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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
Monday, February 16, 2015
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Communicating climate change solutions
CODE-CRACKER
Join up action on climate change
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limate change is the biggest long-term challenge faced by Bangladesh’s economy and people. There is growing evidence that coming decades will see it bring more extreme weather events and rising water levels. Tens of millions of people in our nation risk being displaced. Improving resilience and the ability of people to adapt to the negative consequences of climate change has to be put at the heart of public policy. Fighting poverty and growing the economy are as vital a part of this for Bangladesh as the imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world. Bangladesh Bank’s initiative to facilitate $500m of funding to finance environmental improvements in the textile industry is a useful step in the right direction. Some of its measures could be improved, as we believe it is more effective to create incentives and set targets, rather than mandate banks to make particular types of loan. However, the policy goal is the right one. With RMG central to driving our economy, we need to help grow it in a more environmentally sustainable manner to both reduce negative environmental impacts and to help raise more people from poverty. Projects to green textile production by reducing water and energy inputs can deliver multiple dividends by cutting costs and reducing negative environmental impacts. More such joined up approaches are needed to help Bangladesh better adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The government needs to do more to harmonise policies so they work together to help cut global greenhouse emissions and increase investment in renewable energy. It should cut subsidies on fossil fuels and support global carbon taxes to help the world move towards more sustainable energy policies.
Whose job is it anyway?
February 1 myself, and thereafter give the law the finger … because hey, I was asked to do this!
Cut subsidies on fossil fuels and support global carbon taxes
Barely Legal Alien Loving that photo! Raihan Hadi I second you! Once my government gives me the power to act against vigilantes with vigilance I might feel free to carry my own firearms, and maybe I won’t hesitate committing a few murders
‘It is therefore time for the media in Bangladesh to up their game in terms of not just covering the climate change problem, but also the myriad solutions being developed by different actors around Bangladesh’
SUDOKU
wareness of the climate change problem is now at an all time high all over the world. In Bangladesh, the level of awareness of climate change is relatively higher than in many other countries. This awareness now needs to be translated into knowledge and actions on the solutions of the problem. The government, as well as different non-governmental actors, in Bangladesh are all engaged in tackling different aspects of the climate change problem from their respective positions. Thus, the different sectoral ministries such as agriculture, water, health, energy, etc, are all now implementing actions to tackle climate change. Similarly, the major ministries such as Planning and Finance are also now beginning to mainstream climate change planning and finance. At the same time, the research community is very active and has formed a collective initiative called Gobeshona (Bangla for “research”) and have a web portal – www.gobeshona.net – as well as a monthly seminar series and annual conference every January. The NGOs have also been very active in developing a consortium of fif-
Shahjahan: Withdraw blockade, else face confinement
Power, internet, mobile network cut off at Khaleda’s office
January 30 Babul Sarwar Please, behave like a member of the government!
January 31 rose Why should blockades and hartals be legal in this country? Stern action ought to be taken against political violence.
What does the IPCC report say about climate change in Bangladesh?
Ruhel It’s the only way to flush the rats out.
n Dr Helena Wright
Increase R&D to grow pharmaceutical exports eximco Pharma is setting up a new R&D unit as part of its Tk700cr expansion program over the next two years. It is encouraging to see more Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies begin to invest in research and development. We need to see more such initiatives to enable Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical sector to build on its strong domestic base and to keep growing exports. This will become even more important if the TRIPS waiver for LDC countries to produce patented drugs is not extended when it becomes due to expire in December. Locally-owned companies have already shown their ability to reach beyond markets in Asia, to a position where competitive prices and high quality are helping it to sell medicines to 79 different countries, including Brazil, Kenya, and the UK. Much more can be achieved if the sector is enabled to increase efficiency and add more value locally. For instance, developing accredited testing facilities in the country would cut the costs involved in getting product approval for exports to more developed nations. Similarly, infrastructure investments to increase the sector’s ability to produce bulk ingredients and conduct more of its own testing and research would both hugely lower production costs and attract more inward investment. This is a vital knowledge-based industry, where the country has both a track record of success and huge opportunity to expand much further. The government can also help by encouraging industry collaboration with university research departments and by increasing the capacity of testing laboratories to speed up clearances for exports.
BNP calls 72-hour hartal from Sunday
Increase sector’s capacity to build on its strong domestic base
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Evil People Politics Having personally dealt with Bangladesh’s law enforcement, it’s of little surprise to hear of people doling out street justice. That is not to say that I condone such behaviour, the situation can be easily remedied by introducing even just a drop of integrity in our police force. Karl Hungus Little can be done to improve a law enforcement agency that is enamoured by “the take” and is practically a group of armed thugs in itself.
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n Saleemul Huq
How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.
