Plastic pollution, migration, nationalism and three other critical issues require immediate attention from world leaders for the next decade to be survivable.
Plastics: Awareness against plastic pollution is spreading, but not fast enough. When it comes to the plastics crisis, the researchers say, “Only a small amount of the current activity has truly transformative potential.” They found that around eight million tones of plastic enter the ocean every year and only 14 per cent of plastic packaging is recycled. And, 83 per cent of the water we drink contains plastic fiber. Although the public’s and businesses’ reaction has helped up recycling efforts, invent compostable alternatives and increased activism, but it hasn’t brought the fundamental shift need.
Migration and climate: Climate crisis is increasing poverty, fuelling drought and creating food and water shortages. Adding to this, is the growing inhospitable world that’s driving the migration rate to higher and higher levels. All this will lead to geopolitical instability. Cape Town, Bengaluru and Jakarta are running out of water and a 100 million people, according to the World Bank, have been displaced by climate change. Reimagining refugee camps, rethinking products and changing models of governance may save the world from the impending calamity.
Changing consumerism in Asia: By 2030, Asia will account for 59 per cent of the world’s middle-class consumption and India’s economy may overtake the UK’s in 2019. The wealth create may have helped pull many out of poverty, but the waste it generated and resources it exploited put more pressure on the planet that it can handle. To regulate this, there should be a collective social and cultural effort by brands. They can engage consumers in a two-way conversation about the future of materialism in Asia, say researchers.
Biodiversity in free fall: We are experiencing the sixth mass extinction event. Compared to 60 million years before humans came into existence, extinction is happening 1,000 times more, said scientists in 2014. Agriculture, the biggest driver of extinction, is causing 80 per cent deforestation and creating less space for wildlife. Plants and animals are adapting to this change by constantly migrating. Urbanization too is adopting evolutionary processes. Researchers say this resilience and adaptation of change is our best hope. New research indicates that there are corals that are far more resilient to rising ocean temperatures and acidification than previously thought. Also, regenerative farming systems, which aim to increase biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services, improve water cycles, increase resilience and strengthen the health and vitality of farm soil, could prove helpful.
Key issues and challenge New Year 2020 in Bangladesh: Despite all the success the country has achieved in recent years including 2019, new and old dangers – economic, political, and security-related – threaten to derail its progress. With sound policymaking, effective leadership, and enough foresight, however, can meet and defeat these challenges as well as the many more to come in the New Year. If we are human beings, we probably use the beginning of every year to reflect on the past years, make decisions and set resolutions for the New Year. It is a good thing to make resolutions, but it takes a good deal of discipline and commitment to get results that would be different and better than what we got last year.
Growth in Asia and elsewhere has shown that industrialization is crucial to job creation, a value that has to be enshrined in the new sustainable development goals of Bangladesh. The country has witnessed remarkable improvements in poverty reduction in recent years, but persistent challenges in inequality, education, health, and violence, among others, still plague it. As the 2020 year may provide the opportunity to be a jumping-off point for strong policies and efforts to accomplish the desired goals.
To explore the consequences of Bangladesh’s rapid urbanization, this historically has facilitated the country transition from a reliance on agriculture to industry and jobs. However, without strong policies to deliver services, finance and build infrastructure, and support the urban poor, Bangladesh’s rapidly growing cities and intermediate cities cannot deliver on their potentials. The New Year may see a number of governance milestones and obstacles, and the march towards good governance. