Walking For Making Difference

The Stewards of This Earth

2011-04-02T14:54:00.000+06:00

Around the world, large areas of biodiversity conservation lands are owned by indigenous peoples and local communities. Besides ancestral ties, these people depend on these forests, fisheries and wildlife for their livelihoods and culture. They are deeply rooted in their environment. What affects the eco-system, affects the community.

Imagine the state of nature if we, like the indigenous communities, were as deeply rooted in it! What we don’t realise is that we do own a piece of this planet. We are the stewards of this Earth and must start holding ourselves accountable.

FORESTS

Just think of how forests have affected your life today: Have you eaten breakfast? Read a newspaper? Blown your nose into a tissue? All the above activities directly or indirectly involve forests. Some are easy to figure out – fruits, paper and wood from trees. Others are less obvious: by-products that go into medicine, detergent, etc.

Over the past 50 years, about half the world’s original forest cover has been lost. The most significant cause is man’s unsystematic use of its resources. Forests have been converted to make way for oil palm and soy plantations, roads and other infrastructure. Fires and illegal logging also contribute to the 12 to 15 million hectares of forests destroyed every year.

Ask yourself whether you really need to purchase that timber or paper product. And if you have to, ask whether it has recycled content or if it comes with an eco-certification such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which assures that it is sourced from well-managed forests.

Follow the Golden Rule: think before you print and use both sides of the paper. You’ll be surprised how much paper we all can save just by these simple actions.

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

For centuries, people looked to the oceans as an inexhaustible supply of food, a useful transport route, and a convenient dumping ground – simply too vast to be affected by anything we do. Until now . . .

Poorly managed fishing has resulted in 76 percent of the world’s fisheries being fully exploited or overfished. Each year billions of unwanted fish and other animals die from these inefficient, illegal, and destructive fishing practices. How can we save such a precious resource?

By consuming seafood in moderation and choosing only seafood that comes from sustainable fisheries. There are several seafood guides available that not only list the types of seafood harvested in a responsible way, but also those to avoid due to the declining populations in the wild. Your consumer-led choice could possibly encourage more fisheries to change their practices to make way for healthier oceans.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Today we are seeing the impact of climate change around the globe – melting glaciers, rising sea levels, stronger storms, higher floods, less snow north and more droughts south. The main cause of climate change is the unlimited burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas to satisfy our hunger for energy. We are releasing the carbon dioxide from the fossil fuels at an ever-increasing rate and in turn making the Earth warmer.

Thanks to human ingenuity, there are smarter ways of making energy from renewable sources such as the sun, wind and ocean waves. Where such renewable energy options are available in your country, use it! If you start, many more will follow. And as far as possible, cut out non-essential lighting and electricity usage. If you really have to, use energy-efficient lighting or electrical appliances.

Are these measures too little, too late? Perhaps. But we’ll never know until we try. For the past five decades, WWF has been collaborating with the indigenous peoples – the original stewards of the Earth – to protect their environments and homes.

And now, WWF is looking to build stronger partnerships with the next generation of stewards. As responsible sojourners during our time on Earth, we owe it to our children to give them a home worth inheriting. So won’t you join hands with us on this?

Help the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Victims

2011-04-02T14:44:00.001+06:00

On the Web

Google Crisis Response provides the latest news and resources regarding the Japan crisis. The page also provides a channel for donation to the Japanese Red Cross Society, Unicef, Save the Children and International Medical Corps. Donation is done through Google Checkout, which accepts Mastercard and Visa. The page integrates the Google Person Finder, for people who are searching for information or have information about the earthquake and tsunami victims.

United Nations Foundation is also accepting online donation through Mastercard, Visa and American Express.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies accepts online donations via Mastercard and Visa.

Also, the Philippine Red Cross is accepting online donation through Paydollar.

Information and updates on Japan’s situation can be found on the Embassy of Japan’s websites, which are listed geographically by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

On Facebook

The American Red Cross has set up a Facebook page where you can help by either making a donation using your credit card or raising money by viewing quick advertisements.

On Twitter
Here are some relevant hash tags from Twitter.com:
General earthquake information: #Jishin
Evacuation information: #Hinan
Confirmation of safety of individuals, places, etc.: #Anpi
Medical information for victims: #311care

SMS Donations

The Singapore Red Cross Society is accepting SMS donations to 75772. Each SMS will donate S$50 to the “Japan Disaster Fund”.

The Philippine Red Cross is also accepting SMS donations where donors may decide the amount they would like to contribute. Text REDAMOUNT to 28999 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart).

Cash and Cheque Donations

Singapore Red Cross Society
15 Penang Lane
Singapore 238486

Cash Donation
Walk-in donations can be made at the Singapore Red Cross Society during these hours:
Mondays to Fridays 9.30am-9pm,
Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 9.30am – 6pm.

Cheque Donation
Cheques are to be made payable to the “Singapore Red Cross Society”
At the back of the cheque, please indicate:
i) Name
ii) IC/Passport No.
iii) Address and Contact Number
iv) “Japan Disaster 2011”

Malaysian Red Crescent Society
National Headquarters
32, Jalan Nipah off Jalan Ampang
55000 Kuala Lumpur

Bank Deposit:
MRCS International Relief Fund via Maybank Account No – 5144 – 2210 – 2657

Cheque Donation:
Cheques are to be made payable to the “Malaysian Red Crescent Society”, with “Japan Earthquake and Tsunami” indicated at the back of the cheque.

Philippine Red Cross
Bonifacio Drive, Port Area,
PO Box 280, Manila 2803

Bank Deposit:
Donations may be made via bank deposit to the many accounts listed on Philippine Red Cross’ donation page.

Cheque Donation:
Cheques are to be made payable to The Philippine Red Cross.
Donation pick-ups can also be arranged with the organisation.

Wire Transfer

Donations can also be made electronically to the Japanese Red Cross Society directly:
The Japanese Red Cross Society
Name of Bank: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Name of Branch: Ginza
Account No.: 8047705 (Ordinary Account)
Swift Code: SMBC JP JT
Payee Name: The Japanese Red Cross Society
Payee Address: 1-1-3 Shiba-Daimon Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
*If you need a receipt, please make a remark on the payment slip.

Tsunami Slams Japan After 8.9 Earthquake

2011-03-11T23:52:00.000+06:00

The biggest earthquake on record to hit Japan rocked the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-meter tsunami that killed hundreds of people and swept away everything in its path, including houses, ships and cars.

The Red Cross in Geneva said the wall of water was higher than some Pacific islands and a tsunami warning was issued for almost the entire Pacific basin, although alerts were lifted for some countries, including Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.

Up to 300 bodies were found in the coastal city of Sendai, media said. NHK television said the victims appeared to have drowned. The extent of the destruction along a lengthy stretch of coastline suggested the death toll could rise significantly.

Some 3,000 residents living near a nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo, were told to evacuate but the government said no radiation was leaking. It said the evacuation was a precaution after a reactor cooling malfunction.

Other nuclear power plants and oil refineries were shut down after the 8.9 magnitude quake, while one refinery was ablaze. A major explosion hit a petrochemical complex in Miyagi prefecture after the quake, Kyodo said.

Political leaders pushed for an emergency budget to help fund relief efforts after Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked them to "save the country", Kyodo news agency reported.

Stunning TV footage showed a muddy wall of water carrying cars and wrecked homes at high speed across farmland near Sendai, home to one million people and which lies 300 km (180 miles) northeast of Tokyo. Ships had been flung onto a harbor wharf, where they lay helplessly on their side.

The quake, the most powerful since Japan started keeping records 140 years ago, sparked at least 80 fires in cities and towns along the coast, Kyodo news agency said.

A ship carrying 100 people had been swept away by the tsunami, Kyodo said. One train was unaccounted for.

In Tokyo, residents who had earlier fled swaying buildings jammed the streets trying to make their way home after much of the city's public transportation was shut down.

Electronics giant Sony Corp, one of the country's biggest exporters, shut six factories, as air force jets raced toward the northeast coast to determine the extent of the damage.

The Bank of Japan, which has been struggling to boost the anemic economy, said it would do its utmost to ensure financial market stability as the yen and Japanese shares fell.

"I was terrified and I'm still frightened," said Hidekatsu Hata, 36, manager of a Chinese noodle restaurant in Tokyo, where buildings shook violently. "I've never experienced such a big quake before."

The tsunami alerts revived memories of the giant waves which struck Asia in 2004. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued alerts for countries to the west and across the Pacific as far away as Colombia and Peru.

The earthquake was the fifth most powerful to hit the world in the past century.

There were several strong aftershocks. In Tokyo, there was widespread panic. An oil refinery near the city was on fire, with dozens of storage tanks under threat.

Around 4.4 million homes were without power in northern Japan, media said.

"People are flooding the streets. It's incredible. Everyone is trying to get home but I didn't see any taxis," said Koji Goto, a 43-year-old Tokyo resident.

NHK television showed flames and black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted. Thick smoke was also pouring out of an industrial area in Yokohama's Isogo area. TV showed residents of the city running out of shaking buildings, shielding their heads with their hands from falling masonry.

TV footage showed boats, cars and trucks tossed around like toys in the water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaichi in northern Japan. An overpass, location unknown, appeared to have collapsed and cars were turning around and speeding away.

"The building shook for what seemed a long time and many people in the newsroom grabbed their helmets and some got under their desks," Reuters correspondent Linda Sieg said in Tokyo. "It was probably the worst I have felt since I came to Japan more than 20 years ago."

The U.S. navy said its ships had been unaffected by the tsunami and were ready to provide disaster relief if needed. China offered to provide earthquake relief.

The quake struck just before the Tokyo stock market closed, pushing the Nikkei down to end at a five-week low. Nikkei futures trading in Osaka tumbled as much as 4.7 percent in reaction to the news.

The disaster also weighed on markets elsewhere.

The quake surpasses the Great Kanto quake of September 1, 1923, which had a magnitude of 7.9 and killed more than 140,000 people in the Tokyo area.

The 1995 Kobe quake caused $100 billion in damage and was the most expensive natural disaster in history. Economic damage from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was estimated at about $10 billion.

Passengers on a subway line in Tokyo screamed and grabbed other passengers' hands during the quake. The shaking was so bad it was hard to stand, said Reuters reporter Mariko Katsumura.

Hundreds of office workers and shoppers spilled into Hitotsugi street, a shopping street in Akasaka in downtown Tokyo.

Crowds gathered in front of televisions in a shop next to the drugstore for details. After the shaking from the first quake subsided, crowds watched and pointed to construction cranes on an office building up the street with voices saying, "They're still shaking!", "Are they going to fall?"

Japan's northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

500 year old tamarind tree at Surola village

2010-10-23T17:41:00.001+06:00

The country's oldest tamarind tree, 500 years of age, can be found at Surola village in Nachole upazila in Chapainawabganj, according to Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) officials. Every year hundreds of people from all over the country come to see the oldest tamarind tree. Locals say that an eco-park could be a good prospect in this area, but the authorities have not taken any steps in that regard.

The Barind is the largest part of the district of Chapainawabganj. Indigenous people called Shantals (pronounced 'Saotal') inhabit the area. These locals say that the tree is at least seven or eight hundred years old. However, after examining the tree and conducting carbon dating experiments, the tree has been declared to be five hundred years old. This proved that this is the oldest tamarind tree not only in Chapainawabganj but also in the country.
Two of the largest branches of the tree were destroyed by a storm about 40 years ago. But the tree lives even today. The indigenous people are proud of this ancient tree even though they were oppressed by the Zaminder in British era. According to the local people, there was a courtyard and a farm house at the Zaminder Kunja Mohon Mitra at Surola village. There was a Kali temple under this tamarind tree. Indigenous people from different places came to this temple to worship Kali. After the abolishment of the Zaminder system, the Kali temple along with this tamarind tree was leased.
Then the Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) in 1982 leased the property to two men of that area. In 1994, Bimal Kumar Kundu of Surola village lodged a case against that lease at the assistant judge court.
When the district administration and the DAE came to know the fact, they cancelled the lease and took steps to recover it. Former Deputy Commissioner of Chapainawabganj, Nurul Haque, took initiative to make an eco park around the tamarind tree. His plan included road construction, electrification and forestation. But nothing has been done except a signboard being hanged.