Dr Ahsan Habib How can some parties get to hold rallies in Dhaka while BNP or Nagorik Oikko do not? Also, by uttering these illegal commands, has Shahjahan Khan disqualified himself from being a minister? Will Hasina or AL leaders look into it?
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How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 22 represents G so fill G every time the figure 22 appears. You have one letter in the control grid to start you off. Enter it in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares. Some letters of the alphabet may not be used. As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.
Dreampie I’ll do it … if the pay is right.
Climate Change
January 30 Mohdud Ul Huq “My Sonar Bangladesh” – what has been happening since 1952? Mir Ahmed Siddiquee Honorable leaders, patients are dying on their way to the hospital, students are missing out on education because of the on-going unrest. I urge both madams, please try and understand the grievances of the public, and come up with tangible solutions to alleviate them. Mutasim Billah Seriously?! How do they call themselves leaders?
No mobile network around BNP’s Gulshan office January 31 Nirob Sikder Now the govt has lost their capacity. Golam Rabbi Wireless network can be stopped by using jammers. Fortune Shamim Hail stupidity, hail. Country-wide stupidity, on the part of both political alliances, knows no bounds.
Khaleda stunned January 31 People She is waiting for people’s sympathy, so shameless. She doesn’t realise that people are hating her more and more due to the suffering she is creating. Breadbitten I don’t think it’s official until she’s redrawn her brows to that of a stunned expression …
Greece fights back January 31 Bangladeshian Fantastic! Greece has proven itself a true maverick with this election. Praman Good analysis. Lets believe Troika does not let go of this achievement.
City planning needs to be accountable
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Correct (5) 5 Commotion (4) 8 Family members (6) 9 Sky coloured (5) 10 Musical instrument (4) 11 Live coal (5) 12 Strange (3) 15 Becomes firm (4) 18 Naming words (5) 21 Fish eggs (3) 22 Building cover (4) 24 Encounter (4) 25 Burdened (5) 28 Governing body (6) 29 Untidy state (4) 30 time in grammar (5)
DOWN 1 Sanity (6) 2 Wildebeest (3) 3 Employ (4) 4 Swarm (4) 5 Festive occasions (5) 6 Taker of excessive interest (6) 7 Briny (3) 13 Accomplish (2) 14 Constraint (6) 16 In the direction of (2) 17 Spiritualists’ meeting (6) 19 Musical sounds (5) 20 Accordingly (2) 23 Level (4) 24 Silence (3) 26 Consumed (3) 27 Lair (3)
February 2 Rashed This is an indication of how poorly Dhaka’s City Corporations are run that they lack the expertise and skill to make a plan themselves. Had this not been the case, there would be no need for consultants in the manner in which they are being engaged.
Williams wins sixth Australian Open
CALVIN AND HOBBES
January 31
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER
PEANUTS
RichyT Such a great story this is. Serena and her sister Venus have dominated women’s tennis for so long now that it’s hard to imagine that there was once a large crowd of naysayers that refused to believe that these two ladies, girls then, would ever have much of an impact on tennis. The analysis coming from the pundits, former players and coaches, was damning. In their minds it was inconceivable that two kids from the inner city (Compton, LA), taught the game by their father (who had never played or coached prior to his involvement with both girls), could be world beaters. Throw in the fact that they didn’t play the obligatory junior tennis circuit and just didn’t compete much at all at the early stages and you could possibly agree with this analysis. But yet here we are, and yes, the experts were so wrong and that would be acceptable, maybe, if it were only in once case, but for them to get it so wrong in both cases, well, maybe, just maybe, they should all pick up the telephone and tell Richard Williams “sorry for doubting you, man”. You are truly THE MAN! Well done Richard Williams ... really well done Serena and Venus!
