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The Unsolved Question: Human-Nature
Relationship
Apparently, environmental problems are
associated with poverty. In this sense, no other option exists
than to overuse resources.
Mohammed Abdul Baten & Ronju Ahammad
Humanity
is a major force in global change and shapes ecosystem
dynamics from local environment to the biosphere as a whole.
Moderate United Nations projections for the growth of the
world population and consumption show humanity using double
the bio-productivity of the planet by 2050. Reaching this
level of consumption may be impossible, however, as the
natural capital being used to enable this overshoot may well
be depleted before the mid century mark. Now the question
arises: are we friend or foe of environment?
Apparently, environmental problems are associated with
poverty. In this sense, no other option exists than to overuse
resources. Worldwide changes of forests, farmlands, waterways,
and air are being driven by the need to provide food, fibre,
water and shelter to more than six billion people. In fact,
it's simply a matter of survival. In many cases, however,
resource degradation is simply the result of human kind's
insatiable desire to produce and consume leading to wilful
short- term greed and corruption with no heed for the future.
But, most unfortunate thing is that the nature is giving
negative feedbacks to human behaviour more abruptly and
devastatingly than before; complementary situation is now
turning to a rival state. No doubt, poorer part of the world
is the most affected by nature's cruelty. Adverse impacts of
climate change namely tropical storms, floods, and droughts
are greater in developing countries and least developed
countries. Between 1990 and 2020, 94% of all natural hazards
related death occurred in developing countries.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) presents how human
exploited nature unsustainably and made an asymmetrical
relationship with nature. In fact, humans have already
converted nearly a third of the total arable land area of the
world, almost 3.8 million hectares, to agriculture and urban
or built-up areas. Most of the remainder is too dry for
agriculture or inaccessible. Between 1960 and 2000, the demand
for ecosystem services (benefits provided by ecosystems) grew
significantly as world population doubled to 6 billion and the
global economy increased more than six fold. To meet this
demand, food production increased by roughly 2.5 times, water
use doubled, wood harvests for pulp and paper production
tripled, installed hydropower capacity doubled, and timber
production increased by more than half.
Water scarcity and land degradation are already severe enough
to reduce yields on about 16 percent of agricultural lands,
especially cropland in Africa and Central America, and pasture
in Africa. The average annual growth rate of cereal production
in developing countries has dropped from 2.5 to 1 percent per
year over the past 35 years. The use of two ecosystem
services, capture fisheries and freshwater, is now well beyond
levels that can be sustained even at current demands, much
less future ones. At least one quarter of important commercial
fish stocks are over harvested. From 5 percent to possibly 25
percent of global freshwater use exceeds long-term accessible
supplies and is now met either through engineered water
transfers or overdraft of groundwater supplies
In the last few decades, approximately 20 percent of the
world's reefs were lost; an additional 20 percent was
degraded. In the Caribbean, 80 percent of coral has been lost
in recent decades. Additionally, approximately a third of the
world's mangrove areas were lost.
The number of species on the planet is declining. Over the
past few hundred years, humans have increased the species
extinction rate by as much as 1000 times over background rates
typical over the planet's history.
Since 1750, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide
has increased by three times, primarily due to the combustion
of fossil fuels and land use changes. Approximately 60 percent
of that increase (60 parts per million) has taken place since
1960.
As I mentioned earlier, poorer countries are mostly affected
by environmental variability. Bangladesh is one of the most
vulnerable countries to several natural hazards; and hazards
often become disasters because of geographical setting, poor
planning, weak infrastructure, high population density, and
technological insufficiency to early warning system. For
instance, when Hurricane Andrew, a powerful category storm,
struck in Florida in 1992, it caused devastation valued at
26.5 billion and 23 people lost their lives. An equivalent
tropical cyclone SIDR that ravaged Bangladesh in 2007 resulted
in over 4000 deaths, loss of over 50,000 cattles, displacement
of millions of individuals from widespread tidal surge and
damage of one third of the Largest Mangrove forest ( The
Sundarbans) including its unique flora and fauna( Data
compiled from newspapers reports).
What should we do standing in front of nature's rage? What
would be our future? Sustention or collapse of the current
civilization? Though it is difficult to answer all these
questions, yet it is obvious that all agree to the point, our
present trends of resource use will result worse future. It is
late but not too late to restore the relationship between
human and nature. Efforts to stem current wrecked resource use
system and avoid to ecosystem collapse must take into account
the slow response times of human population and
infrastructure. Innovative approaches to meet human needs
should encourage not only at individual level but also at
national to global level. In one sentence we can say, we
should be the steward of nature and be rational in resource
use. In this perspective, what would be the basis of Human-
Nature relationship is best illustrated by The Surah 55, The
Holy Quran, where the Almighty announces "Most Gracious is
Allah, who reveals Himself in the Quran, in man's intelligence
and in the nature around man. Balance and Justice, Goodness
and Care, are the Laws of His worlds……."