Khir Bala, the oldest woman of the village told that her mother also saw the tree in the same condition. Satish Chandra Pramanik of the village said, hundreds of cranes come here every Baishakh to lay eggs in the nests on the tree. When the small cranes become mature, the parent cranes fly away. This tree serves as a safe shelter for parrot and owls. Nobody of this locality hunts birds.
Kalpana Rani, a villager, lives near the tree, so she sweeps around the tree and rakes its leaves every day. To her, the tree and the birds are equivalent of her children. DAE officials said, this tamarind tree (tamarind indica) is an ancient monumental tree. This tree has social, biological, ecological and economical importance.

Biodiversity of Nijhum Island, Climate Change Impact On Nijhum Island's Biodiversity And Proposals To Mitigate The Problems

2010-05-10T00:48:00.001+06:00

Nijhum island is an offshore island in the Bay of Bengal, located in the extreme south of Hatia island separated by Hatia channel. It is a scenic treasure trove having 20 kms long sandy and grassy beach. Accredited on the estuarine Meghna river and the Bay of Bengal, Nijhum is a virgin island constituted of intertidal mudflats and sandflats. The island is dissected by small creeks or canals and its centre part is under cultivation and human habitation. It is a cluster of several small accreditation mainly Char Osman, Char Kamla, Char Muri and Ballar Char.

It came under human settlement during 1969 and the Forest Department began aforestation in 1972 with mangrove species. Now it has a large deep green forest with native and early succesional tree species. This island was declared as a National Park in 2001 and now is one of the attractive tourist spots for its rich faunal and floral diversity. This island could be the next prime tourist spot after St. Martin's island.

The most important type of tree planted in the island is Keora, also known as Kerfa, which has fast growing roots holding the sandy soil. Kakra, Gewa, Hargoza, Khalisha and Bain are the co-dominant species of this forest. There are several patches of Hogla (a robust herb) throughout the area. The main attraction in this successional mangrove forest is the herd of about 5000 spotted deer. The natural beauty has been enhanced by monkeys, wild boar, wild buffaloes, fishing cat, snakes, turtles, tortoises, Bengal monitor, black lizard, yellow monitor, oriental small-clawed otter, clawless otter and a huge number of migrated winter birds.

Tidal mudflats are very important habitats for water birds. Oysters of various nature and snails can be easily seen in this island. The water bodies are the ideal habitat for Hilsha fish, Zebra fish and Hamilton fish (Baila fish in local language). There is a large breeding colony of black-crowned night-heron, pond heron, grey heron, purple heron, cattle egret, little egret, lesser whistling-duck, bar-headed goose, cotton pygmy-goose, common shelduck, ruddy shelduck, tufted duck, water cock , and a wide variety of shorebirds, ring-billed gull, herring gull, noisy gull, sea terns, hawks, swallows, falcons, small cranes, local nightingales and king storks.

The environmental parameters with the direct influences on this island in terms of global climate change are sea-level rise, natural calamities like cyclones, rise in temperature and salinity. The species composition, natural regeneration, species richness, vertical and horizontal structure of this successional mangrove forest will undergo major changes under the predicted climate impacts. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has warned that within 60 years the mangrove forests will be inundated by the rising sea. The sea is rising more swiftly than the anticipation and may rise 11.2 inches by 2070. This would result in shrinkage of this island by 96% within half a century (WWF 2010).

A study has revealed that sea levels in the Bay of Bengal have risen much faster over the past decade. Recent satellite images show the New Moore Island or South Talpotti (the uninhabited territory south of the Hariabhanga river) has vanished due to sea rise. It is predicted that in the coming decade other islands in the Bay will follow South Talpotti beneath the waves (BBC, 24 March, 2010).

Sea level rise will cause a major threat to this successional mangrove ecosystem through sediment erosion, inundation stress and increased salinity landward. The predicted one-metre rise in sea level will destroy the whole ecosystem of this island. As sea level rises, the existing concentration of salinity and the distribution of freshwater in mangrove areas will be changed. The mangrove ecosystem will respond by changing in productivity, canopy closure, tree coverage and species diversity, or by migrating. Sea level rise will bring drastic changes in the livelihoods and socio-economic conditions of the inhabitants of these areas.

It is likely that their valuable arable land will be lost. Even a limited rise in sea level will seriously affect the people through loss of land; accelerated erosion along the coasts and in river mouths; increased salinity, changes in the physical characteristics of tidal rivers and increased vulnerability to flooding. Communities living in this island will be climatic refugees increasing pressure on the main land.

The frequency of occurring cyclones increased by 26% over past 120 years in the Bay of Bengal, which may be increased further with the intensifying of El Nino in the upcoming days. Aila caused a mass devastation on this island with two-three metres high surges sweeping over the whole area. A tidal surge of 15-20 feet inundated Nijhum Island during Sidr. These cyclones uproot, topple stems, break off trunks and defoliate the canopy. Sediments carried by storm surges are deposited on the forest floor as the surge recedes, cause plants mortality by interfering with root and soil gas exchange, leading to eventual death of the plants.

Storm surges weaken the potentiality of natural regeneration by reducing the viability of seeds, seedling germination and seedling recruitment. Invasive plant species likes lantana has the ability to rapidly colonize disturbed areas, and causes slower-growing of native plant species. The cyclone damages or alters structural diversity and spatial pattern of forests. The density of mortality (>5 cm diameter at breast height) ranges from 14-100% (depending on the intensity) and averages 47.7%. The reductions in total basal area range from 9-100%. Mortality increases by 9% during post-cyclone 7-18 months. Inter-specific differences in susceptibility to wind damage appear to be a primary factor contributing to spatial patterns in mortality (Sherman 2001).

With the increase of salinity the tree mortality rate will be accelerated as the production of new leaves, leaf longevity and the leaf area, net photosynthesis rate, stomata conductance and transpiration rate of leaves -- all will be reduced. The deer, often in groups will come to the nearly locality by swimming rivers and canals to quench their thirst with sweet water. Many of the deer will die of drowning or caught by crocodiles and the people, or even bitten by dogs.

The breeding habitat of fishes likes Hilsha and other crustacean will be destroyed with the intrusion of salinity. They lay their eggs and stay up to juvenile stage in the freshwater. The leaves, stems, and roots of mangrove vegetations provide a vital shelter for predators and nourishment for young fish, shrimps, and crabs. Without this environment, only a handful would survive. Mangrove trees, a crucial component, provide shelter and nutrients to their ecosystems. They provide habitats to young fish, shrimps, crabs and mollusks. Hundreds of migratory bird species nest in mangrove forests.

Animals inhabit mangrove forests. The mangrove trees provide not only support to countless food webs; they are also indirectly responsible for the survival of the most primary planktonic and epiphytic algal food chains, which in turn provide carbon for the mangrove tree. Salinity is one of the most important factors of mangrove forest growth and distribution. 20-35% salt concentration is congenial for mangrove ecosystems. A salt concentration of 40-80% diminishes the number of species and their size and only a few species can exist and grow in 90% concentration (Hong 1993).

The mangrove ecosystem of Nijhum Island is a sustainable resource that provides huge number of people with food, tannins, fuel wood, timber, medicines and other ethno-botanical values. Mangrove offers protection of property and life from storms and coastal erosion. Sea level rise induced by global warming could alter substantially the status of mangrove forests, with serious consequences for coastal protection and resource management of this island.

Adaptive management can be effective to overcome the problems raised from climate change. Adaptation is often a traumatic process triggered by disaster rather than a gradual process of adjustment (Karas and Kelly 1993). However, the pragmatism of the people of Bangladesh in adapting to difficulties in the past with limited resources should prove of great value in the identification of appropriate adaptive responses. The nexus of pragmatism, education and community participation can provide an excellent base for efforts. The following measures could be taken to mitigate these problems:

1. understanding the intrinsic links between climate change and impact;

2. strong commitment of sustainable development at all levels of society; pushing forward research on climate change and preventive measures;

3. controlling coastal ecosystems;

4. framing a climate programme directed towards improving understanding of the global warming problem, monitoring of climate change and climate impacts, and the identification of appropriate responses;

5. reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using hydropower and renewable sources to fulfil the demand of energy;

6. designing and establishing sea-level / climate modelling network;

7. restoring the nation's forests and protecting the biodiversity which will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but could provide an enhanced sink;

8. formulating a well-established strategy which will cope present-day climate-related disasters and the result of those disasters with the future impact of climate change;

9.afforestation and reforestation by salt tolerant species;

10. emphasising on the regional and wider international co-operation in scientific research;

11. assessing accurate and more comprehensive data on the sources of greenhouse gases;

12. establishing databases and information systems;

13. developing alternative livelihoods for the people who are dependent on mangrove forest;

14. examining different strategies to determine the extent to which their performance may be affected by climate change and sea level rise. Where possible, they must be "climate-proofed";

15. coastal vulnerability and risk assessment;

16. emphasising on the protection, restoration and sustainable use of biological resources;

17. integrated coastal and marine management;

18. protecting existing mangroves against encroachment and cutting;

19. facilitating natural regeneration and natural succession of native tree species;

20. encouraging communication and co-ordination within and between relevant departments and institutions;

21. raising funds for the conservation programme

22. and developing coastal infrastructure;

23. modifying the current organizational structures to facilitate reactions to climate change and sea level rise;

24. establishing mechanisms to promote carbon uptake; and

25. increasing social awareness and arm everyone with knowledge.

Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman

He is a Biodiversity Specialist

Surface Water Consevation and Mitigation of Water Crisis

2010-05-06T10:21:00.004+06:00

With most countries in Africa and Asia facing humanitarian crisis with the inadequate water and sanitation provision that has led to wide spread attack of cholera, diarrhea and other intestinal diseases resulting in high fatalities, the observance of World Water Day every year on March 22 has become a solemn farce.

Precisely speaking, water -- which scientists tell us finds its own level -- also happens to be the great leveller. It is fundamental to our very survival. But every summer Bangladesh in the past few years discovered that life with water shortages is increasingly becoming constrained. From being a necessity water has now become a luxury. With pipes running empty, residents especially in Dhaka and Chittagong are looking for alternative sources like tankers serviced by Wasa in extreme crisis situation.

As for the villages, the situation is far more pathetic. With shortages of water due to drying up of ponds and with no visible effort of digging fresh ponds during the last several decades other than what the affluent land lords in the villages did in their hey days, farmers year after year remain mired in their old practice of sinking tube wells deeper and deeper to reach the decreasing level of ground water.

Water, it seems is the single big crisis facing Bangladesh now exacerbated by the construction of Farakka barrage over the river Ganga in the Indian territory. Undeniably true, urban Bangladesh is screaming for water and with water table going down and down, the situation is set to deteriorate further. The demand for fresh water in Dhaka city comes to about 2100 million litre. Dhaka Wasa provides about 1800 million litre through 550 deep tube wells and four water treatment plants in different locations of the city.

Pathetically true, with no visible effort to conserve surface water, about 85 per cent of the supply requirement has to be met from underground. The first signs of population boom and water stress were most visible in the 1980s but most municipalities and city corporations focused on the immediate -- tapping ground water resources in and around the cities. Expectedly the pressure on ground water has shown up. In a word, water is being mined and pumps are being sunk 10 to 20 metres deeper every year. Desperate dwellers, not only in cities but even in villages are forced to buy water from vans ferrying it in water starved areas.

Worse, conservation has not figured in our scheme of things -- neither directly through steps like water harvesting nor indirectly through restoration of canals, lakes and water shades, that have been encroached upon by land grabbers.

It is difficult to think of Baridhara, Gulshan, Dhanmondi, Uttara, Badda, Rampura areas in Dhaka as being anything other than what it is today : a veritable jungle of residential apartment blocks teeming with schools, clinics, shopping malls and private universities. There were once lakes and canals within and running through the city zones like Segunbagicha, Purana Paltan, Narinda, Gandaria, Rampura and Bashabo.

