A sustainable development strategy, at its core, is concerned with how human society as a whole balances the need of the present generation without compromising the prospects of future generations. The very idea, in essence, is focused on inter-generational equity as it compels socio-economic actors to accept that economic actions today shape the choices and opportunities that are available to future generations, and that a “just economic order” necessitates that we value the implications of our actions with the utmost precaution.
In this context, the nexus of climate change, economic growth, and environmental degradation has received growing attention in recent years, with both developed and developing countries taking solid measures to address such issues.
Bangladesh, too, has identified the need for sustainable development as outlined in the government’s five-year plans. Realising that Bangladesh will be among the worst victims of climate change, as corroborated by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, policy-makers within Bangladesh have taken a deep interest in various manifestations of climate change.
In particular, Bangladesh has formulated the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, which has been complemented by the establishment of a number of institutions and funds so that both adaptation and low-carbon development may be addressed adequately.
Despite such initiatives, several issues continue to pose challenges. According to the Environment Performance Index (EPI) of 2014, Bangladesh ranks at 169 out of 178 countries. Unplanned urbanisation, haphazard waste management, and rising noise, air, and water pollution due to poorly regulated industrialisation, have meant that environmental quality has been less than ideal.
Environmental challenges, including the ramifications of climate change, are expected to become even more severe over the coming years. A rise in both sea levels and frequency of cyclone-storms -- due to the escalating atmospheric temperature -- is likely to have grave food and energy security consequences. As noted in several studies, sea levels near Dhaka has a high chance of rising 30cm by 2040 and exceeding 100cm by 2100.
Inundation from a 100cm rise could potentially displace 13 million people. Adapting to such climate change impacts pose a significant challenge. The capacity of government officials (especially at the local level) and institutional co-ordination is often found to be inadequate in responding to such challenges.
Considering past experience and present constraints, the seventh five-year plan from 2016-2020 provides a timely opportunity for Bangladesh to reiterate her commitment towards sustainable development. The Sustainable Development strategy under the seventh plan should be addressed on three fronts -- climate change, internal environmental management, and disaster management. Each of these three fronts should put forward activities which, from a holistic perspective, can ensure that Bangladesh is on track for sustainable development.
A climate change strategy traditionally encompasses two components: Adaptation and mitigation. While adaptation refers to the activities we take to prepare ourselves from the inevitable impacts of climate change, mitigation activities are concerned with reducing our carbon footprint. Various adaptation practices, such as coastal afforestation and construction of cyclone shelters, have already been implemented.
Mitigation activities, which is often instrumentally related to the quality of internal environmental management, are often overshadowed, as adaptation is often viewed as more important.
As a result, the seventh plan should give due emphasis to climate change mitigation. In particular, given that the government intends to generate more than 20,000MW from coal by 2030, it must provide attention to the choice of technology so that high efficiency options are adopted for cleaner energy generation. Most importantly, we must avoid the mistakes of Beijing, which has recently acknowledged the adverse consequences of depending too much on this dirty fuel.
Limited institutional capacity also plagues all three fronts of the sustainable development strategy. Inadequate understanding of the multi-faceted nature of climate change and environmental and disaster management prevents adequate measures from being pursued. Hence, under the seventh plan, the capacity of officials should be scaled up so that they are well prepared to deal with various climate change, environmental, and disaster issues.
A proper institutional framework specifying roles and responsibilities of different institutions, along with promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing, will greatly facilitate institutional coordination.
As Bangladesh seeks to break out of the 6% growth path, articulating a green-growth approach becomes paramount for sustainable development. Low-income developing countries have the tendency to follow a “grow dirty, clean up later” outlook. Proponents of such an approach argue that satisfying human needs and development should be the first priority, since their environmental footprint is relatively small.
However, this is misleading for a number of reasons, chief of which is that a lot of the subsequent damages are irreversible. The loss of many environmental assets, most importantly biodiversity, cannot be undone. Even if it is possible to clean up afterwards, it will not come cheap. These problems underline the need for a system where economic growth and environmental sustainability can go hand-in-hand.
Green-growth programs will improve the eco-efficiency of economic growth and enhance the synergy between the environment and th03e economy. Small green-growth programs at the local level, such as paying smallholders and farmers to adopt modern farming methods which will minimise environmental degradation, can be expanded through active engagement of the private sector and proper financing.
Green practices, such as the adoption of green accounting, are particularly encouraged. The concept of green accounting, which incorporates costs and benefits of environmental protection and the depletion of natural capital into gross measures of national welfare, is yet to be fully established. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics has recognised the need to strengthen and deepen environmental statistics. To do so, maintaining natural resource accounts and emissions accounts is crucial as they can be used to make more informed decisions, subsequently leading to enhanced environmental protection.
On the whole, the population of Bangladesh is expected to double by 2050, reaching some 270 million. In the years to come, the adverse effects of a burgeoning population coupled with industrial development and climate change will exacerbate the impact on the environment unless we act now. It is therefore imperative that, under the seventh five-year plan, we establish sustainable development as a top priority to ensure that our current development needs do not jeopardise the aspirations of future generations.