Saif]

Sea-level rise in Bangladesh: Faster than global average

Bangladesh is experiencing a faster sea-level rise than the global average of 3.42mm a year, which will impact food production and livelihoods even more than previously thought, government studies have found.

www.thedailystar.net

Sea-level rise in Bangladesh: Faster than global average
Government studies find

Bangladesh is experiencing a faster sea-level rise than the global average of 3.42mm a year, which will impact food production and livelihoods even more than previously thought, government studies have found.

Twelve coastal districts, where the impacts are expected to be severe, would be subjected to waterlogging, high salinity, crop damage, high temperatures, and excessive rainfall.

People will lose their homes, and poverty will increase, according to forecast studies, which were concluded recently but were yet to be made public.

The average annual sea-level rise for the Ganges tidal flood plain, the Meghna estuarine flood plain, and the Chittagong coastal plain is found to vary from 3.6mm to 4.5mm, 3.7mm to 4.1mm, and 3.1mm to 3.7mm between 1993 and 2019.

"Due to the present rates of local sea-level rise, more than 1 million people may be displaced," found the study titled "Estimation of Sea Level Rise (SLR) in Bangladesh using Satellite Altimetry Data" conducted by the Department of Environment.

Asked whether sedimentation was considered during the study, Prof AKM Saiful Islam, principal investigator of the study, said the study determined the trend of water level on Bangladesh's coast using satellite altimetry data.

He said they considered sedimentation and subsidence and still found the sea-level rise to be much faster than the global average.

He said the faster rate of rising sea-level on Bangladesh's coast will increase the vulnerability of coastal people and their livelihoods.

Salinity, coastal inundation, and storm surge height will increase. It could impact agriculture, food security, disaster management, health, drinking water supply, and coastal infrastructure.

The world's largest mangrove forest and its ecosystem will be affected by rising sea-level and salinity.

The DoE conducted a study on sea-level rise using tidal gauge data in 2016.

Project director of both studies, Mirza Shawkat Ali, director (climate change) at the DoE, said that experts had recommended validating the findings of the 2016 study using satellite altimetry data and assessing the impacts of sea-level rise.

The DoE then went for the study funded by the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund and conducted by the Institute of Water and Flood Management of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and Centre for Environmental and Geographical Services (CEGIS). Prof AKM Saiful Islam and Motaleb Hossain Sarker, director of CEGIS, led their teams in the study.

Researchers utilised data from satellite missions, like Nasa and the French aerospace agency's Topex/Poseidon, and its follow-up missions like Jason-1, Jason-2, and Jason-3, which track sea levels from space.

Focusing on the Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh, they employed Sen's slope (a non-parametric method used to estimate the magnitude and direction of trends in time series data) to discern overall trends in sea-level rise over time.

"There are a number of meticulously crafted maps that will serve as invaluable tools for policymakers, helping them identify priority areas for both short- and long-term adaptation strategies and risk management along Bangladesh's coastline," Mohan Kumar Das, one of the authors of the study, told The Daily Star yesterday.

IMPACT

The impacts of sea-level rise were also assessed through a study titled "Impacts of Projected Sea Level Rise on Water, Agriculture and Infrastructure Sectors of the Coastal Region".

The study projected the sea-level rise along the coastal belt of Bangladesh for 2030, 2050, 2070, and 2100 and assessed its impact on sectors.

It found that sea level rise induced flooding will cover 12.34 percent to 17.95 percent of areas of the coastal zone by 2100.

The inundation will affect Bagerhat, Barguna, Barishal, Bhola, Chandpur, Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Feni, Gopalganj, Jashore, Jhalakathi, Khulna, Laxmipur, Narail, Noakhali, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Satkhira, and Shariatpur, the study found.

"In almost all future scenarios, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, and Barishal will be most inundated, as most of them are not polder-protected... These districts are affected by the sea-level rise as they do not have a comprehensive flood protection system. The areas flooded are mostly inner coastal areas that are not protected by polders. So, the flood protection for these areas should be considered as a priority."

Polders are areas of lowland that have been separated by dykes to prevent water covering an area.

The study found that salinity levels will rise further inland. "The higher the SLR, the higher the salinity ingress in the coastal areas. This will affect mostly the south-central region heavily and reduce these regions' agricultural productivity."

The study also found that sea-level rise induced flooding will cause a 5.8 to 9.1 percent loss in Aman crop production.

"Barishal, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi, and Pirojpur districts are identified as the most vulnerable and affected areas where most damages occur. Some coastal regions had been saved from flooding by the existence of polders and embankments."

