Environmental and climate change policy-making is a comparatively newer area with little experience. Designing policies and institutions appropriately balancing economic growth and environmental protection is one of the defining challenges in this 21st century. Most importantly, the non-climate frames have been observed as important as, or more important than the climate frames in decision-making for the sector which has been a growing concern. Specifically, decision support for impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability is expanding from science-driven linear methods to a wide range of methods drawing from many disciplines.
Globally, to mitigate climate change and adapt to climate change impacts, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the basis for coordinated action among the 189 Parties. And, in recent years, the sustainable development goals and Paris Agreement, often termed a monumental success for the planet and its people have also been valuable additions in policy formulation and implementation.
Developing nations, such as Bangladesh often experience challenges in achieving the targeted outcomes as those aim to adapt to the adverse impact of climate change. In the sector of climate change, the journey of policies in Bangladesh started with the National Action Plan of Adaptation (NAPA) in 2005. And, then in 2009, Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) was released. After three years, under the framework of disaster management, the government of Bangladesh launched the Disaster Management Act and the Standing Order on Disaster, while the latter was revised in 2019 again. Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 has been another milestone in the sector published in 2018, and now the development of the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan (MCPP) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is going on which are already public for consultation.
Despite the complex interconnectedness of the systems in a policy cycle including the human ecosystem, policy system, and implementation system, Bangladesh is advancing well, especially by making the policies in a coherent manner and making them complementary to each other. For example, MCPP, the first of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20 to launch a decade plan, does not replace any existing plan but aims to supplement and accelerate the existing plans and programs, including the 8th Five-Year Plan, Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, and Perspective Plan 2021-2041. The plans are supported by and well-organized in line with the directions outlined in the Climate Fiscal Framework.
It is well-known that Bangladesh has limitations in data availability and adequate resources. In addition, keeping a balance between climate change dynamics and the development goal always leaves the policy-makers on the fence. There is also a challenge in balancing the fronts of climate change adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage. Climate change adaptation has always been the priority, and loss and damage are evident on the ground which is managed by its own fund to date. Mitigation was also a concern that was reflected in Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) and NDC.
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In addition to the existing challenges in the context, there are also issues around the development process and its application. For example, the main criticism of NAPA and BCCSAP is the non-involvement of the affected communities. This has been a very common issue while decision-making also has different dynamics, as there is evidence of participatory exclusion, tokenism, and agency initiatives in the country. In the sector of climate change, there are also missing dots in the nexus among academicians, policymakers, and practitioners which is also true.
The lack of information and data availability often results in making less effective decisions and sometimes unrealistic plans and targets. Bangladesh targets “zero climate-induced migration by 2030” in its draft MCPP which brings the question of the baseline to the table. It is not that clear where Bangladesh stands now in terms of the data regarding climate-induced migration. And the target also contradicts the anticipated global and national scenarios for the upcoming decade as well. On the other hand, it sounds like a sudden jump into the said issue while the number of significant relevant policies in the sector of climate change does not address climate-induced migration that much specifically. So, such issues must be looked at carefully as Bangladesh has a good reputation in policy formulation.
In the area of Public Choice Theory, it is often argued that politicians are casual as they spend taxpayers’ money, not their own. So, why they should have incentives to promote frugality and efficient policies is a question frequently raised. In the same way, the bureaucrats prefer also maximizing the budget and making big projects demonstrating power and prestige. There is also an inherent challenge of rewarding budget based on utilization which encourages that. We experience the same in the draft design of MCPP, around $65 billion out of the estimated investment of $75bn upto 2030 goes for infrastructure.
An informal criticism of the businesspersons turning into policy-makers in the country also might have an influence on such types of policy-making -- no one is sure about the potential of such types of policies in climate change. This has been a major challenge as the non-climatic factors such as social aspects play a big role in policy formulation of environment and climate change. IPCC 6th Assessment reported that changes in socio-cultural factors will contribute largely in addition to infrastructure design and use and end-use technology adoption to achieve demand-side mitigation by 2050. But sadly, this is a missing part of several policies in the country.
And there are also issues of governance at the implementation stage, often termed as operational factors in policy formulation. But truly, that is lighter something at the top of the iceberg which is always on the table while the bigger part under the water is kept either hidden or untouched. In the same way, people remain busy with the governance at the implementation stage while key concerns remain at the planning, design, and development stage. There are different theories, practices, and efforts of people engagement, participatory decision making, and involvement of influential groups to ensure governance on the ground while we often ignore the in-built unjust system and model which is part of the system. The disempowering environment and limited space of civil society are contributing to the design and application of policy and plans while the exclusion of the marginalized, ignorance of the voiceless, and lack of diversity are remarkable.
Bangladesh must work on the policies including the draft NAP, MCPP, and revision of BCSSAP aligning with the development milestones in the front. And, again as the country is stepping toward UMICs by 2041, it must be future-looking to address the embedded challenges. This is important to consider that the comparator countries are ahead and advancing fast in such sectors which can make a huge gap between us. Overall, Bangladesh as a low emitting country is in a better position to place itself and to be rightly on the track chasing the potential challenges if the policies are developed considering the driving forces and international influences in a balanced way.
Ashish Barua is a climate change activist.