To put a count to it, about 250 sq. km of watersheds around the city surrounded by the rivers Buriganga and Shitalakhya have either been encroached upon or dried up due to inadequate flow in the main water bodies. Other than anything that is not noticeable, the result has been a drastic depletion in the water table, evidenced by the fact that bore wells in the city have to go deeper and deeper.

The immediate task of the utility organizations like Wasa, Rajuk and Dhaka City Corporation would be to carry out efforts to boost water table in Dhaka city and its adjoining areas. But our experiences suggest that all these organizations, because of lack of coordination cannot do it and each one of them is trying to pass the buck on the other. There should be an autonomous body for the protection, conservation, restoration, regeneration and integrated development of the lakes, watersheds, and rivers like the Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Turag and Balu and many other lost canals.

To cite an example, in the Indian city of Bangalore, such an authority constituted under the department of Environment, has been working to halt encroachment on water bodies by land grabbers. Bangalore woke up to the loss of its wetlands and got down to restoring the city's 600 odd lakes.

Our immediate task would be to identify such water bodies as well as to recover those already filled up illegally for recharging by draining out the poisonous soup and blocking the sewage lines connecting them. Such authorities should be invested with fund, responsibility and authority to clean up all such lakes in Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Uttara and Dhanmondi.

Needless to mention, Dhaka Wasa has to find out ways and means to lay sewage pipes and link it to treatment plants that it must construct to save the city dwellers from the growing load of pollution and sewage that will increase at least five times the present output by the year 2020 when the population will jump to 300 million as some demographic data by the World Bank sources suggest.

And that's the reason the World Bank experts have warned that unless measures are taken well ahead Dhaka will turn into a dead city by the year 2020.

Known to be the barometer of the ecological health of a city, water bodies also determine its climate. As experts explain, they help control humidity and temperature levels, recharge aquifers and also act as instruments of rainwater harvesting. With a little initiative, commitment and imagination these lakes could be formed into a hydrological chain and during monsoon, surplus water from the upstream lake could be flowed into the next lake. Sadly true, rapid urbanization has led to the loss of wetlands. The biggest problem has been encroachment on and disposal of untreated sewage into the lakes anywhere and everywhere. Studies have revealed that these lakes and water bodies have become full fledged sinks for domestic sewages, effluents from industries and agricultural run off of silt and pesticides that are wrecking havoc on the ecosystem.

The process of cleaning and recharging may undoubtedly be a long drawn one. But with political will and commitment it can be done. It is worth mentioning here that under Indian government's national Lake Conservation Project, the LDA (Lake Development Authority) has cleaned up in just one year 12 odd lakes. One of Bangalore's biggest lakes - - the 50 hectare Ulsoor -- has been drained out and sewage lines have been blocked. With funds from the donor agencies other than the government itself, Bangalore water supply and sewerage board undertook the construction of pipes leading to the treatment plants. Catch water drains have been built to collect water run off. That done, the process of purifying water by using hydrophyllic plants that absorb dissolved pollutants and toxins to be undertaken.

Programmes like the ones that our neighbouring countries have taken up, the government here should now be considering to undertake with the modalities of raising external and internal funds on the lines of the World Bank aided project for integrated countrywide tank development for irrigation. Such development work can fruitfully be done when government effort combines with private initiatives. In city, with indifference, negligence and inaction galore, for instance, Uttara lake, a vast water body almost 3km in length and 300m wide, is destined to turn into a giant sewer. Raw sewage combined with toxins, effluents and garbage are being discharged into the lake indiscriminately without anybody thinking of noticing the dire consequences that pose as a serious threat to the residents, especially the children living in houses close to the lake. All such lakes, other than being an aesthetic and ecological utility, could be a source of Wasa supply water source in times of severe water crisis in city areas.

Paradoxically, on the occasion of the observance of the World Water Day, people in the country felt vastly amused when they heard some high-ups in the administration speaking glibly in seminars and rallies about conserving the surface water to reduce too much strain on ground water that is getting exhausted fast. Precisely known to all, surface water helps aquifers being recharged. But the looming question is: where are these sources to be found if we are wilfully destroying and contaminating them ?

Writer

Md. Asadullah Khan

Department of Physics

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10 Tips to Survive in Earthquake

2010-05-03T17:17:00.002+06:00

1) Almost everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when buildings collapse are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the foetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the foetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the doorjamb falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building).The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the earthquake does not collapse the stairs, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

8) Get near the 'Outer Walls of Buildings' or 'Outside of Them' if possible. It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids three feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

Spread the word and save someone's life.

The Contributor is an UNICEF Representative, Abidjan.

South Talpatti; A Dispute resolved By Global Warming

2010-04-28T11:12:00.002+06:00

Nature truly has her very own way of settling things. Reminiscing the age-old saying, tide, along with time, waits for no one, the recent submerge of a tiny isle minutely located in the coastal, shallow Bay of Bengal is an ideal example of nature's supremacy over mankind's often irresolute diplomacy. For more than three decades, neighbouring states Bangladesh and India have disputed over the sovereignty over this small island, which as of 24th March of this year has been confirmed to have completely disappeared beneath the mighty waves of the Bay of Bengal chiefly due to the constant rise in sea level and coastal erosion. Referred to as South Talpatti Island by Bangladesh and New Moore by India, the uninhabited 3.5 Kilometers (2.2 miles) long and 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide offshore island is thought to have emerged as an aftermath of the Bhola Cyclone in 1970, which claimed 251,000 lives. It must be mentioned here that, South Talapatti Island is just one of the dozens of Islands around the world that are slowly but surely sinking as a consequence of climate change. In fact South Talapatti or New Moore Island is the 4th island in the Sundarbans to go underwater, preceded by Lohachara, Kabasgadi and Suparibhanga. The disappearance of this island has been confirmed by satellite imagery, sea patrols and skilled observations of seasoned fishermen. According to Professor Sugata Hazra of the School of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University, Calcutta, “There's no trace of the island any more”. So, is it a bad thing that an island is probably gone forever from the charted face of the earth? Let's quote Prof. Hazra on this, “What these two countries could not achieve from years of talking has been resolved by global warming”.

So, what is known about South Talpatti Island, about how she came to be the centre of territorial dispute between two sovereign states and why she disappeared the way she did?

Once located in the Sudarbans mangrove delta, immediately south of the international border river, the Hariabhanga which flows between Satkhira district of Bangladesh and South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India, the birth of South Talpatti Island was first noticed by an American satellite in 1974. The geographical location of the petite patch of land, which was never more than 2 meters (about 6 feet) above the sea level, is reported to be at Latitude 21 degrees 36.0 North and Longitude 89 degrees 09.10 East. A land believed to be U-shaped in formation was never known to have any permanent settlements. However, both Bangladesh and India have claimed the island as forming a part of their territory. First it has to be understood that according to the “mid-channel flow” principle or the “Thalweg Doctrine”, the middle line of the mid-channel flow of the Hariabhanga River established the original boundary between the two neighboring states. And from technical point of view the ownership of the island crucially depends on which side of the island the main channel of the river flows, an aspect that was never truly agreed upon by the two states.

In 1979, the sovereignty of the island first became a key issue in the maritime boundary talks between Bangladesh and India. And Bangladesh claimed autonomy over South Talpatti on two specific grounds which include (a) the island was a natural prolongation of the Bangladesh's territory and (b) the flow of the border river Hariabhanga was to the west of the island. Both satellite photographs and the flow of the suspended sediments entering into Bay of Bengal confirmed the latter argument. But India on the other hand disputed Bangladesh's position and claimed that the flow of the border river lay to the east of the island, not west as declared by Bangladesh. Here it is important to note that the flow of another river, Raimangal, falls on the estuary like that of the border river. And countering India's claim, Bangladesh further argued that India confused the flow of the Raimangal River with that of the Hariabhanga River, which is in fact the actual border river. The bottom line of the argument was if the river flows on the western side, the South Talpatti belongs to Bangladesh and if it flows on the eastern side, New Moore belongs to India. Sadly, none managed to resolve the dispute in a fruitful manner and the issue remained direly inconclusive. Tensions escalated on April 9th, 1980, when the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi announced that the island belongs to India which was followed by the arrival of the Indian armed ship “INS Sandhayak” on May 9th of the same year when the soldiers from the Indian Navy planted the Indian National Flag on the disputed Island; however, no permanent settlement was established. On May 16th, 1981, Bangladesh urged India to withdraw her Navy Ship and personnel and remove the Indian Flag from the Island. After initial declaration India finally withdrew from the island and the two countries agreed on the fact that the disputed territory would remain “no man's land” until it was settled properly and peacefully. No light of the day was actually seen to resolve the matter properly and peacefully until nature finally intervened and as luck would have it, the ultimate affect of climate change finally obliterated the source of this ailing territorial dispute.

Experts elucidate that even though the submergence of South Talpatti may have eased the tension for the time being, it remains a terrible example of the danger posed by the rising sea levels instigated by global warming. The temperatures in the region had been rising at an annual rate of 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and before the year 2000, sea levels in most parts of the world went up by approximately 3 millimeters a year. Between 2000 and 2010, the sea level has risen at about 5 milliliters per year. It has been reported that in the Bengal Basin region and Sundarban Island Chain, where the island was situated, sea level has been rising by about 3.14 centimeters a year. As the sea level is rising in accordance to the increasing temperatures, many fear that similar incidents are likely to occur in the near future. It must be noted here that in 1996, a larger island, Lohachara, was submerged forcing 4,000 of her inhabitants to flee and move to the mainland. And according to the experts, at least 10 other islands in the area are at risk. A recent report issued by the World Wide Fund for Nature said that the Sundarban ecosystem, made up of mangrove forests and home to the Royal Bengal Tigers could be lost due to the rising tides within the next 60 years.

Bangladesh, with a gigantic population of around 160 million, is one of those extremely vulnerable countries, which are direly affected by the climate change. Scientists have estimated that if the sea levels rise even by 1 meter, then around 20% of her coastal area could become submerged, displacing 20 million people by the year 2050. Let the recent incident of South Talpatti Island be a lesson for the people and authorities, to resolve any territorial disputes in the most judicious and timely manner. Because, next time nature might just not be this kind again!

Obaidur Rahman

Reversal Thinking About DDT Ban

2010-04-26T00:42:00.002+06:00

Six years after the insect killer DDT was globally outlawed on grounds of environmental damage, two researchers say there are new reasons for doubting the chemical is harmful and are urging its use against malaria.

In a book which was launched recently, Donald Roberts, professor of tropical medicine at the U.S. military's Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and Richard Tren, head of lobby group Africa Fighting Malaria, argue that DDT is the only effective weapon against the deadly mosquito-borne parasite.

Environmental group Greenpeace defended the United Nations' aim of eventually eliminating DDT use worldwide and said evidence that it harms wildlife and human health was sound, even if not conclusive.

DDT's unprecedented power to kill insects won its inventor a Nobel prize in the 1940s and it was considered a wonder chemical until evidence emerged of its toxicity to wildlife and people, leading Western nations to ban it in the 1970s.

A treaty to forbid its use worldwide along with a dozen other industrial chemicals came into effect in 2004, but some countries like South Africa and Ethiopia still take advantage of tightly limited exemptions allowing indoor spraying.

Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloromethylmethane (DDT) has been blamed for birth defects in humans and threatening endangered birds such as the bald eagle by thinning their egg shells.

"There are an almost endless list of claims that DDT causes one kind of harm or another but ... with each claim, the evidence that the DDT is the cause is simply not there," Roberts told.

Controversy Between Development & Environmental Sustainability

2010-04-21T09:48:00.003+06:00

AT the UN Millennium Summit held in September 2000, world leaders came together to establish the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight objectives, each with their respective targets, to be achieved by the year 2015. These were: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; obtaining universal basic education; promotion of gender equality and autonomy of woman; reduction of child mortality; improvement of maternal health; fighting AIDS/HIV, malaria and other illnesses; guaranteeing environmental sustainability and establishing a global alliance for development.

The fall of the Berlin Wall, twenty years ago, had already marked the start of a new era of globalization that is gradually shifting global economic power from west to east. But this process has also accelerated the tension between growth and sustainability.

