Global climate change and local perspective
Sdir devastation: A global warming consequence?
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. have been jointly declared for the Nobel Peace Prize-2007 for their research and effort to spread out the knowledge about man-made climate change and also the measures that are needed to counteract such change. Greenhouse gases that mainly absorb and emit heat to the atmosphere have the effect on global temperature and make habitable environment for earth. Continuous deforestation and extensive fossil fuel exploitation and natural sources contribute carbon dioxide (CO2) in atmosphere dramatically in higher rate since industrialisation and rising relentlessly. IPCC 4th assessment report shows that, the global mean concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2005 was 379 ppm. The growth rate of CO2 in the atmosphere was 1.9 ppm yr1 and this is the largest change observed or inferred for any decade in at least the last 200 years. Developed countries, with less than 20 percent of the world's population, are responsible for 80 percent of the atmospheric CO2 accumulation since 1751 and the least developed countries, with 800 million people, have contributed less than 1 percent yet they are the most vulnerable to climate change. 60% of the current growth in emissions is due to China. Global average surface temperature has increased (0.74°C ± 0.18°C for the last 100 years); 1998 and 2005 were the warmest two years in the instrumental global surface air temperature record since 1850. As a consequence of global warming, the exposure of extreme events like flood, cyclone, draught, sea-level rise, vector-borne diseases and many more natural disasters are appearing recurrently and will be more distressing in near future. We already have experienced very frequent floods and extreme “cyclone Sidr” in Bangladesh that demonstrates the vulnerability of global climate change. In United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Bali Conference decision have been made to collect so called “compensatory fund” for third world countries. Compensatory fund is one way to immediate response in any natural disaster situation but not the solution for global climate change. All UN countries agreed to reduce carbon emission by 50 percent by 2050; whereas, the USA is one of the greater polluter who did not sign the “Kyoto Protocol”. On one hand, developed countries are polluting much and have less control on carbon emission reduction, while on the other, third world countries are suffering for the consequences of such pollution. Even, before affected by deadly “Hurricane Katrina” in August 2005, USA and also other developed countries didn't want to believe global climate change phenomenon rather they tried to establish climate change as propaganda! After getting scientific and more reliable data from different research organisations and experiencing frequent natural disasters, all have started to believe and act on global climate change. How can we prepare ourselves to combat and adopt strategies against adverse natural disasters as one of the least developing country? One view is, think globally and act locally, where we can make our policy regarding management, technologies, strategies etc. based on global framework with the help of global partnership and co-operation and have to implement those strategies at local level. Now I would like to address two different perspectives that we can consider to strengthen our policy and management system to reverse environmental degradation in Bangladesh. One is “Carbon Trading” and another is “User Pays” principle. Carbon trading through emission quotas is one of the effective tools to reduce overall carbon emission and establish global environmental justice. “Kyoto Protocol” preserves the right of emission credit for the member nations based on the emission quotas. Under the treaty, the nations that emit less than their quota will be able to sell emission credits to the nations that exceed their emission limit. Under the treaty, for the 5-year compliance period from 2008 until 2012 all members needed to cut emission according to the emission quotas. If the developed countries failed to execute the treaty, most of the third world countries will be benefited from this emission reduction scheme by getting emission credit since that emission rate is very low compared to the developed countries, in the same time policy will encourage developed countries to halt the emission rate. Implementation of global policy at local or national level needed to develop some strategies which can be achieved by increasing income levels, getting education and technical skills, and improving disaster preparedness and management systems. Our national policy makers should think about the future benefit from the emission credit system and have to take action to make a better policy, effective technologies and skilled personnel who can bravely negotiate with the international personnel in global arena, because, we don't need to compensate if we can acquire our right. I would like to give my idea regarding Readymade Garment (RMG) in Bangladesh as local context. As RMG is one of the main contributors to national GDP, the same way, also a main polluting source that is degrading our environment through discharging wastewater directly into nearby areas or lakes without any treatment. Recently, Department of Environment (DoE), has taken strict steps for installing effluent treatment plant (ETP) for every washing and composite unit. Installation of ETP is the first step of improving current environmental degradation but in the long run it is important to ensure effective operation of all ETPs. It is very difficult to monitor all the ETP's performance by DoE with its limited manpower. Even, the guideline provided by the DoE, there is no specific instructions for sludge (solid waste produced by ETP) management system. However, the volume of sludge produced from a medium chemical type ETP is difficult to manage by oneself without any governmental support as municipality is not taking care of this waste. As a result, sludge is disposed nearby low land in an insecure way, and consequently surface water and, in the long run, ground water is polluted again. Moreover while, ETP installation cost and running cost is quite high so how RMG can achieve this goal in the competitive global market? In all European and other developed countries, every consumer needs to pay product recycle or waste management fees as charge earlier than they consume their product, like, if one buy a bottle of beverage then he/she needs to pay the recycle cost of the bottle as well. As RMG is primarily export-oriented and exporting mainly to the developed countries why don't we consider the same principle for industrial wastewater management system? It will be fruitful if government authority, BGMEA, buyers' organisation and other responsible authorities work together on a common platform and set a guideline considering the concept of making environmental friendly production unit in Bangladesh for a sustainable global development. Atiq Uz Zaman is an environmental engineer atique_cee@yahoo.com
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