CROSSWORD
SUDOKU
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessment of climate change. In the most recent report, Bangladesh was identified as being at particular risk from climate change as it is in a low-lying coastal region with regular cyclones. Thousands of scientists and other experts contribute to the reports, and last year I had the opportunity to contribute to one chapter. Overall, the report covers the impacts of climate change but also includes many examples of solutions. By 2050, Bangladesh’s population at risk of sea level rise is predicted to rise to 27 million. Under a scenario with high emissions, global mean sea levels could be almost a metre higher by the end of the century. Climate change also poses risks for food security. The report says under a scenario of low crop productivity, Bangladesh could experience a net increase of poverty of 15% by 2030. In terms of heat stress for rice crops, current temperatures are already approaching critical levels during susceptible stages of the rice plant during March-June. Vulnerability to cyclones is expected to increase, but there are opportunities to adapt. Together, Bangladesh and India have the rarest and most severe tropical storms categories in the world. In the report, it is estimated that Bangladesh lost an estimated 5.9% of its GDP to storms from 1998 to 2009. Climate change impacts also pose a threat to health. Diseases like cholera and diarrhoea have been linked to high temperatures. A study in Dhaka reported increased rates of hospital due to dengue with both high and low river levels. Climate disasters also affect mental health, causing stress and tension. The particular vulnerability of women to climate change was highlighted. For instance, often women do not learn to swim
and so are more vulnerable to flood risks. In coastal areas, an increase in hypertension (blood pressure) has been identified in pregnant women. This can be linked to the intrusion of salty water which could worsen in future. The report also featured many examples from Bangladesh of coping strategies to deal with climate disasters like flooding. A study in Korail, one of Dhaka’s largest informal settlements, showed a range of household responses to flooding, including placing barriers across door fronts and using portable cookers, as well as creepers growing on roofs to keep down temperatures. The study also included featured examples of community-based adaptation in Bangladesh. Community-based adaptation is a bottom-up approach to adapting to climate change which involves local communities. Measures in Bangladesh included salt-tolerant crop cultivation, crab fattening, and flood early warning systems, to name a few. Bangladesh’s early warning system is world-renowned. In the Chapter on Asia, the IPCC report noted that cyclone Sidr led to around 3,400 deaths in Bangladesh in 2007. This has been compared to the situation in neighbouring Myanmar in 2008 after cyclone Nargis, which despite being of similar strength to Sidr, caused over 138,000 fatalities. The lower number of fatalities in Bangladesh compared to Myanmar can be linked to Bangladesh’s effective early warning system, as well the coastal volunteer network and reforestation of mangroves. Therefore, there may be various lessons that other countries can learn from the experience of Bangladesh. l Dr Helena Wright is based at Imperial College London and has been a visiting researcher at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Dhaka. She contributed to Chapter 14 of Working Group II of the IPCC Report.
teen major NGOs around a common program called Action Research on Climate Adaptation in Bangladesh (www. arcab.net ) and will be holding the 10th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation (CBA10) in Bangladesh early next year. Even the private sector has become involved in tackling aspects of the climate change problem related to insurance and salt and drought-tolerant seeds distribution. The media, both electronic as well a print, in English as well as Bangla, is also very good at covering climate change issues in Bangladesh with the Bangladesh Television program called “Amrai Pari” ( we can do it ourselves) prepared by BBC Media Action as a flagship program seen by many millions of people. It is therefore time for the media in Bangladesh to up their game in terms of not just covering the climate change problem, but also the myriad solutions being developed by different actors around Bangladesh. It is therefore, with great pride that the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) along with the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), and the International Institute for Environment and development (IIED) based in the United
Kingdom are entering into an agreement with the Dhaka Tribune to help them publish a fortnightly climate change page as well as occasional features in their weekend magazine. These feature length articles and information will be published each fortnight and talk about various themes and sectors affected by climate change including community-based-adaptation, adaptation technology, renewable energy, health, and many others. In addition to being published in the daily newspaper, the articles will also remain in their website where, over time, they should become a valuable repository of articles of interest to people. Finally, while we will be curating the page on behalf of Dhaka Tribune we do not wish to monopolise the articles that we provide to them, so we welcome submissions of proposals for articles to us, which we would be happy to provide guidance on how to turn into publishable articles. We hope readers of Dhaka Tribune and visitors to their website will find these articles on the solutions to climate change useful as well as interesting. l Saleemul Huq is Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (www.icccad.net ) at the Independent University, Bangladesh.