In our country, an urgency to meet the basic needs of the population such as achieving food security, access to electricity, access to water and sanitation, health, education etc. is there but environmental issues are often relegated to second place. Environmental sustainability is often presented as an obstacle to development -- as restricting, for example, the development of certain productive activities requiring the use of more expensive technologies and imposing limits on the exploitation of resources. These arguments are also likned to suppose limitations imposed by rich countries in order to perpetuate their domination over countries that seek to develop themselves.

This dichotomy is of course not worthy, as it is simply imprudent to isolate environmental and social issues from development. It is impossible to guarantee the right to healthy life if the air and water are polluted; it is impossible to guarantee food security if the productive lands are degraded or eroded due to unsustainable practices or the use of agro-toxic chemicals; there is no long term productive project if there is not a rational use of the resources available.

A long term perspective is essential if we hope to make real and lasting progress in addressing the challenge of climate change, urbanization and demographic boost.

Science and technology are crucial tools in tackling many problems, including today's climate challenges. Science helps us to understand where the real problems lie and provides industry with a stream of innovations required to solve them. But the transmission of ideas into solutions is sometimes inadequate and requires support, especially political will. Again, if we convert the challenge into market opportunities, we will create a scientifically dynamic as well as environmentally friendly industrial world. For this some suggestions are contemplated below:

1. Provide clear support for difficult but necessary long term initiatives to tackle climate change challenges.

2. Work with the public sector to ensure sufficient financing of potentiality viable technology.

3. Work more closely with researchers or research organizations to improve the connection between invention and innovation.

4. Be transparent about the risks and benefits of technologies.

5. Remain analytical and open about the consequences and risks of new technologies

6. Make sure performance incentives encourage researchers to spend time in communicating with the public.

7. Focus on the gaps in utilizing existing technologies effectively such as smart grids, solar energy and others.

8. Preserve a room for basic curiosity driven research

9. Improve incentives for young researchers to intensify their exchange with industry

10. Provide a clear, ambitious and long term policy framework for targets and regulations.

11. Play leading role on behalf on Most Vulnerable Countries (MVCs) in reducing the global carbon footprint.

12. Find new ways to co-finance demonstration projects designed to commercialize potentially important technologies

13. Engage mass people with the attractive side of shifting to environment friendly and low carbon economy activities.

14. Ensure that basic research receives adequate funding so that it can come up with breakthrough innovations.

15. Go on with the existing National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) for continuous adaptation and mitigation activities.

We have to think globally, to act nationally. Environment friendly policy and regulations that take into consideration population growth, natural hazards, agriculture, water, and land issues, forestry, fishery, environmental awareness and education as well as climate change issues, technological choices and advances in an integrated approach are the need of the hour to successfully pursue sustainable development bracing the climate change impacts.

Writer

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman

Botanist & Researcher

EIU Ranking Shows Dhaka as the Second Worst City in the World

2010-04-12T12:08:00.003+06:00

Harare, capital of Zimbabwe is rated as the worst city of the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) of the renowned weekly magazine “The Economist” published from London. The rating also revealed the finest city of the world. Vancouver of Canada is the best city of the world according to their evaluation. Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh has been rated as the second worst city of the world. The rating was published few weeks back. We actually do not know the exact variables they used for this study. But whatever variable they used, anybody with commonsense, can easily guess the possible ones.

The variables, if we want to mention, we can serialize them as : population, cleanliness, traffic congestion, load shedding, scarcity of water, gas and electricity, lack of open space(playground and parks), destruction of water bodies and river by encroachment by land grabbers, crimes on the roads and in the markets, lack of safety measures in the industries, dilapidated transports, lack of efficient and comfortable public transport system, gross violation of traffic rules both by the members of the public and drivers and so on and so forth.

Another related bad news for us is that Association of French and Bangladeshi scholars and trainees (FBAST) and the French Embassy in Dhaka revealed in a seminar on 21 November 2009 that Dhaka is currently the world's third most polluted city in terms of total suspended particulates (TSP) in the air. Old motor vehicles, brick kilns, construction activities and industrial exhaust have been identified as the main offenders, generating poisonous pollutants like lead and other heavy metals, carbon monoxide, hydro carbons, oxide of nitrogen and sulfur, dust, soot, ozone and other photochemical oxidants. However, dioxin and furans, two of the most toxic emissions identified internationally as having long term health consequences, have reportedly not yet been monitored in Bangladesh.

Based on these studies and research done in and outside the country and reports and articles published in different vernacular dailies, different authorities came up to take sporadic initiatives to address these problems. For example, we can mention the initiatives taken by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police in solving the traffic congestion in Dhaka without any results. Dhaka City Corporation takes steps for cleaning the city and finishes without any good result. But little was achieved earlier with the phasing out of the two-stroke 'baby taxis', the banning of old, unfit motor vehicles, efforts at improving the quality for fuel, instructions to regulate and maintain motor engines for efficient combustion, and the like. All have totally been defeated by the current chaos in the road transport sector, a vivid picture of which has been depicted in the Daily Star of 24 March 2010.

After publication of the news of rating by EIU and by other agencies, we hoped that the government will take appropriate measures (both short and long term) to improve the existing unbearable condition of Dhaka city. The present situation is not only increasing sufferings of the inhabitants but also the image of the city as well as the image of the country have also been shattered to the foreigners particularly to the foreign investors. Even our Bangladeshi expatriates do not like to come to Dhaka very often to see their kith and keens because of the unhealthy environment and excessive traffic congestion in the capital city.

Many opinions in the forms of editorials, articles, and letters to the editor have been published on the issue. One of the latest articles “Dhaka must not be a loser” by Dr Saadat Husain, a veteran bureaucrat, writer, researcher, trainer and currently chairman of the Public Service Commission, who thinks a lot regarding different issues of public interest despite his heavy schedule, was published in the Daily Star of 23 March 2010. My present small endeavor is in response to his thoughtful article.

He has identified all the problems that are making Dhaka city worse and unlivable. He categorically said that because of our weak organisational sets up and management inefficiency the departments concerned are not in a position to perform their duties and thus the situation does not improve. Dr. Saadat's write up mainly focused on the serialization of the problems, non-performing management and his heart-felt lamentation for his beloved city of Dhaka where he has been living for more than fifty years. I fully endorse his views and express same attitude towards ignominious ranking and unlivable situation in his beloved city.

I first came to Dhaka in 1967, while I was a high school student. I stayed in a hotel at Sadarghat and took bath in Buriganga river; still I remember the crystal clear water of not so narrowed river. We have destroyed the river with our own hands. We have also destroyed other rivers around Dhaka city, which, among others, are the significant reasons for the low ranking of Dhaka. To save Burigangha, it needs gigantic projects costing millions of Taka to clean the river bed, increase its natural flow and to demolish the illegal structures built by encroachers. The discharge of chemical waste from the river side industries and solid waste littered by individuals and organizations have destroyed the Buriganga.

To prevent littering, erecting illegal structures and discharge of chemical wastes by the unscrupulous industrialists is a matter of law enforcement and awareness building, not a matter of spending money from the government exchequer. Besides Buriganga, one more thing which I still remember is that while we were passing through Nawabpur Road (one of the busiest business centers of Dhaka now) in the morning, I found the road wet. Out of curiosity I asked my older brother who accompanied me at that time, the reason. He, a permanent resident of Dhaka, told that for removing dust for the welbeing of the city dwellers, water was sprinkled every morning on the important roads of the city. Excessive dust is one of the major causes of downgrading the rank of Dhaka now. News of air cleaning project of the World Bank is a great for the Dhaka city dwellers.

Dr. Saadat enumerated over population of Dhaka as number one problem today. Uncontrolled, untrained, less educated, law breaking people (some times educated people also break civic and traffic rules) have destroyed the city. But at the same time it is true that in a poor country like Bangladesh, where unemployment rate is 35%, poverty rate is above 60% and most of the economic activities are capital centered, it is very much likely to have influx into the capital city on daily basis. So devolution is the only remedy. Without government policy for increasing economic activities throughout the country devolution is not possible.

Dhaka city roads cannot bear the pressure of private cars. Establishing garments industry which employs huge manpower, running private universities, schools and hospitals, inter city bus station, important government and corporate offices outside Dhaka and strengthening the divisional and district towns by industrialisation are among few steps, which need government nod with a view to reducing pressure of over population as well as traffic in the capital city.

We have lot of problems. But no situation is totally beyond resolution, as Dr Saadat observed in his article. He further said, “It is impossible to make Dhaka an exquisitely beautiful and livable city in a short span of time. It is, however, possible to improve the situation, in a long term frame work through a determined effort by people who matter and the citizens who live in the city. A battle is lost not because of an unexpected setback in the field but because of the lack of willingness to fight back. We must not lose heart…"

I fully agree with Dr. Saadat and would like to add that without the honest cooperation of all the stakeholders, it is impossible to keep Dhaka livable by reducing pollution to a reasonable level. Bangladesh's entrepreneurs ought to be sensitised to install built-in-anti-pollution devices in their enterprises so that industrial exhaust is kept at the minimum. Besides, people friendly transport services, including sturdy, least polluting vehicles should be brought in. Dilapidated vehicles, which have been retrieved from the condemned heap, should immediately be phased out from the city roads. Digging city roads by different agencies and left for long without proper repair, rampant uncontrolled construction work by home builders and developers causing damage to the nearby roads, drainage, houses and environment should also be taken proper care of.

Awareness about the very real hazards of uncleanliness and air pollution must be addressed as a development priority. This is possible if government and opposition both join hands. If that miracle could be realized all who are potential air polluters could be made to abide by the air quality regulations. Stakeholders from all sectors -- energy, industry, transport, construction and environment -- must collaborate and cooperate sincerely to evolve dynamic partnerships among the government, the private sector and the general public to arrest air pollution, and improve the quality of Dhaka city in particular and the quality of life of the people in general.

We must upgrade the ranking of Dhaka city for our image, and for our survival.

Writer
M. A. Matin
Head of Dept. of Information Science & Library Management
Asian University of Bangladesh

Successful Strategy Taken By Singapore Transport Authority to Cut Carbon Emission

2010-04-10T10:51:00.007+06:00

Couple of months ago I got the opportunity of participating in a training programme in Singapore. The main focus of the programme was on climate change and sustainable energy. One of the topics was the transport system in Singapore and how it was helping to reduce the traffic congestion as well as Green House Gas(GHG) emissions there.

Singapore is an island country having no natural resources. Total land area is only 710 sq. km. accommodating a population of about 5.0 million. Total road network covers 3,300 km, Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) 119 km and Light Rail Transit (LRT) 29 km. Passengers daily travelling by MRT and LRT number 1.8 million, by bus 3.0 million and by taxi 0.9 million. According to 2004 statistics, public transport is 63? and private 37?.

The motor vehicle emission in Singapore has increased over the years with greater urbanization and a rising standard of living. It is estimated that motor vehicles have been a major source of air pollution in Singapore, emitting pollutants such as SO2, lead, and Particulate Matter (PM) into the ambient environment.

In Singapore motor vehicle is administered by Land Transport Authority (LTA), a statutory body of the Ministry of Transport. The three key strategies of LTA are to manage road traffic, make public transport a choice mode, and meet diverse needs. To accomplish the strategies of LTA it adopted different measures in different times. One of the measures adopted is congestion charging. It is first introduced in 1973 under the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS). This was implemented as part of an overall package of road pricing measures and public transportation improvement based on public feedback. Motorists entering a restricted zone area such as Central District Zone or Orchard Road had to purchase and display licence on the car windshield or on the handle bars of motorcycle during peak hours. Overhead gantries were set up along the boundaries of this restricted zone for auxiliary police officers to carry out visual checks.

In such way ALS also helped to reduce air pollution in the restricted zones. The World Health Organization (WHO) worked with the Singapore Anti-Pollution Unit (APU) to monitor carbon monoxide levels in the restricted zones before and after implementation of the ALS found that carbon monoxide levels had been reduced by 60 percent.