The study predicted that annual rainfall in coastal regions would be five percent to 16 percent higher between 2050 and 2080.

The temperature may increase by 1.4 degrees Celsius to 2.7 degrees Celsius in the 2080s.

The study suggested establishing automated tidal and surge gates to regularly monitor sea-level rise.

Noted climate expert Ainun Nishat said that the sea-level rise resulting from global warming due to the melting of snow in the various mountains and from Antarctica, Greenland, and Iceland will be a major concern for Bangladesh.

Nishat, who reviewed the study "Impacts of Projected Sea Level Rise on Water, Agriculture and Infrastructure Sectors of the Coastal Region", said that in 60-70 years, low-lying deltaic areas of the southwestern region would face high salinity levels and may face higher levels of storm surges.

The districts in the central part of the country, like Gopalganj, Madaripur, Faridpur, Shariatpur, Pirojpur, and Jhalakathi, would need special protection against sea-level rise and increasing salinity.

"Already the water of Madhumati in Gopalganj is saline during the dry season."​

 

[Saif]

Forests must not fall victim to business

Safeguarding nature should be our priority

www.thedailystar.net

Forests must not fall victim to business
Safeguarding nature should be our priority

VISUAL: STAR

Over the years, we have witnessed many forests falling victim to business and development—the one in Chattogram's Tulatoli area is just one of them. It started when 5,000 trees were felled in a five-acre area of the forest, and a ship-breaking yard took their place. But then, the Forest Department fought back leading to the yard being sealed off last year, with the lease agreement cancelled. Unfortunately, however, the department's efforts were then thwarted as the divisional commissioner overruled the order last month, allowing the yard to resume its activities, as per a recent report. This is most certainly a depressing turn of events.

What possible reason could there be for the divisional authority to support the destruction of nature? The lease agreement—signed in February 2022 between the district administration and yard owner Kohinoor Steel—was to use part of a 400-acre mangrove forest developed in 1983-1984 to protect the locality from natural disasters. It's ironic that the administration let the yard authorities cut down 5,000 of these life-saving trees—that too illegally, as they did not take Forest Department's permission. After the latest setback, the department is reportedly preparing to take the matter to court. But until a favourable decision comes, the forestland lies at the whim of businessmen.

A ship-breaking yard operating there will likely lead to severe environmental pollution, as toxic spills from ship-breaking operations are known to contaminate coastal ecosystems and devastate local communities. It is hard to comprehend why a country that pledged to stop deforestation by 2030 would let this happen. But it shouldn't be surprising, as we have seen nature being sacrificed like this countless times: plans to fell 2,044 trees in Jashore, building a safari park at Lathitila forest, efforts to take power lines through a reserved forest—the list goes on. These examples, all government undertakings, reduce its pledges to mere lip service.

If the government is really sincere about keeping its promise, it must put a stop to these incidents. The administration must remind the agencies and bodies working under it that safeguarding the environment, not business, is paramount. No entity, whether public or private, should skirt or break environmental laws, and commercial operations must be assessed and monitored for their environmental impacts. The ongoing heatwaves in the country are a reminder that without forests and trees, we are doomed.​

 

[Saif]

Don’t ruin country, yourself saving a little money of waste management: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasizes on the need for environment-friendly industrialization and waste management system to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change during her address at the 11th National Small and Medium Enterprises Fair.

en.prothomalo.com

Don't ruin country, yourself saving a little money of waste management: PM Hasina
BSSDhaka
Published: 19 May 2024, 20: 46

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the opening ceremony of the 7-day 11th National Small and Medium Enterprises Fair at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre at Agargaon, Dhaka on 19 May, 2024BSS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday asked all concerned to build a waste management system while constructing industries for environment-friendly industrialisation to save the country and its people from the adverse impact of climate change.

"We have to construct industries. But all have to build an industrial waste management system. I request you all that don't ruin the country and yourself to save a little money for chemicals (to be used in the waste management system)," she said.

The prime minister made the appeal while opening the seven-day 11th National Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Fair at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) at Agargaon here this morning.


She said they want industrialisation to be environment friendly and for that, the country's industrialisation must have to be planned and worthy for health.

"Wherever you build industry, you have to keep in mind that the waste of your industries doesn't go to the rivers and water. Keep a special eye to ensure that the waste doesn't pollute the water and the soil," she added.

Sheikh Hasina called upon all to pay attention so that the country doesn't incur losses by adverse impact of climate change due to any negligence.

Apart from this, she asked the industrialists to ensure proper work environment and safety for workers alongside upgrading their livelihoods aimed at increasing industrial production.