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Monday, February 16, 2015
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Knowledge into action
angladesh has been on the front lines of climate change for a long time. It is good to see the many steps we have taken so far to address this dire challenge. The Dhaka Tribune, then, is pleased to launch its fortnightly climate change page to better serve our readers, and bring more attention to one of the most pressing issues of the current century. We are thrilled to have the International Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Independent University, Bangladesh as partner, and to be able to bring out this page in collaboration with them. This page is just one instance of our partnership with ICCCAD in our commitment to bring this burning issue to our readers. We hope that increased knowledge and awareness about climate change will translate into the kind of action that helps us combat this problem while we still can. Zafar Sobhan Editor
A locked rainwater harvesting tank in a village by the Sundarbans. The area has high salinity A man leaving his crab fattening gher in a village in Munishgonj. The high salinity in the even in its groundwater reserves, so rainwater is stored in these tanks and its distribution is area makes crab and shrimp cultivation the only suitable livelihood option regulated by local authorities SYED TASFIQ MAHMOOD SYED TASFIQ MAHMOOD
Global warming may result in ‘Climate Wars’ n Zeeshan Hasan One possible location for conflict identified by Dyer is South Asia. Due to global warming, the overall climate of the region is likely to become more dry and arid. This could spark increasing tension between India and Pakistan over the water in their shared rivers
“Climate Wars: The Fight For Survival As The World Heats Up” by Gwynne Dyer investigates the worst case scenarios of global warming, via studies done by and interviews of risk-assessment professionals at the Pentagon and defense-related think tanks. Unfortunately, it does not make for reassuring reading. As the world heats up, the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia, Africa, Central America and South America are likely to become hotter and more arid; this is likely to decrease agricultural productivity and food production in these densely populated regions. The outcome could be a new age of warfare. One possible location for conflict identified by Dyer is South Asia. Many of Pakistan’s rivers are reliant on sources in the Indian Himalayas. Due to global warming, the overall climate of the region is likely to become more dry and arid. This could spark increasing tension between India and Pakistan over the water in their shared rivers, possi-
bly ultimately resulting in warfare between these two nuclear-armed states. This analysis also holds true for India and Bangladesh; however, since Bangladesh is not a nuclear power, the prospect of meaningful warfare between these two countries is not seen as a realistic or large threat by Pentagon planners, and not discussed in Dyer’s book. As frightening as the possibility of an India-Pakistan war is the possibility of a Russia-China war. China is likely to become hotter and drier as global warming progresses. This is likely to affect water availability and agriculture, a major concern for a country of over a billion people. This may fuel expansionism on the part of China with the goal of controlling more land for food production. Any such expansionism might result in warfare with Russia, the dominant power among the ex-Soviet republics in the region. These concerns seem remote in today’s world, where the worst case scenario for a bad crop in any country is increased food imports. However, the worst case scenarios of global warming
inevitably involve a hotter, drier globe with less productive agriculture closer to the equator. In this scenario, it is not clear where the required shortfall in food will be produced, and whether there will be enough to go around. It seems that we may be living in an age of plenty which will be cut short by climate change. Life on a warmed globe means an age of scarcity, and increased risks of conflict. By far the best outcome for everyone would be if governments around the world prevented global warming by real measures to cut carbon dioxide emissions. This requires taxes on fossil fuel use, and reinvesting the tax proceeds in renewable energy such as solar and wind power. Unfortunately, the governments of the world are still dragging their feet rather than taking real action. Further delay could well doom us to a future of climate warfare. l Zeeshan Hasan holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and is author of the website www. goodbyebangladesh.blogspot.com
The importance of climate change knowledge n Casey Williams
Climate change is perhaps the most complex problem human beings have ever faced. It unfolds over long periods of time and large stretches of earth. It involves ecological processes that scientists do not fully grasp. It alters not just the earth’s climate, but also social and political systems. To understand it, we have to become detectives and clairvoyants. We have to learn how to study the past and predict the future. Despite its complexity, climate change is a problem that we must try to understand. Without a nuanced sense of how climate change works, we cannot take actions to limit, prepare for and adapt to its effects. In general, knowledge allows people to make more informed decisions about how to prepare for and respond to change. When we have a more complete picture of a problem, we are better able to determine which actions
are likely to solve that problem most effectively. Importantly, understanding a problem like climate change does not lead us to any predetermined solutions. Rather, improving our climate change knowledge allows us to make better decisions about how to respond to change in ways that will be good for us and our communities. Having a robust understanding of climate change allows us to identify root causes, predict changes that are likely to occur in the future, and come up with effective strategies for dealing with climate-related problems. Knowledge also enables the poor and vulnerable to communicate their needs and vulnerabilities to those with more decision-making power. Improving access to knowledge can, in this way, give people traditionally denied political power a voice in global conversations about climate change. But what do we mean when we talk about “knowledge”? Climate change in-
volves a huge number of different processes, and drawing a boundary around a certain body of knowledge inevitably excludes useful pieces of information. We believe, however, that people – especially people in positions of political or social authority – ought to understand the basic science behind climate change. Without this kind of elemental scientific knowledge, developing long-term solutions can be difficult. But climate change is more than carbon and coral bleaching. It involves complex interactions between natural and human systems, and understanding the human dimension of climate change is perhaps as important as understanding its environmental features. As climate change researchers, we have always believed that the knowledge we produce can help people to deal with the problems that climate change creates. We now want to know if that belief is justified. To that end, we are undertaking a study to examine the relationship
between how much someone knows about climate change and his or her ability to adapt. We hope that, at the end of the research, we will be able to rank individuals, communities, organizations and even nations on a “knowledge scale.” Doing so will allow us to identify gaps in knowledge and discover ways to help people and groups improve their understanding of the problems they face. We have already begun the research, and our preliminary paper will appear in “Nature Climate Change” in February. Climate change is a complicated issue. But it is something we have to wrap our heads around if we hope to deal with its effects in a way that preserves wellbeing, protects dignity, and ensures justice. l Casey Williams is a Visiting Researcher at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development and a graduate of Duke University.
This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.