Why we need it now

Globally acclaimed scientific institution, the National Geographic Society, ranks Bangladesh as the most vulnerable nation to the impacts of climate change in the coming decades. We are observing the negative effects of climate change with the ever-altering nationwide weather patterns, the water stress in the low-lying coastal regions, regional sea level rises and the prevalence of cyclones in southern Bangladesh. It is therefore an accepted fact that climate change is surely a legitimate socio-economic concern, and needs to be addressed not only at the state level, but across the entire Bangladeshi diaspora. 

In terms of institutional responses to climate change in the past decade or so, the Government of Bangladesh has taken various measures of mitigating the ever-growing crisis. The "Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan" of 2009 aims to reduce carbon emission throughout the nation, whilst promoting country-wide social development through eco-friendly mechanisms. Whether it be the "Green Banking" initiatives promulgated by the Bangladesh Bank or the formation of the $315 million-worth "Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund", there is little reason to doubt the government's integrity in tackling climate change. Nevertheless, the problem arises when the macro-economic objective of environmental protection is in conflict with the concurrent aim of achieving the kind of fast-paced economic growth,which Bangladesh is currently witnessing. In economic terms, the opportunity cost or trade-off for achieving increased growth levels seems to be sacrificing the needs of the environment, amongst other phenomena such as growing price levels and increasing regional inequality. Thereby, it should not come as a huge surprise when the government gave the green signal to the Rampal Power Plant project near the Sundarbans area. Prioritising growth over protecting our climate seems to have taken precedence. Yet if one is to go by traditional methods of nation-wide development, this entire Rampal scenario should not seem surprising or out of the ordinary at all. Rampal will indeed provide much-needed electricity to a large portion of southern Bangladesh. Investment, jobs and economic growth as a cumulative outweighed the feasibility of environmental protection. Yet, this Rampal case showcases what the society requires to truly address the problems of climate change. 

The Government of Bangladesh and the country's citizens surely feel that our climate is worth saving. Nevertheless, does Bangladesh consider climate change to be present in the list of our top tier problems? Would we go out of our way to reduce wastage and curtail pollution? One has doubts. And herein is where our problem lies. If Bangladesh does not truly realise the gravity of the climate change crisis, something that is to have an over-arching negative impact on our day to day lives in the coming decades, then as citizens we are leaving our future generations defenceless to a situation which has no clear-cut solution. The political deadlock we have will ultimately be resolved through inter-party collaboration. We have seen this in the past. Corruption and inequality can be tackled via public policy. But if we fail to imminently act to save the environment, then there will be no environment to protect. When scientists warn us of the erosion of coastal Bangladesh, of the danger Chittagong faces as a region due to climate change and the severe impact of atmospheric adjustments on food production, they are not joking. If we fail to realise this, then we might as well continue to prioritise short-term unsustainable development schemes. 

Again, it is important to remind ourselves that the current government has indeed invested in sustainable platforms. But the state is not the only actor in Bangladesh's economy. We need the private sector to support eco-friendly projects and we need them to do it now. If profitability is a big question-mark, then we can learn from the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden and others, a large proportion of which have businesses operating both with high revenues whilst supporting the protection of the environment. This means investing in renewable sources such as solar power and biofuel, a process which have been initiated in many parts of rural Bangladesh via public investments. It also means that manufacturing business and tanneries need to significantly reduce the discharge of impure materials to rivers, decrease overall carbon emissions and promote eco-friendly platforms. 

To the credit of both the government and our businessmen, the process of addressing climate change through policy instruments, legislation and practice has begun. However, the reach of these schemes remain limited to the bigger firms. Small and medium sized businesses, which define a majority of the Bangladeshi market, are unfortunately out of the picture when it comes to addressing climate change. Poor garbage disposal schemes, country-wide drainage issues and littering are simultaneously hurting the needs of the environment. In its totality, all the above are of immense macroeconomic consequence. If businesses and citizens fail to realise the magnitude of these issues to their long-term profitability and sustainable survival, then it will be catastrophically detrimental to Bangladesh's socio-economic future. 

The people's opposition to the Rampal Project is based on their desire for protecting the Sundarbans. It is not a political issue; neither should it be. The Sundarbans is a national asset as amongst other things, it acts as a natural barrier to environmental calamities. On a broader scale however, Bangladesh needs a revolution in its efforts to protecting the environment. It starts at households when we decide to turn off the extra lights that we do not need. It matures when the entire business family in Bangladesh accept the need for investing in clean-energy projects, both as a matter of sustainability and economic viability. It strengthens when our government takes a bold leap and prioritises the environment side by side with its interest of generating growth and employment. Climate change is a problem that Bangladesh is not solely responsible for. In fact, one may even argue it is an entirely foreign creation, affecting developing countries such as ours. Yet it is a problem that we need to address. No foreign power is going to come and curtail the impacts of climate change on behalf of Bangladesh. Climate change is, in no uncertain terms, one of the issues that needs total prioritisation from all actors within the Bangladeshi diaspora.

More than ever before, Bangladesh truly needs to work towards a sustainable economy, one where profitability and environmental protection go hand in hand. Due to our poor political culture, the term consensus seems to be floating around the media these days. Let the citizens show politicians the power of such a consensus. Let us have a national consensus regarding climate change. The process for addressing Bangladesh's climate needs has begun, but it surely has a long way to go. It is time that we as citizens make an impassionate plea to one another and shoulder the responsibility of protecting a vulnerable Bangladesh from the devastating horrors brought forth by climate change. 

The writer is a third year undergraduate student of Economics and International Relations at the University of Toronto. 

Email: aftab.ahmed@mail.utoronto.ca