After ten years of planning and testing, the ALS was replaced by the current Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system in September 1998. Charges are automatically deducted from a pre-paid card as a vehicle crossed the gantry. This levy can be varied according to the congestion levels on each road and at different times of the day. LTA reviews the traffic conditions on the expressways and roads where the ERP system is in operation on a quarterly basis. After the review, the ERP rates would be adjusted where necessary to minimize congestion on the road. ERP has been effective in maintaining an optional speed range of 45 km/h (higher prices) to 65 km/h (lower prices) for expressways, and 20 km/h (higher prices) to 30 km/h (lower prices) for city and other roads. After introducing the ERP it reduced the unnecessary movement of vehicles on the ERP designated roads and at the same time reduced the number of slow drive cars.

In maintaining best possible traffic flow, the LTA has also implemented the Vehicle Quota System since 1 May 1990 to control manage the growth of vehicle population. The number of new vehicles allowed (that is, the quota) is pre-determined every year, taking into account the prevailing traffic condition and the number of vehicles taken off the roads permanently. The quota for a given year is administered through the monthly release of Certificates of Entitlement (COE). An aspiring vehicle owner would need to bid for and acquire a COE before he can buy a vehicle. This system has capped the growth rate of the vehicle population at 3 percent per annum, compared with an average of 6.8 percent prior to its implementation.

Public transport was also improved to encourage commuters to use public instead of private transport. With limited road space available, the heavy traffic during the morning and evening peak hours led to longer waiting and travel times for passengers on public buses, especially as public buses needed to make stops to pick up and drop passengers.

In order to meet the transport needs of commuters better and to offer an attractive alternative to cars, bus lanes were instituted to give scheduled public buses a dedicated right of way during the morning and evening peak hours. Full-day bus lanes have also been instituted on selected roads in the central business area to further improve the commuting times for bus passengers.

The Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) system routes were also progressively extended to improve its accessibility. The MRT system, which has reduced reliance on cars and buses, efficiently transports large number of commuters to various parts of the island each day.

Enhancement of non-motorized transport facility also helped to reduce the congestion. Started with hanging safety signs for the cycling routes in 2008, in 2009 the authorities introduced better bicycle parking facilities at MRT and bus stations, foldable bicycles were allowed on board trains and buses during off-peak hours.

In Singapore, transport planning is very closely integrated with land use planning. The planning and development of a high density and compacted city, as well as the strategy of providing jobs close to homes and community amenities in each residential town, has reduced the need for commuting, thereby reducing vehicular emissions, especially during peak hours. It's lesser congestion lesser pollution almost everywhere, providing the city dwellers an opportunity to enjoy a better environment.

Writer
Md. Billal Hossain
Department of Environment

Improvement of Crop Quality to Tackle Global Warming

2010-03-24T12:06:00.003+06:00

Global warming has significant impact on conditions affecting plans, including temperature, carbon dioxide, precipitation and the interaction of these elements. Climate change induced by increasing emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide is likely to affect crops differently from region to region. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that due to decreased water availability because of global worming, the poorest countries will be hardest hit with reduction in crop yields in most tropical and sub-tropical regions.

High temperature affects the duration of crop growth cycles. It speeds up development. The shortening of such a cycle might have an adverse effect on growth and productivity as the biological age would occur sooner. High temperature stress disturbs cellular homeostasis and is responsible for severe retardation in growth and development of plant. Physiological, biochemical and molecular changes occur in plant metabolism during high temperature stress. These include protein denaturation, lipid liquefaction or perturbation of membrane integrity. Many of the changes that appear during acclimation to heat stress are reversible, but for prolonged stress period or for immense intensity of the stress, irreversible changes can occur and these can lead to death of crop plant.

Improvement of plant properties with enhanced tolerance to high temperature is one of the important ways to minimize this problem. Like high temperature, other abiotic stresses are also major obstacles to plant growth and productivity. Due to high temperature, drought, low temperature, high salinity and heavy metals in soil, every year billions of dollars are lost due to crop failure. The transcription control of stress-inducible genes is crucial in plant responses to abiotic stress. It has been identified that several kinds of transcription factors and signal transduction pathway component genes respond to environmental stresses in plants. Assembling of combination of these stress-inducible transcription factors and signal transduction pathway component genes in crop plants can reduce crop loss.

Combining of these genes is difficult by traditional plant breeding methods because there is limitation to cross plants artificially within the same species or with closely related species to bring different genes together. Transgenic technology enables plant scientists to bring useful genes together in one plant from a wide range of living sources, not just from within the species or closely related plants. The mechanism involved in this system is, identification and isolation of genes controlling specific characteristics in one kind of organism and moving copies of those genes into another different organism which will then also have those characteristics. This powerful tool enables us to combine useful genes which expand the possibilities beyond the limitations imposed by cross pollination and selection.

Bioassay is another useful method that helps quantitative estimation of the effects that result in a biological system after its exposure to a substance. This is done by comparing the activity of living organisms under standardized conditions versus the conditions under investigation. For quantitative measurement of the effects of high temperature, drought, cold, high salinity etc., bioassay method can be implicated on transgenic and non-transgenic plants.

Microarray analysis is a convenient technology for the global analysis of plant gene expression. It allows simultaneous measurement of the transcript abundance for hundreds of genes. It is a valuable tool for the characterization and identification of individual genes and gene families involved in controlling various biological processes ranging from development to response to environmental cues. In transgenic plants microarray technique identifies up-regulated and down-regulated genes. Through the analysis of these up-regulated and down-regulated genes we can assume the reasons for the phenotypic behaviour of transgenic plants to different abiotic stresses.

Searching high temperature stress inducible genes in plants--those can be a family of wild or weedy forms of a cultivated species--and transferring them in cultivated species is one of the most efficient strategy for improvement of crop species in tolerance to high temperature. It has been proved that transgenic plants over-expressing high temperature stress-inducible genes are more thermo-tolerant than non-transgenic plants. The plant scientists have important role in overcoming stress problems using molecular techniques. To feed the increasing population of Bangladesh and to protect people against poverty and hunger, plant scientists should come forward with molecular research to protect crop against different abiotic stresses.

Dr. Naheed zeba

Associate professor, Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University.

Drinking Water and Sanitation Problem In Dhaka

2010-03-22T12:36:00.001+06:00

While complaining about the gas and power crisis, most seem to overlook the diminishing supply of water against the increasing population in both urban and rural areas of Bangladesh.

In the urban areas, even in the past few weeks, there has been headlines on stinking water being provided by the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) while Rajshahi being under dire straits with the problem.

Dhaka receives most of its water supply from the rivers Buriganga and Shitalakkhya, which are already polluted with industrial waste from tanneries and factories on the shores of the rivers, sewerage waste from neighbouring residential areas and to some extent the waste from launches and vessels that ply these rivers. This is leading to an increase in the occurrences of water-borne diseases.

The rural areas are not lagging far behind. Although it was perceived even a few years back that water from tube-well was safe, the perception was shattered with the findings of arsenic in groundwater.

Under such circumstances, finding feasible alternatives to the existing supply water and sanitation situation has become extremely necessary. While the government authorities and non-government organizations (NGOs) have been struggling with the issue for quite a while, the valiant attempt to get a grip on the situation by United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction Programme (UPPR) and Coca-Cola Far East Limited is rather commendable.

In a bid to improve community access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and raise awareness on water conservation and hygiene practices they jointly launched a project on March 9 at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

The project is to be run initially in 30 schools of Dhaka and Comilla, which are located within the UPPR programme area. The programme is being executed by the Government of Bangladesh, technically supported by UNDP and UN-HABITAT.

The Safe drinking water and sanitation project, an equal joint partnership between Coca-Cola Far East Ltd, UN-HABITAT, and communities themselves together with a local implementing partner, would be executed over a period of two years.

Costing around US $ 300,000, the project will receive a major share of its funds from Coca-Cola Far East Ltd and UN-HABITAT. Local schools are expected to contribute towards the operation and maintenance of the project, which is expected to impact 6,000 families.

The two main components of the project include demonstration of rainwater harvesting and other techniques to store and conserve water in Dhaka and Comilla with Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) systems established in 20 schools and provision of safe drinking water and sanitation in 30 schools of these two divisions.

The remaining components include improved water management and sanitation in selected urban slums of Comilla and awareness programmes on water use, water conservation, sanitation and hygiene behaviour.

At the signing ceremony, Andre Dzikus, Chief, Water, Sanitation and Infrastructure Branch, UN-HABITAT said, “access to clean water and sanitation can affect human development and these basic needs are fundamental to improving the living conditions of the urban poor.”

“We aim to improve the overall standard of living in communities and we are delighted to enter into this partnership,” said Sandeep Gupta, Vice President, South West Asia for Coca-Cola on the day.

Earlier in 2008, Coca-Cola Far East Ltd in partnership with Plan Bangladesh commissioned the innovative 'Rain Water Harvesting and Drinking Water Project' in Bangladesh. The project included installation of Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) systems and water filters in five primary schools in Mirpur and Borguna Sadar areas to ensure provision of safe drinking water to the students of these schools.

With over 110,000 children dying due to water borne diseases every year in Bangladesh, the initiative also aimed to provide access to safe drinking water and raise awareness about it amongst the school children and their families. The project also promoted Rain Water Harvesting as sustainable alternative source of water supply in Dhaka.

The RWH systems now commissioned have an overall recharge capacity of 32, 50,000 liters of rain water per annum.

This entire 'Rain Water Harvesting and Drinking Water Project' was commissioned at a total cost of USD 20,000. The unique initiative now benefits over 1000 children and families by providing potable drinking water throughout the year. In addition, the excess water harvested during the rainy season can also be utilized for secondary purposes like washing and sanitation.

Innovative and useful projects like these can actually go a long way in improving life of the urban and rural communities. Corporate houses and multinational companies from different industries can also delve into the numerous environmental crises being faced by Bangladesh and come up with similar projects that can help solve these problems as a part of their corporate social responsibility.

Syed Tashfin Chowdhury

Implementation of Green Energy In Bangladesh

2010-03-21T18:46:00.003+06:00

THE discovery and control of various forms of energy is one of the greatest achievements of man as energy is a strategic input necessary for socio-economic development. We want energy supply at the flick of a switch to turn on a light, fan or any utility device. In fact our way of life now depends upon instant access to energy. The demand for energy is increasing day by day.

Worldwide, 80% of all energy used by humans comes from fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas). Massive exploitation is leading to exhaustion of theses resources within a few decades and we all know that this growing demand is having a detrimental effect on the environment. A lot of discussions have already been made about the present energy crisis as well as the environmental impact of increased energy use leading to 'climate change'. Therefore scientists all over the world are trying to tap the sources of energy that are inexhaustible, cheap, absolutely pollution free or green and specially suited to isolated places where extension of grid system is expensive and sometimes impossible.

After the OPEC oil embargo in 1973, interest in alternative fuels, mainly renewable energy sources, has increased rapidly. At present, environmental impact is the major driving factor influencing the growth of renewable or green energy generation. As a part of the Kyoto Protocol, both the EU and UK are supposed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 12.5 % of 1990 levels by 2010. Now the question is, how is this going to be achieved?

One of the important initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions includes replacement of fossil fuel base with renewable energy sources. Therefore, governments of most of the countries are trying to actively support renewable energy based embedded generation (EG) system. A recent study conducted by Ofgem (the office of gas and electricity markets) shows that in UK the capacity of the renewable Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) could reach as much as 8 GW by 2015. Similarly, Danish Government has been continuously encouraging onshore and offshore wind farms. In the summer of 2002, Elsam constructed the world's largest offshore wind farm Horns Rev (total output 160 MW; Vestas V80 - 2MW Wind Turbines) at the Danish west coast. They have planned for wind turbines with a total capacity of 4000 MW in Danish waters before 2030. Similarly, other renewable energy sources i.e. hydro, solar, biomass, tidal, wave etc are also well supported by the governments.

Now let us see our own energy situation. At present total installed capacity of Bangladesh is around 5000 MW and peak hour generation remains around 3600 MW. But the demand for electricity is always much above our generation. As a result we are suffering from a huge load shedding which is considered as the main obstruction to our development. Again, our electricity generation is mostly natural gas based which has made this sector very much insecured -- 95% of our electricity comes from conventional thermal power plants (85% natural gas, 4.0% coal 5.1% furnace oil and 0.9% diesel) and the remaining 5% from hydroelectric projects. The reserves of these fossil fuels will get exhausted within few decades. This condition will get worse if we could not find alternatives.