The prime minister said they want mechanisation of the industries with world class machines.

But, she asked all to be cautious that mechanisation of industries doesn't decrease the number of labourers.

The prime minister asked all concerned to build labour intensive industries as they want to employ more workers.


She said Bangladesh is marching ahead so it requires more entrepreneurs.
"I call upon the youths not to run after the jobs (only). ---prepare yourselves as entrepreneurs and give jobs to others," she said.

Sheikh Hasina asked all concerned to make more opportunities for the womenfolk to make them entrepreneurs in large numbers.

She said the men can take initiatives bringing their wives and sisters in the SME business by enjoying opportunities of SME facilities that include taking loans at four per cent interest rate.

The prime minister expressed her satisfaction as 60 per cent of the SME entrepreneurs are women.

She said it has been possible as additional facilities are now being given to the women entrepreneurs.

The prime minister stressed the need for mechanisation of agriculture to increase food production for ensuring food security.

She also asked all concerned to produce small and medium machines for agriculture as it has local and foreign demand.

The prime minister instructed all to build locality-based agro-processed industries across the country keeping in mind which food grains are largely produced where.

She called for increasing production of exportable products alongside creating local markets for produced products.

She also instructed Bangladesh missions abroad to find out the most demandable products of the respective countries as Bangladesh can export those products there.

The prime minister said she has already asked Bangladesh missions abroad to work for economic diplomacy alongside the politics to increase export, business and trades.

She said her government has established rights on a vast maritime area which has huge resources.

The SME entrepreneurs can also invest in maritime resources to exploit its maximum benefits, she said.

The prime minister expressed her satisfaction over unveiling the work plan for 2024-28 by the Industries Ministry and said if all the ministries can do it; the country's development will be quickened.

After opening the SME fair, Sheikh Hasina said the fair will encourage others to be entrepreneurs.

She described the SME entrepreneurs as driving forces of the country's development, saying, "We want to create more SME entrepreneurs to foster the country's development".

The prime minister recalled the contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for taking measures for the first time for industrialisation in Bangladesh.

At the same function, she handed over the National SME Award-2023 to seven small, medium and start-up entrepreneurs that includes a crest and accreditation certificate.

Industries minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, its senior secretary Zakia Sultana, president of FBCCI Mahbubul Alam and SME Foundation Chairperson Dr Md Masudur Rahman spoke at the function.

The fair will continue till May 25 under the aegis of the SME Foundation as it will remain open for visitors from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm daily.

More than 300 entrepreneurs are taking part in the fair as almost 60 per cent participants are women entrepreneurs.

The SME fair will showcase 100 per cent local products. More than 350 companies will participate in this year's fair.

This year's fair will see the largest number of 75 participants from the garment sector. Besides, 42 participants will showcase jute products, 38 will display handicrafts, 32 to showcase leather products and 27 to present processed agricultural products.

Moreover, 23 will display light engineering products, 14 to present food products, 13 to display IT-based services as 12 SME cluster entrepreneurs will take part in the fair from different parts of the country, 5 participants will showcase herbal industry products and 5 more will display jewellery products.

Four stalls will display plastic products, three to showcase electrical and electronics items, 3 to present furniture items and 19 others will display various government organisations products.

Besides, 30 banks, 15 public-private organisations, business clubs of 5 universities and about 50 other organisations will provide services to participants in the fair.​

 

[Saif]

Danger of faster sea level rise

American south is witnessing an alarming rise in sea level affecting coastal communities across eight US states, says a Washington Post analysis reported last month (April 29). The tide gauges of the water level monitoring stations at more than eight points from Texas to North Carolina found that s

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Danger of faster sea level rise
SYED FATTAHUL ALIM
Published :
May 20, 2024 21:47
Updated :
May 20, 2024 21:47

Photo- UNDP

American south is witnessing an alarming rise in sea level affecting coastal communities across eight US states, says a Washington Post analysis reported last month (April 29). The tide gauges of the water level monitoring stations at more than eight points from Texas to North Carolina found that sea levels were 6 inches higher than they were about a decade and a half ago (in 2010, to be specific). And that was equivalent to the amount of sea level rise the area under study saw in the past five decades, the report further said. Scientists, according to the report, said that the Gulf of Mexico had experienced twice the global average rate of sea level rise since 2010 as revealed from the analysis of satellite data. Scientists are learnt to have been working to decipher what lay behind such accelerated rise of the sea level. But it is not the US south coast alone that has been witnessing the phenomenon of faster sea level rise.

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