(Mohammed Abdul Baten & Ronju Ahammad; Master's in Ecosystems,
Governance and globalisation, Stockholm Resilience Centre,
University of Stockholm, Sweden.
It is Time to Wake Up
The Messages the whole world is getting is not sunny for our
caretaker Government whether it is army backed or not…
Manwar Khan (P. Rumi)
Recently
while attending a Seminar in North America one of participants
from University of San Diego came to me during the coffee
break and threw a question "How well is the Bangladesh Army
running the country?" It took me the whole coffee break to
enlighten him that it is nothing but a caretaker government.
As our conversation prolonged, he pointed out some
controversial issues. Eventually I had to agree that it
appears to be an army-backed government.
The Messages the whole world is getting is not sunny for our
caretaker Government whether it is army backed or not…
Right after the state of emergency was declared on January 11,
Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed was appointed as the chief of caretaker
government on January 12, 2007. The caretaker government then
announced that their primary goal was to hold a free and fair
election. Corruption was identified as the biggest enemy to
holding such fair and free election. Thereafter, the caretaker
government launched their unprecedented massive drive against
large-scale individual graft. The joint forces and other law
enforcement agencies had arrested a good number of political
figures and businessmen after the state of emergency was
declared.
Without any doubt a very good beginning has been made and it
seems the government no longer wants Bangladesh to be
identified as a corrupt country. To make this drive
successful, the interim government reconstituted the ACC in
February and appointed former adviser to the caretaker
government and army chief Lt General (retd) Hasan Mashhud
Chowdhury as the chairman of the ACC. The former ACC chairman
Justice Sultan Hossain Khan and two commissioners--Prof
Maniruzzaman Miah and Maniruddin Ahmed--resigned from their
posts in the second week of February. On April 18, 2007,
Fakruddin's government announced the Anti-Corruption
Commission (Amendment) Ordinance aimed at rooting out high
level corruption and stopping the manipulation of organized
crime over politics.
The caretaker government seems to have taken another step
forward towards implementing minus-two policy and arrested
former prime ministers Khaleda Zia, and Sheikh Hasina, and
charged them with corruption. Both the leaders have denied the
charges pressed against them and told the court that the cases
were not only fabricated and motivated but it is also aimed at
forcing them out of politics. Being citizens of Bangladesh, we
have the right to know if the Caretaker government is carrying
out any hidden agenda to get rid of these two political
figures. Can this government provide assurances that their
steps pose no danger whatsoever to democracy? As long as this
government does not set the record straight, people are not
going to trust them.
Recently we saw in a newspaper, one of the country's eminent
lawyer and ex-minister Dr. Kamal Hossain commenting on some
individuals who were seeking the release of Khaleda Zia and
Sheikh Hasina "The people who are calling for detained
politicians to be set free should be identified as their
associates". I think this is the part where we would say "What
are you talking about?" These two leaders have not been found
guilty of any crime by any court of law yet. So, are these the
kinds of comments which should come from a respectable person
like Dr. Kamal Hossain?
Unfortunately till January 1/11 situations Dr. Kamal Hossain
was himself entrenched in political and linked to the lots of
people he now spurns. In 2005 during city's mayor election he
flew to Chittagong just to campaign for ABM Mohiuddin. That
day in a big election rally at Laldighi Maidan he said "Mohiuddin
has devoted his life for your (people of the port city) cause.
As mayor twice (also incumbent mayor), he proved it and made
Chittagong a beautiful city with your support. It is now your
duty to elect him once again," (Fri. May 06, 2005- The Daily
Star). If we are not mistaken he is the person who was seen in
the same stage with Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Selim, Mayor
Mohiuddin several times and recently moved the court on behalf
of Mohiuddin Chowdhury who is in jail for a graft case. Does
Dr. Kamal Hossain really think "Someone is to be found guilty
by association"- then I think it's time to consider his
standing.
He is not the only one to be blamed, there are other so called
'reformist' who were once associated with the politicians and
were involved in corruptions but now do not miss the
opportunity to belittle their erstwhile political colleagues.
This proves that political opportunists are still trying to
justify their existence even when country is under the state
of Emergency. They do not hesitate to use their words as
weapons when they are in trouble, twisting those to their
purpose, obscuring the truth with double meaning. This group
never does anything that doesn't benefit them in the end. I do
not know any other way to say it, but the truth is they change
their color when question of survival arises and they cannot
be trusted.