Time has come for us to be more serious about renewable energy sources as we are the biggest victim of climate change. We, however, have come to know that the government will go for installation of a 100-200 MW offshore wind-based independent power plant (IPP) in the Bay of Bengal. No doubt, it is a highly appreciable attempt but not enough. We need more and more solar, onshore/offshore wind, biomass, micro hydro based embedded generation. To do so we must have a very good renewable energy policy and plan as we have limited resources.

The term Embedded Generation (EG) or Distributed Generation (DG) is used to reflect the idea that the generation is embedded in the distribution network, while 'Distribution Network' is defined as that to which customers are connected directly and which has a typical voltage rage from 230/400 V to 145 kV. Main attributes of EG include -- generation is not centrally planned and despatched, it is normally smaller than 100 MW and connected to the distribution network. Connection to the network is one of the biggest challenge for the growth of the renewable energy based DG. Modern power systems were designed to deal with unidirectional power flows from the higher to the lower voltage levels (large central generation to transmission network to distribution network to consumers). However, with significant levels of embedded generation (say, renewable energy generators) distribution network is no longer a passive circuit supplying loads as the power flows may become reversed.

Therefore, approaches have been changed in many countries in order to ensure that the embedded generation does not reduce the quality of supply offered to the customers. Again if the potential benefits of using green energy are to be realized, the development of renewable energy must be escorted by a phased decommissioning of large centralized fossil fuel plant without hampering the security of supply to customers. Therefore, in order to accommodate significant level of DGs distribution networks need to become active with real time controllers.

Another challenge for the growth of DG is insufficient financial incentives. Per kW installation cost could be several times of the conventional power generation. As we have no other choice than to support our renewable energy sector, we have to develop a fund. In the recent Copenhagen Summit Bangladesh delegation demanded allocation from any climate change adaptation fund, which must be ensured. In parallel we have to develop our own climate change fund. We can gather experience from examples. In 1990 UK government set up Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) to force electricity suppliers to purchase a minimum amount of energy from renewable at a premium price. They also introduced Climate Change Levy in 2001 at the rate of 0.43p/kWh on business. Levy funds were to be used to support renewable. Again in 2002 UK government launched 'Renewable Obligation', requiring electricity suppliers in England and Wales to source some of their electricity from renewable. This obligation on DNOs (Distribution Network Operators) has created a whole new market in 'ROCS' (Renewable Obligation Certificates) sector.

Again, before developing any renewable energy based DG project, there must be good environmental audits to ensure minimum negative impact on the environment. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a rigorous, lengthy and comprehensive process requiring experts in the fields of ecology, landscape, noise, aviation, archaeology, transportation and construction. We have to ensure that the renewable energy project will not create any ecological problem. Finally we want that the government must develop a very good renewable energy policy to overcome the entire technical, economical and environmental barrier towards the growth of green energy sector.

Global Warming Changinhg Natural Event

2010-03-20T14:46:00.001+06:00

Scientists have established the first casual link between climate change and the timing of a natural event, which is namely the emergence of the common brown butterfly.

Although there have been strong correlations between global warming and changes in the timing of events such as animal migration and flowering, it has been hard to show a cause-and-effect link.

According to a report in New Scientist, this is what Michael Kearney and Natalie Briscoe of the University of Melbourne, Australia, have now done.

The researchers compared temperature changes in Melbourne - where the butterfly is common - with recorded observations of the first brown butterfly to be seen in the spring since the 1940s.

With each decade, the butterflies emerged 1.6 days earlier and Melbourne heated by 0.14 degree Celsius.

"Overall, the butterfly now emerges on average 10.4 days before it did in the 1940s," said Kearney.

"And we know the rise in air temperature links to butterfly emergence in a cause-and-effect pattern," he added.

The pair are confident in the cause-and-effect relationship for two reasons.

First, they placed eggs of the butterfly, Heteronympha merope, in chambers where temperature could be controlled and found that each larval stage has a different response to warmer-than-normal conditions.

Impact of climate change on Saint Martin's Island

2010-03-15T20:07:00.004+06:00

Watch some photos on Saint Martin Island And Chera Dip

Global climate change poses a high risk to the biodiversity of coral reefs of St. Martin's. The major threats to the coral reefs are high levels of sedimentation, cyclones, storm surges and beach erosion. Global warming is a matter of major concern for coral reefs of this island as elsewhere.

St. Martin is a tiny island in the Bay of Bengal approximately 9 km south of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. It is the the southernmost part of Bangladesh and is locally known as Narikel Jinjira (Coconut Island). St. Martin's Island is a stock of extraterrestrial, marine and land resources. Depending on tidal level the surface area is about 8 kilometres and the beach length is about 14 kilometres. This is the most attractive tourist spot of Bangladesh.

The biodiversity of St. Martin's island is characterised by mangrove forests, seaweeds, corals, turtles, crabs, fish, seabirds, coconut trees and Pandanus vegetation. The island is a unique example of co-occurrence of different ecosystems. Mangroves are home to corals, crabs, sea weeds and sea birds, and provide excellent nurseries for marine fishes. It also protects the inhabitants from the storm surges, cyclones and tidal waves, and prevents the island from erosion.

Screw pine (Pandanus) is one of the iconic tree species of this island. It grows on exposed mainland and along beaches, and has thick 'prop roots' to anchor itself in the loose sand. The island is a congenial habitat of a diverse coral community represented by approximately 66 Scleractinian coral species, of which 19 are fossil corals, 36 are living corals and 11 are soft corals (Tomascik 1997). About 14% area of this island is visited by 03 species of marine nesting turtles including Olive Ridly. All of them are considered as globally endangered by IUCN.

This is also a suitable habitat for different species of multi- colour ornamental fishes. During the year 1997, 240 fish species were recorded from the catch landed on this island and 86 of them are coral associated (Tomascik 1997). The abundant coral associated fishes are Damsel, Parrot, Surgeon, Groupers, Snappers, Emperors and Butterfly fish (Haider 2008). 186 species of mollusc and oyster, 7 species of crab, 9 species of echinoderms, 4 species of sea urchin, 1 specie of sea cucumber, some brittle stars, 5 species of marine mammals, a number of colourful nudibranch and bryozoans, 14 species of algae, 29 reptilian species and 120 species of birds (out of them 53 species are migratory) were recorded at the St. Martin's Island.

Impact on biodiversity
Coconut trees: Reproductive development of coconut tree is highly sensitive to high temperature and water stress. The fruit set is adversely affected, mainly due to a reduction in pollen viability. The nut development is affected mainly resulting in small number of nuts, empty nuts or elongated nuts.

Mangrove forests: Sea level rise will cause a major threat to mangrove ecosystems through sediment erosion, inundation stress and increased salinity at landward zones. These problems will be exacerbated for mangrove stands of this island due to 'coastal squeeze' (landward migration is restricted by smaller size and human settlements). High rainfall and silts being washed down can also affect mangrove growth weakening its resilience.

Screw pine (Pandanus): Increasing salinity will cause high mortality of Pandanus trees. The removal of Pandanus trees will enhance beach and dune erosion.

Seaweed: Ozone layer depletion will allow a greater amount of ultraviolet rays that can be harmful for seaweeds. UV rays decrease photosynthesis and productivity of seaweeds and directly affect bio-molecules.

Sea-algae: 40% algae population may die due to climate change by the end of this century (Muller 2009).

Coral: Global climate change poses a high risk to the biodiversity of coral reefs of St. Martin's. The major threats to the coral reefs are high levels of sedimentation, cyclones, storm surges and beach erosion. Global warming is a matter of major concern for coral reefs of this island as elsewhere. The most noticeable damage caused by high sea temperature is coral bleaching. Coral bleaching turns into colourless ugly coral. Coral reefs have already suffered major mortalities as a result of high-temperature events. It is also dependent on a species of algae that lives symbiotically in its body and produces additional food by photosynthesis. When the sea temperature rises above 28°C, the coral expels the algae and consequently it starves.

Turtle: Sea-level rise causes erosion of turtle nesting beaches. Higher sand temperature leads to changes in sex ratios or prevent eggs from hatching. Coral reefs are essential feeding habitats of turtles. Coral bleaching destroys the feeding sources of turtles. Huge rainfall can raise ground water tables, thereby flooding nests of turtles.

Mollusc: Sea acidification will decline the abundance of mollusc.

Crabs and shrimps: Due to sea level rise, the breeding place of crabs and shrimps will be destroyed.

Sea fish: Fishes will lose their habitats with coral bleaching and mangrove destruction.

Seabirds: High sea temperature will affect seabird foraging success, growth patterns and reproductive potentiality. Coral bleaching increases surface temperature, which decreases breeding and populations of seabirds.

How to mitigate

# To strengthen monitoring of biological resources and impact of climate change for appropriate biodiversity management

# To develop alternative livelihoods for the people who are dependent on coral resources

# To establish an appropriate conservation strategy

# To emphasise the conservation programme of coral ecosystem and protection of migratory birds

# To keep the turtle's habitat undisturbed

# To involve NGOs in the conservation programme

# To establish an information system of biodiversity of this island

# To strengthen research work on the impact of climate change

# To emphasise ex-situ conservation of endangered species

# To measure the adverse effects of natural calamities, global warming and sea level rise

# To create public awareness by using different media

# To raise funds for conservation programme

# To implement ecosystem approach and community based conservation programme by involving local people

# To maintain and restore mangroves for reducing erosion

# To establish mechanisms to promote carbon uptake

Writer
Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman
A biodiversity Specialist

Watch some photos on Saint Martin Island And Chera Dip

Climate change and sea-level rise in the Pacific islands

2010-03-13T16:25:00.001+06:00

The west pacific islands [such as the Territory of Guam, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and American Samoa (Fig. 1), and other neighbouring islands are among the world's most vulnerable communities to climate variability and change, especially sea level rise, as many parts of these islands are regularly affected by erosion and inundation. The small size, lower elevations and extensive coastal areas of the islands, their remoteness and limited financial resources, and in some cases, poor economic and social decisions contribute to great ecosystem and human vulnerability to disasters.

The climate literature provides abundant evidence that the tropical climate variability is heavily influenced by the phase of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate cycle. Based on the pervasive tropical Pacific zonal wind anomalies accompanying ENSO fluctuations, recent studies at the Pacific ENSO Applications Climate Center (PEAC) have described the degree of sensitivity of sea-level anomalies in the tropical Pacific island communities to the phase of the ENSO cycle, with below normal sea level during El Niño events and above normal sea level during La Niña events.

During the 2006-08 El Niño and La Niña events, many Pacific Islands continuously experienced high sea-level for a period of 18 months. From July to December 2006, weak-to-moderate El Niño conditions influenced the ocean and atmosphere; then, after a brief transition through ENSO-neutral conditions, weak-to-moderate La Niña conditions developed and persisted from February 2007 through May 2008. In order to determine the relative intensity of each of the El Niño and La Niña events, the authors employ the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI). According to these two indices, the 2006-07 El Niño is considered to have been a weak to moderate event and the 2007-08 La Niña event is considered to have been moderately strong. Likewise, the 1997-98 and 1986-87 El Niño events are classified as strong and moderate, and 1998-99 and 1988-89 La Niña events are classified as moderately strong. When the rise in sea level during the two other moderately strong La Niña events (1998-99 and 1988-89) is compared to the rise of sea-level in the 2007-08 event, the latter was found to be considerably higher. As a result, most of the tide stations in these islands recorded elevated sea levels from July 2006 to June 2008, which from a historical perspective is quite significant, since no other El Niño event on record has resulted in an observed sea level rise in these islands.

One immediate answer to this question appears to be in the tide gauge records, showing a rising trend in sea-levels at all stations, to varying degrees, over the past 15 to 20 years. This evidence supports the many anecdotal assertions that global extreme high-water levels have increased within recent decades. According to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), global average sea-level rose at an average rate of 1.8 [1.3 to 2.3] mm per year over the period from 1961 to 2003. The rate was even faster from 1993 to 2003, with an average of about 3.1 [2.4 to 3.8] mm per year. Other scientific publications projected sea level rise in this century. This 3.1 mm per year rising trend is in approximate agreement with the rise observed in some of these locations, particularly within the Federated States of Micronesia. In fact, the rate of rise at Federated States of Micronesia is higher than that projected by IPCC over the globe in general. The tide gauge measurements elsewhere around the globe do indeed show qualitatively similar trends over the last 2 to 3 decades.

