It's high time to go green
Wind power is green
World Environment Day is observed every year to raise public awareness on environmental issues. the United Nations Environment Programme working on environmental issues declared the theme of world environment day 2012 with a query 'Green Economy: Does it include you?' The answer of course, is obvious: participation. The concept of 'green economy' presented by UNEP focuses on the issues related to human well-being, environment and climate change. Unsustainable living and livelihood of people are harming the ecosystems of the planet. Green economy aims at improving people's living standard without compromising environmental degradation. Greenhouse gases emitting from power and energy sector, industry and transport sector are responsible for global warming led climate change. As climate change is a multidimensional environmental disaster green economy would act as the means to face the challenge. Generation and distribution of wealth, development and access to resources, production and consumption are important areas of an economy. The UNEP defines Green Economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. In fact, the concept of 'green economy' merged in it the themes of 'sustainable development' and 'low carbon economy'. UNEP has identified 10 potential areas where we need to work for promoting green economy 1. Manufacturing and Industry; 2. Fisheries; 3. Forestry; 4. Transport; 5. Water; 6. Agriculture; 7. Energy Supply; 8. Tourism; 9. Waste; 10. Buildings. Whether it is like or unlike others, Bangladesh needs to address all these 10 areas for sustainable development. Manufacturing and Industry: Sustainable production and consumption are two vital areas to be addressed for promoting sustainable development. As an underdeveloped, still to be an industrialized country, Bangladesh has many things to do to make its industrial growth and manufacturing industry more sustainable and environment friendly. Its textile and tannery industries are booming in recent times producing major export items. These two need special attention because they are holding a potential very crucial for the economy. But there are many things to do to make them environmentally and socially acceptable. Effluents from dying and tannery industries are hugely blamed for surface water pollution. Fisheries: Fisheries contribute 4.91% to GDP and 5.10% to foreign exchange earning through export in Bangladesh. Fish provides 63% of national animal protein consumption. Fisheries sector plays an important role in rural employment and poverty alleviation. The country is crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers. The climate is unique for aquaculture and fisheries resource management. The Bay of Bengal borders the whole south of the country. Processed shrimp is number one fisheries product as well as one of the major export items of Bangladesh in the world market. Still the shrimp production is not done in sustainable manner. Soil salinity and open water pollution with feed, medicine and chemicals used in shrimp culture are common phenomena in south western region of the country. Forestry: Forests of Bangladesh need to be brought under sustainable forestry where the people are right in conduct and action, and ecosystem health and economic benefits are maintained. Good forest management had always been absent in Bangladesh that has entailed degradation and denudation of forest land. The consumable tree and plant materials include fruit, seed, root, leaves and firewood or timber. In fact any part of a plant or tree may be useful to human being as food, fuel, fibre, construction material. The firewood and timber harvesting needs led to the actual slaughtering of groves. Extremely poor people actually collect firewood from tree but the influentials simply fell it for timber. Transport : Sustainable traffic management involves controlling the type and quality of vehicles as well. The aim of traffic management is not only to avoid human death and injury and material damage, but also to improve quality of atmosphere and life on the street. Only then benefits of sustainable transport can be enjoyed by people. Sustainable transport can ensure safety as well as protect the environment from emission pollution. Water: Water not only supports life sustaining processes in the nature but also is crucial as a resource for economic development. Ponds are used as medium of aquaculture, canals for local transportation and irrigation, rivers for national transportation and source of food (fish), oceans as way of cheap international transportation and big-scale fishing. However, the water systems around the globe are getting polluted day by day in a way that it seems we would loose this as resource one day soon, if no corrective measures are taken now. Agriculture: Agriculture is the oldest trade of people who engaged themselves in it for growing food instead of collecting it by hunting other animals lower in food chain. Even these days of high-tech science and technology, perhaps the most crucial contribution is from agriculture for the livelihood of people, that is, providing food. But features of sustainable agriculture, such as -- Organic Farming, Biological Control of Pest, Conserving Biological Diversity of Agro-ecosystem, Rotation of Crops, Conserving Soil from Erosion and Degradation, Ensuring Materials Cycling: A Mimic of natural Ecosystem, are steel absent from most parts of it. Energy Supply: An energy system comprises its production, distribution and utilization regimes. The conventional energy system is based on fossil fuels -- coal, mineral oil and natural gas .When burnt these fuels produce CO2 and emitted by power stations this mix with automobiles exhaust contributing to global warming and climate change. So, it is urgent to construct an energy system based on renewable energy sources to secure future of the planet earth. The major renewable sources are solar energy, wind power, tidal power and biomass energy. Tourism: Sustainable tourism is wise planning and implementation of activities of the sector that develops infrastructure and conducts tours without harming the ecosystems. Bangladesh lacks tour infrastructures hugely needed to harness the potentials of the sector in national economy but keeping an intent eye on the safety of essential ecosystems. Waste: Waste management system includes waste collection, processing and disposal. Various mechanisms are applied in the process. For environment friendly disposal various components of waste should be carefully segregated. For different physical, chemical and biological properties there separately deserve distinctive disposal. It will not be wise to burn the waste that can be composted to produce environment friendly biofertilizer and biogas through anaerobic decomposition in a digester. And nothing should be left to pollute environment. Buildings: Buildings account for one-sixth of the world's fresh water withdrawals, one-quarter of its wood harvest, and two-fifths of its material and energy flows. Greening construction of building is an opportunity to use our resources efficiently -- creating healthier buildings that improve human health, create a better environment, and provide cost savings. A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner reducing the overall impact on the environment. Concluding remarksMitigation of climate change impact is vital for all nations regardless of their development status. In foreseeable future, all nations shall have to, or be bound to, take low carbon strategy for development. So, it is high time to start to go green without any hesitation or delay.
The writer is an environment and development activist.
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