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