The sea-level rise in these small islands for 1997 to 2007 maintains a close correspondence with the faster rate of predicted average global sea-level rise. However, it is unclear whether the rise is a reflection of recent decadal variability or an actual increase in the rate of the longer-term trend. While more research is necessary to test hypothesis of the latter cause, our immediate observations do confirm that the sea-levels have recorded a rise at most of these North Pacific stations over the last approximately 20 years.

Despite some uncertainties in sea-level behavior, findings from these islands are significant in that they demonstrate that the rate of sea level rise in parts of the tropical Pacific basin is higher than the general global projections made by IPCC. It is an important regional example demonstrating the importance and societal ramifications of sea-level rise. Moreover, it supports the observations of sea-level rise worldwide, generating greater confidence that the rate of observed sea-level rise has increased from the 19th to the start of the 21st century.

Dr. Rashed Chowdhury

Research Scientist of the Pacific ENSO Applications Climate Center and a graduate Faculty of the University of Hawaii

Biodiversity of The Sundarban Is In Risk Due To Climate Change Impact

2010-03-12T20:18:00.004+06:00

Climate change resulting in sea level rise would cause severe environmental impact on the living resources including people and biodiversity in the affected areas. There are so many coast line associated islets and islands in the Bay of Bengal in the southern part of Bangladesh, e.g. Shandip of Chittagong, Shahpari and St. Martin of Teknaf, Kutubdia, Moheshkhali and Sonadia of Cox's Bazar and islets like Nijhumdip, Char Kukrimukri, Char Dale, Char Fashon, etc of Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola districts. Lakhs of poor and homeless people live in these areas. Sea level rising 0.5-1m there will be catastrophic for these affected areas and people. They might need immediate shifting to nearby high lands.

Sundarbans, the biggest mangrove forest in the world consisting 6200km² of forest and riverine areas lies there. It has been listed as World Heritage Site and is the most important ecosystem and protective natural barrier against the calamities like tidal surge, cyclone etc. This gift of nature would simply be submerged by the rising sea.

Impact assessment
Biodiversity: There are 375 species of birds, 55 species of mammals and 83 species of reptiles and amphibians in the Sundarbans. Besides, more than 150 species of fish, 50 species of shrimp and other invertebrates also live there. It is the largest habitat of the most endangered Royal Bengal tiger, salt water crocodile, the leatherback sea turtle, python, king cobra and spotted deer. Besides, wild boar, rhesus monkey, dolphins, snake bird/darter, stork and ibis, sea eagle, vulture, finfeet, skua, forest eagle owl, swamp partridge, bustard quail, trogon, pigmy woodpecker, brown wing kingfisher, racket tailed drongo, ground thrush, forest wagtail, streaked spider hunter, nuthatch, scarlet minivet, ring lizard, sea snakes, green frog and other threatened species live in the Sundarbans.

Flora:
There are shon grasslands at a number of places like Hiron Point, Kochkhal, Jamtoli of Katka, Rash Mela of Alorkol in Dublar and Kalar chars. Besides, mangrove vegetation of the Sundarbans would be seriously affected by sea level rise. The pnematophores (roots of mangrove plants) regularly go under water twice daily during high tide for 1-3 hours. In the inter-tidal period trees in mangrove and coastal mud flat areas use to respire by specially growing roots called pneumatophores. Each tree has thousands of such pnumatophores growing up about 10 cm to 1m high in the air and spreading 2-5m around the base. These air roots are smaller in golpata, hantal, goran, etc. and longer in sundri, gewa, amur, keora, etc. If the sea level rises from 0.5 to 1m the pneumatophores will remain under water permanently and trees will die due to problem of respiration and sand deposition.

Fauna:
Mammal: All herbivore animals will face shortage of food. Deer, hare, porcupine, arboreal monkey, rat and mice, etc. are purely herbivorous, seedivorous and fruigivorous. They have no other alternative but to die due to lack of selective food items e.g. grasses, leaves, seed, fruit, roots, etc. They do not move to highland areas either.

Deer will be the worst sufferer due to food shortage and habitat loss. During high tide deer usually move to high lands in the forests. Otherwise, remain standing in the water until the tidal water is receded. There will be no dry land left in the forest after sea level rise.

Wild boars can tolerate water more than deer and they swim but without food their fate will be the same as deer. Monkey is semi arboreal and may continue to survive longer than deer and boar. But when trees will start dying due to inundation their fate will also be the same due to lack of food and shelter.

Carnivores like tigers, fishing cats, cevets, otters, etc. will face the similar problem: loss of habitat due to inundation and shortage of food due to lack of herbivores in the forest.

Tigers are the world's most endangered species and survive only in a few places including the Sundarbans of Bangladesh in very small number. Tiger is a good swimmer and may move from one place to another but the prevailing condition will not be favourable. Tigers of the Sundarbans usually move to higher places during high tide, but whither that when sea level rises?

Birds: Resident and migratory terrestrial birds of the Sundarbans and coastal areas will create excess pressure and ecological problems on the existing fauna and flora where they will fly. Aquatic birds like herons, gulls, terns, owls, nightgers, wagtails, pratincles snipes, sandpipers, finfoot, culew, whimbrels, spoonbils, wild ducks will also loss their habitats along the coastal belt. Hole nesting birds like woodpeckers, kingfishers, swallows have better chance to survive for more time. They use to feed on the insects from wood and fish from water and flying insects from air, respectively, and all will breed in the tree holes. But changed climate will also affect their food chain.

Land birds like pheasants, red jungle fowl, quail, swamp partridge,tunki, rails, larks, field pipits, pittas, ground thrushes, babblers leave the forest because of lack of feeding, resting and breeding provision due to inundation of grass land, forest clearing etc.

Reptiles: Particularly the salt water crocodiles and five species of marine turtles, e.g. olive ridely, green hawksbill and loggerhead are endangered species.

Crocodiles become more dominant because of expansion of habitat in the forests for preying on fishes and animals as food. But in absence of these food species how will crocodile survive?

Leatherback is the largest sea turtle of the world and are critically endangered. The leatherback turtles including other sea turtles lay eggs on the sandy beeches along the coastal zone mainly St. Martin's Island, Sonadia, Kutubdia, Moheshkhali, Cox's Bazar, Inani, Shapari dip of Teknaf and the Sundarbans every year from September-October to March-April. Thousands of sea turtles come to shallow water areas of the Bay where the males mate with females and the females lay eggs on the beaches nearby. They will certainly lose their breeding ground due to inundation by sea level rise. There will be no exiting beech for egg laying along the coast.

Large number of red crabs and other marine crabs and terrestrial insects will disappear from the coastal areas and the Sundarbans due to loss of habitat and food.

Recommendation
We need survey and monitoring of the coastal areas particularly the Sundarbans to ascertain by the GIS (Geographical Information System) the probable sites of inundation due to sea level rise.

Elevated areas may be developed above the expected sea water level to provide food and shelter and other environmental requirements to animals living in the sea level rise prone areas particularly in the Sundarbans.

A national committee/task force should be formed immediately with relevant national specialists, experts, researchers, who will prepare plan and programme of works on priority basis.

Government, NGOs, international organisations should come forward to provide support to conduct the ecosystem assessment survey to prepare plan and programmes for the subsequent situation.

World Heritage Site and other international conservation organisations could come forward with supports for conservation of tigers, their prey species, habitats, other animals, as well as the environment on a permanent basis.

Dr.Md Sohrab Uddin Sarkar
University of Dhaka

Ship breaking activities and its impact on the coastal zone of Chittagong, Bangladesh

2010-01-02T22:51:00.004+06:00

Pollutants discharged from shipbreaking and its impac
Though shipbreaking has earned a good reputation for being a profitable industry in developing countries there are a number of environmental and human health hazards. Depending on their size and function, scrapped ships have an unladened weight of between 5,000 and 40,000 tons (the average being 13000+), 95% of which is steel, coated with between 10 and 100 tons of paint containing lead, cadmium, organotins, arsenic, zinc and chromium. Ships also contain a wide range of other hazardous wastes, sealants containing PCBs, up to 7.5 tones of various types of asbestos and; several thousands liters of oil (engine oil, bilge oil, hydraulic and lubricants oils and grease). Tankers additionally hold up to 1,000 cubic meters of residual oil. Most of these materials have been defined as hazardous waste under the Basel Convention. In Bangladesh, ships containing these materials are being cut up by hand, on open beaches, with no consideration given to safe and environmentally friendly waste management practices.

Ships are not properly cleaned before beaching. Generally, an eyewash test is carried out to certify that a ship is free from dangerous chemical and fumes.

Ship breaking activities is a threat to both the terrestrial and marine environment as well as to public health. It is like a mini version of a city that discharges every kind of pollutants a metropolis can generate like liquid, metal, gaseous and solid pollutants.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP's)
POPs are chemicals that are highly toxic, remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, bioaccumulate through the food web, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to the human population, wildlife and the environment. There has been a realization that these pollutants, upon exposure of human population, can cause serious health effects ranging from increased incidence of cancers to disruption of hormonal system. Shipbreaking activities are a source of lethal POPs.

Asbestos
Asbestos was used in old ships as a heat insulator. As there are no asbestos disposal procedures, during scrapping, workers and the surrounding environment are exposed to the asbestos fibers. Exposure to asbestos fibers (even in very low concentrations) especially through inhalation may cause cancer and asbestosis. On the shipbreaking beaches, asbestos fibers and flocks fly around in the open air. Workers take out asbestos insulation materials with their bare hands.

It has also proven to be one of the most lethal, as inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to a wide range of pulmonary problems such as asthma and asbestosis - and can also be the direct cause of mesothelioma.

Heavy metal

Heavy metals are found in many parts of ships such as in paints, coatings, anodes and electrical equipment. These are taken apart with no protective measures in place and reused. Exposure can result in lung cancer, cancer of the skin, intestine, kidney, liver or bladder. It can also cause damage to blood vessels.

Oil pollution

As a result of breaking the ships, oil residues and the other refuses are being spilled, mixed with the sea water and left floating along the entire seashore. Oil may cause serious damage in different ways, such as a reduction of light intensity beneath the water surface which inhibits photosynthesis. Oil films on water reduce the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide across the air-sea interface which is harmful to aquatic life. It also causes damage to the bird population by coating their feathers with oil which causes buoyancy and insulation losses. Sometimes spilling may cause wide spread mortality amongst the population of fish, mammals, worms, crabs, mollusks and other water organisms.

Impact of shipbreaking on physiochemical properties of seawater

Ship scrapping activities pollute the seawater environment in the coastal area of Fauzdarhat to Kumira of Chittagong, Bangladesh. As a result, toxic concentration of ammonia, marine organisms found in seawater had an increase in PH levels. Extensive human and mechanical activities accelerate the rate and amount of seashore erosion and results in higher turbidity of seawater. Critical concentration of DO and higher BOD were found with an abundance of floatable materials (grease balls and oil films) in the seawater.

Impact of shipbreaking on inter-tidal sediments and soil

In shipbreaking areas various refuse and disposable materials are discharged and spilled from scrapped ships and often get mixed with the sand. The scraps from the ships are staked haphazardly on the sea shore, leaving behind an accumulation of metal fragments and rust (particularly iron) in the soil. These together with extensive human and mechanical activities often go on as matter of routine work resulting in the beach soil losing its binding properties and this accelerates the amount of shore erosion and increase the turbidity of sea water and sediments in the area.

Impact of shipbreaking on biodiversity

Shipbreaking activities contaminate the coastal soil and sea water environment mainly through the discharge of ammonia, burned oil spillage, floatable grease balls, metal rust (iron) and various other disposable refuse materials together with high turbidity of sea water. The high PH of the seawater and soil observed may be due to the addition of ammonia, oils and lubricants. High turbidity of water can cause a decrease in the concentration of DO and substantially increase the BOD. Furthermore, oil spilling may cause serious damage by reduction of light intensity, inhibiting the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide across the air-sea water interface, and by acute toxicity. As a result the growth and abundance of marine organisms especially plankton and fishes may seriously be affected. Indiscriminate expansion of ship breaking activities poses a real threat to the coastal inter-tidal zone and its habitat.

