Bangladesh, one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world, has recently emerged as a leader in demanding climate justice at various international forums, including COP26 in October last year.
This year, the theme of World Environment Day is “Only One Earth”.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Md Shahab Uddin sat for an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune’s Najifa Farhat to discuss the growing challenges to protecting the environment in an age of rapid industrialization.
How important is it for the people of Bangladesh to have environmental protection in the current situation?
We all have to live. Not just human beings, but also the wildlife around us. We have to coexist with the environment, our surroundings, and other living beings who have equal rights on this earth. It has become difficult to protect the environment In this age of industrialization and urbanisation, but we have to understand that the degradation of the environment is synonymous with a crisis regarding the very existence of human beings. The situation is particularly dire for the people of Bangladesh, as we are already a geographically vulnerable nation.
The government has been pushing a development-focused mandate since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power. Has this conflicted with your work as environment minister?
Bangabandhu included a provision for protection of the environment in Section 18A of our constitution in 1972. His daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also gives utmost importance to the matter of environment and climate change. Some destruction of the environment is inevitable over the course of development activities, but the government has been careful not to do any permanent damage. The losses are temporary, and the people will benefit once projects such as the metro rail are completed.
If there is ever any conflict between development and conservation activities, we always look to the prime minister for directions.
St Martin’s Island and Nijhum Dwip were both declared protected in recent years, but we have not seen any proper interventions to protect the marine biodiversity in the areas. What is the point of such declarations if they are not implemented?
Saint Martin is a treasure of our country. When I visited the island a few years back, I was afraid and saddened to see the condition of that area. We are working on curbing the number of tourists with the Tourism Department and will issue a gazette on this issue very soon. But you also have to understand that tourism is important for the economy of that area, and locals have to understand tourists will stop visiting the island if its scenic beauty continues to be degraded by exploitation.
Safari parks of the country recently courted controversy following the deaths of several animals. Why turn natural forests into tourist attractions?
We are making safari parks to protect illegally occupied forests. The Lathitila reserve forest is on 5,100 acres of land, whereas the safari park being built there would take up only 270 acres. Our priority is to protect the wildlife, forest, and biodiversity of the safari park by evicting the illegal occupiers. This will be a modern facility based on attractive tourist destinations.
The budget for environmental protection has repeatedly been curtailed since FY2014-15. Why is this happening?
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government had to prioritize the health sector to tackle the immediate disaster. We are hoping that our allotted budget will increase this year. We also have a shortage of manpower in the field, especially in the forest department, and we hope to recruit more personnel soon.
Could you share a bit about your experience at the recent COP and is Bangladesh at risk of desertification?
The representatives of most carbon emitting nations have agreed to help us in terms of provisioning funding and sharing technologies, as they committed at COP26 in Glasgow. This was a preparatory session for the upcoming COP27. We have presented the situation of desertification of the northern region of our country. We are already working on that, but I still think our situation regarding desertification is still not that dire.
Do you think the development initiatives of the government will lead to an increase in carbon emissions?
No, not at all. We are not a hugely industrial nation like the countries that have emitted the majority of carbon all these years. It will take a long time for us to reach a point where we can be called emitters.
Since we are a climate vulnerable country, shouldn’t we be cautious with our development plans and prioritize the safety of the people?
We prioritize the people, but this does not have to be at the cost of development. We have to feed these 160 million people and there is no alternative to development to accomplish that goal.
Various sections have often described the Environment Ministry as weak. What do you have to say about that?
What is this thing about being a weak ministry? Every ministry works under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and we all work together for the progress of our country. Even if any conflict arises, the prime minister intervenes to find a viable solution. I welcome any criticism from activists, but this one is not grounded in reality.