Today is World Environment Day.
Protecting the environment from pollution is essential for all species of the world, including human beings. Every country in the world observes this day widely to create mass awareness to protect nature, the ecology, and the environment.
This day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972, when the UN conference on human environment was started. In the same conference (June 5 to 16, 1972), the UN also formulated a separate organisation to synchronise all global activities, collaborate and provide technical support to developing nations regarding protection of the environment, and also to urge countries to implement environmentally effective laws, policies, and practices.
This year the theme is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with care.”
It is estimated that by 2050, the world population will reach 10 billion. As the world population increases, demand for natural resources is also increasing rapidly, and if our current speed of consumption continues, by 2050 we will need three planets to sustain our way of living.
Consumption (food or luxury living materials and natural resources) is increasing without limit due to uncontrolled advertising and promotions by multinational companies. All of this relates to the economy. If more people consume, it will increase the GDP of a nation. That is why most countries want their citizens to consume as much as they can. Many nations, particularly developing countries, allow business companies to do unethical promotions to spur economic growth. But often, economic growth negatively affects livelihood and public health, polluting the environment.
When a government adopts laws and policies to ensure economic growth only, it may hamper sustainable development. Fossil fuels are more dangerous for the ecology and environment, and also cause global warming. Fossil fuels -- which include coal, petroleum (petrol, octane, diesel etc), natural gas, kerosene, and propane -- contain high percentages of carbon.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, due to the high levels of consumption, the world used fossil fuels as the primary source of energy, amounting to about 86.4% in 2007, of which petroleum was 36%, coal 27.4%, and natural gas 23.4%. While only 13.6% of it was renewable energy, of which hydro-electric was 6.3%, nuclear 8.5%, and others were 0.9%. The consumption of fossil fuels was growing by 2.3% every year.
The coal-based Rampal Power Plant near the Sundarbans is dangerous for the ecology, the environment, and people’s livelihoods. But the government has already started work to establish this power plant in Rampal. It may help us to get electricity which can be used to establish industries, ultimately helping to ensure economic growth. But this economic growth may seriously cause environmental pollution, which ultimately affects social livelihoods and may even destroy the Sundarbans.
Another effective example could be the Buriganga river. Dhaka was established on this river more than 400 years ago. This river played a key role in ensuring river transportation from the south side of Bangladesh to Dhaka. Previously, this river played a role in transporting goods from Potenga Sea Port and Bagerhat Sea Port to Dhaka. As we know, river transport is cost-effective, environment-friendly, and comfortable.
Unfortunately, after the 1980s, this river became extremely polluted. According to a study conducted by the Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA), led by POBA executive general secretary engineer Abdus Sobhan, the average level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in Buriganga River is about 0.4. The minimum DO should be 5 to ensure aquatic life. Leather and other industries, while they may help to ensure economic growth, have polluted the river, and affected human health.
The service sector is also worse-off than before. We know that education and health are fundamental human rights according to our constitution. But the government has failed in this regard for many reasons. No government hospitals have been established in Dhaka in the last 15 years, but many private hospitals have been.
People are getting sick for many reasons -- unhealthy diets, lack of physical exercise, smoking, drug abuse, etc. Non-communicable diseases (like cancers, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, COPD, asthma etc) are on the rise. When they fall ill, they have to go to private hospitals, as public hospitals cannot accommodate the huge numbers of people.
Like health, people are also forced to “buy” education. About 2.6 million students are buying their education from more than 50 private universities which have been established in the last 20 years. This is because of the limited number of places in government colleges and universities, which are not sufficient for the huge numbers of students. As a result, the poorer families suffer, giving it their all to pay for their children’s educations.
We are in a situation which clashes with our dream of this world. People are simply consuming as much as they can. We have to control the speed of our consumption to save this planet.