Biking

2009-12-25T21:21:00.000+07:00

In the USA it is hard to find an 8 year old, a male or a female, who does not know how to bike. Though biking is not much used as a means of primary transportation, many people take their bikes out in the summer for recreational touring. In Holland bikes are used as a means of primary transportation by a large number of people. People use bikes to go to schools, to work, do shopping and visit friends all the time. Streets are designed as bike friendly and there are special rental and parking facilities for bikes in the city areas. In Bangladesh where most people either walk or ride rickshaws, biking could have been made popular if it could be made available to common people at an affordable price. Parents need to buy bikes for their children and encourage them to learn biking. Industries need to come up with full size, as well as, children's bikes, at lower costs to make this happen. The government may come forward with incentives to the industrialists who show interests in such venture to help at the early stages, until they become self supporting or profitable.

If biking can be made popular in this country of 140 million people, it will not only develop healthy generations, it will save time for millions and help speed up the economy as well as save foreign exchange.

Enamul Huq

Community-led Adaptation Is Much Needed

2009-12-23T19:26:00.002+07:00

BANGLADESH is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change impacts. The major impacts of climate change are, the high frequency of natural disasters (cyclones, floods and tidal surge), sea-level rise and salinity increases in soil and water, which have direct and indirect impacts on reducing the agricultural land or their productivity and biodiversity. This means, climate change has direct impact on the livelihoods as well as food security of the inhabitants of the low lying areas in the country.

Currently, almost 40 million people live in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. With the population of riverine areas included, the affected population would be half of the country's total. Loss of coastal land to the sea in this vulnerable zone is currently predicted to reach up to 3% by the 2030s, 6% in the 2050s and 13% by 2080. This is likely to generate a steady flow of displaced people. Besides, increase in salinity in soil and water already has significant impact on the livelihoods of the coastal people and consequently has resulted in a number of other more insidious problems in the area.

Natural, undisturbed coastlines can help to protect Bangladesh against the impacts of climate change because they act like a buffer, protecting inland areas against climate change impacts such as accelerated erosion, flooding, and damage from storm surge events. Coasts are dynamic and resilient systems, yet human induced changes reduce their natural adaptability and make them more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Some of the identified options to manage risks from climate change and adaptation to it are: large scale afforestation, multipurpose coastal and river embankments, planned disaster resilient shelters and community housing. These not only protect people from the impact of cyclone, tidal surge and flood but also provide options for alternative livelihoods.

In addition, investment into natural and local resource based livelihood patterns/options considering different agro-ecological zones, including developing the Sundarbans and Kuakata as tourism spots, developing diverse agricultural production (fruits, crops, livestock products, fish and forestry), preservation and processing industries will support their resilience. These options can enhance the livelihood means of the people while providing structural support to those living in the areas. In line with the present government vision of “Digital Bangladesh”, developing and strengthening transport and communication network will also increase the livelihood options in the climate change impact areas.

Much discussion in TV talk shows, national and regional workshops are taking place in the capital city of Dhaka as well as other cities to combat the climate change impacts. However, what is critical now is to move away from producing “paper and reports” towards investing human, material and financial resources on the issues at the places likely to come under climate change impact. Hence, climate change adaptation strategies, action plans urgently need to be fine-tuned and applied here.

Climate change has already impacted and will affect all areas of development work. This puts population, (particularly in coastal and riverine areas, at huge risk of becoming displaced. Hence comprehensive risk reduction plans (structural and non-structural disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation policies), preparedness plans and, accordingly, actions should get importance in the public planning and resource allocation processes. Comprehensive disaster management approaches hence need to be integrated into all existing programmes, projects and activities and also into future programmes.

Analyzing or assessing the community risks, and developing the risk reduction strategies/options are the priority tasks. Accordingly public service sectors should make their plans, programmes, projects, where both public and private resources need to be allocated to the communities at risk so that the end users (climate change affected people and communities) may secure their means of livelihood assets. Hence, bottom up planning to reduce the risk of people and accordingly public resource allocation can enhance their access to resources. Increased attention and funding to support disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation initiatives would thus enable the communities to cope with the shocks and stresses and to sustain their livelihoods and remain on their land.

Writer

salimmi2001@yahoo.co.uk

DS, Aug 29, 2009

What can Bangladesh do to combat climate change?

2009-12-23T19:18:00.006+07:00

we need to realize that even if we diligently implement all the protocols and embrace all the best practices available to control emission of greenhouse gases, the results on the earth's temperature will not be significant for at least two or three more decades. I might also add that in spite of the agreements reached at the recently concluded G-8 meeting in Italy, and the actions taken by the USA prior to that, a reduction of global warming by 1 or 2 degrees will remain an elusive goal.

Two major obstacles
What is the reason for such pessimistic views about the prospects of CCC? Very briefly, my cautious approach emanates from the two major dilemmas (“tensions”) we are facing. The first relates to the divergent interests of the developed and developing countries. The developed countries are pushing for a time-bound reduction in carbon emissions that is applicable to all countries. The developing countries, including two of the largest polluters India and China, on the other hand, are not too eager to take on a larger burden to curtail carbon emissions. And, I do not fault them since they have a strong case: it is universally acknowledged that the developing countries were not responsible for the existing level of carbon in the earth's environment. In per capita terms, these two countries are not even in the list of top 10 emitters of Greenhouse Gas (GHG). The seriousness of the rift in the two camps can be fathomed from the personal intervention of the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who at the Non-Aligned Movement conference appealed to India to pursue a low carbon growth, and repeated the call during her trip to India.

The second dilemma relates to the cost of carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction, and the higher cost of cleaner technology. It is now well established that most clean technologies are more costly than their traditional counterpart. Electric power costs more to produce when cleaner fuel or abatement technology is used. Cleaner cars cost more and so do cleaner electronic goods. And here comes the paradox: while consumers prefer cleaner technology, they do not want to pay more for it. Various consumer surveys in developing countries as well as developed countries reveal a preference for clean technology, whether in durable or consumer goods. However, the preference for goods produced with cleaner technology dropped drastically when the respondents were shown the price of these “clean” products.

Cost and benefits
The development and adoption of greener technology is expensive. “Who will pay for it?” is the trillion-dollar question. This issue is at the heart of the tug of war played out by the various countries. Let us take the case of automobiles. Toyota makes both internal combustion and hybrid cars. The latter uses less fuel and emits less CO2 per gallon of fuel used. However, hybrid cars cost more, which the owner can recoup in 3 to 5 years depending on miles driven and the cost of fuel. This, following an approach originally elucidated by Prof. Amartya Sen, spells out the cost and benefit of cleaner technology in a time horizon. It also brings to the fore the key issue in the current debate: Will the EU or G8 countries be willing to provide financial incentives to hybrid users in developing countries?

Possible leadership role
While the G8 countries and the developing countries try to sort out the conflicting issues and to strike a balance in sharing the burden of CCC, Bangladesh can in the interim play a key role at various international forums. Bangladesh, which is expected to bear the brunt of the effects of global warming, can play a major role in the international debate on CCC. We can and should speak out at the UN summit, Copenhagen summit and other global forums, but our views will be heard and respected if we lead the way in reducing our own carbon footprint by adopting innovating approaches to CCC.

* What can Bangladesh do to show its commitment to CCC? In addition to the ones that BAPA, BEN and other environmental organizations have proposed, there are a number of other steps we can take individually and collectively, including:

* A comprehensive energy policy review, covering support for solar and other renewable energy;

* A full assessment of our emissions and cost of adoption of cleaner technology (example of how to generate electricity);

* Involvement of the business community and active participation of the community in the 3C Initiative;

* Enhanced national awareness of the impact of deforestation, open burning in agricultural fields and landfills, and agricultural soil management practices;

* National debate on the importance and adoption of a roadmap to low-emitting society.

Writer
Dr. Abdullah Shibli
works in Boston, USA

DS, Aug 29, 2009

Different Ways To Combat Climate Change(Part 02)

2009-09-13T13:41:00.002+07:00

Invest in offsets and cleaner alternatives : There is a limit to how much efficiency we can squeeze from our lifestyle or our organization's operations, or how much renewable energy we can employ. The choice for those who wish to compensate for their remaining emissions is to fund an activity by another party that reduces emissions. This is commonly called a 'carbon offset' or 'carbon credit'.

Get efficient : Looking at our life or business through a carbon neutral lens can help us in other ways by increasing the efficiency of resource use, avoiding and reducing waste and ultimately improving the overall performance. After all, carbon is generally the waste product of producing energy, and reducing waste and becoming more efficient is always a good idea.

Offer or buy low carbon products and services : The market for climate friendly products and services is growing rapidly, from energy efficient products to new renewable energy systems. To offer such products, however, it's important to begin at the design stage. Actions as simple as adding energy efficient specifications into the design process, for example, can produce a design that minimizes energy consumption during its use and saves customers the time and energy from making adjustments to a product after a purchase.

Buy green, sell green : The market for green products and services is growing rapidly. In many countries consumer surveys report that growing numbers of consumers are willing to buy green products if given the choice. For businesses, innovative product design and presentation combined with responsible marketing and communication can help ensure that this consumer interest translates into purchasing.

Team up : Many private sector companies are increasingly working with non-governmental organizations, cities or governments to identify and implement best practice solutions to reduce emissions. The Carbon Disclosure Project, for example, is an independent non-profit organization providing information for institutional investors with a combined US$41 trillion of assets under management.

Talk : The increasing importance of climate change means that companies and organizations will need to communicate. Transparency is critical. The internet and other new media mean that companies, organizations and governments cannot hide behind green wash. This is where tools for verification and reporting guidelines with recognized indicators are critical.

Different Ways To Combat Climate Change(Part 01)

2009-08-21T16:52:00.000+07:00

THE theme for World Environment Day this year was “Your planet needs you-Unite to combat climate change”. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in December next.

Make a commitment : Reducing the carbon footprint is no different from any other task. Only telling people to reduce carbon emissions may seem simplistic, but even simple actions like announcing a commitment to going carbon neutral can be effective, while the simple act of asking for ideas can lead to creative and innovative solutions. In recent months, several countries have indicated that they will go carbon neutral, led by Costa Rica, New Zealand and Norway.

Assess where you stand: It is likely that carbon will eventually be judged as an atmospheric pollutant and regulated accordingly, with consequent costs and opportunities for all sectors of society. Knowing where and how we generate greenhouse gases is the first step to reducing them. For individuals and small businesses, online calculators and internal assessments can help start the process. Larger organizations may need specialised advice and tools.

Decide and plan where you want to go : Based on the assessment of climate-related risks and opportunities, a strategy and action plan can be developed. Targets help focused efforts and also provide a benchmark for measuring success. Most homes or businesses can reduce energy use by 10 per cent which almost always results in a 10 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

De-carbon your life: There is a broader way to think about carbon and climate. Everything an individual, organization, business or government does or uses embodies some form of carbon, either in products themselves or in the energy and materials it takes to make them. Buildings, fittings and equipment are all proxies for carbon. Integrating climate friendly criteria into decision making can trigger a ripple effect.

Get energy efficient : Improving the efficiency of our buildings, computers, cars etc. is the fastest and most lucrative way to save money, energy and carbon emission. While conventional buildings can account for almost 40 per cent of CO2 emissions, high performance, environmentally accountable, energy efficient and productive facilities are now economically possible.

Switch to low carbon energy : We can switch to energy sources that emit less carbon and can reduce costs and emissions. Since the lowest carbon energy source the hydro power generation -- has long-term negative impact and in here, we don't have enough wind power, we can switch over largely to solar power that is very much available round the year in this tropical country. In many parts of the world customers can choose to have a percentage of their electricity supplied from a renewable energy source. These 'green choice' programmes are maturing and proving to be a powerful stimulus for growth in renewable energy supply.