Nobody will claim that this government is on a rock-hard
constitutional ground. This is not an elected government. Base
of this government are commitments to protect this nation from
some severe injustice and corruption and to conduct a free,
fair and transparent election for the people of Bangladesh. We
realize that this government has been trying hard, but
unfortunately this is not a grammar school, efforts do not
count, "A" will only be given for results. Preparation for an
election is in progress although public is still in doubt
about it and this government couldn't make much progress in
reforming the political parties. Other than splitting the
political parties and sending some high profile politicians to
jail, this government did not do much that is noticeable.
No question about it that fundamental rights are now being
trampled under the state of emergency. Thousands of people
have been arrested during this government's regime that has
created terror. The whole world is getting the message that
human rights situation in Bangladesh continues to deteriorate
for last 10 months. Putting the head in the sands is not going
to help this government - it is the time to wake up.
(Manwar Khan is working for the Ministry of Service Alberta
with the Government of Alberta, Canada. He can be reached at
e-mail: manwar.khan@gov.ab.ca. Phone: 780-427-1793)
Opinion
Iraq: US is Digging in for the Long Haul
It doesn't look as though
Americans in Iraq are going anywhere anytime soon. Officially
Iraq's sovereignty was handed back to its rightful owners
years ago, which means the occupiers remain in the country at
the invitation of the Iraqi government. OK, try not to laugh!
Fact is the occupying power is digging in for the long haul
and there is little the Iraqi leadership can do about it even
if it wanted to. When challenged about their supersized,
superfortified embassy sprouting on prime land - which one
must assume was sequestered rather than gifted by Iraq - and
their mushrooming permanent military bases, the Americans cite
the postwar German/Japan models.
In other words, they are saying the victor has a perfect right
to hang around the necks of the vanquished in perpetuity. In
this case, I don't blame Arab governments for refusing to send
their diplomatic personnel into the jaws of danger merely to
hobnob with Iraqi officials for the purposes of affording them
legitimacy when, as we know, the real decision-making takes
place in Washington.
It could be that the Pentagon's new plan to transform the
so-called Green Zone into a walled-off oases of 21st century
Western luxury is, in part, an attempt to lure reluctant
ambassadors into lending credibility to the game with their
mere presence and encourage their own diplomats to put their
lives on the line.
According to the Associated Press, the US has a $5 billion,
"five-year development 'dream list' to create a zone of
influence around the new $700 million embassy to serve as a
kind of high-end buffer for the compound". In fact, it is now
likely to cost more than $1.3 billion as we know from an
emergency supplemental funding request delivered by President
Bush to Congress in 2006. The article quotes US Navy Capt.
Thomas Karnowski, whose team conceived the plan, as
explaining, "When you have $1 billion hanging out there and
1,000 employees lying around, you kind of want to know who
your neighbors are. You want to influence what happens in your
neighborhood over time."
Unfortunately, we still don't know the purpose of such a
gigantic embassy, dubbed "Fortress America" that will house
1,000 permanent staff, a 3,000-strong security contingent and
a substantial Marine detachment over 104 acres. To give this
context, it is six times bigger than the UN headquarters in
New York. But we do know that it will contain its own power
station, water and sewage treatment facilities, school, office
buildings, apartment blocks, clubhouse, swimming pools and a
cinema.
So how did the US take possession of 104 acres back of prime
real estate smack in the center of the capital? Surely, the
Iraqi government lodged its objections. Certainly the British
would be up in arms if, say, the French decided Hyde Park
would be a suitable site for its diplomatic mission and it's
doubtful the Egyptians would acquiesce to any extension of the
US Embassy that would demolish their historical upmarket
Garden City district.
Yet, according to reports, an interim Iraqi government
actually transferred these 104 acres to the US in 2004 lock,
stock and barrel. This is scandalous. No government would
willingly sign away their people's assets, let alone to an
enemy responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
its innocent citizens. This is just another indication that
the Iraqi leadership is not in charge. Returning to the Green
Zone, Capt. Karnowski envisages shopping malls, luxury condos,
state-of-the-art hospitals, an amusement park and five-star
hotels featuring in the blueprint.
The Marriott is already signed up, he says, although Marriott
International is reluctant to confirm or deny this claim. Are
we, therefore, to construe that the Green Zone is slated to
become a sort of embassy extension where Americans, elite
Iraqis and visiting dignitaries can pretend they're in
Manhattan, at least when they are not actively ducking rockets
and mortars?
It's surely bad enough that the Americans effectively
destroyed Iraqi culture during the 2003 invasion when they
stood back as museums were looted and libraries ransacked. Are
they now going to be allowed to superimpose their own
"culture" onto Iraq's very heart?
Moreover, there is something horribly elitist about this plan.
What about the rest of Baghdad that is still suffering from
power outrages and still resembles a war zone in parts?
Source: www.arabnews.com
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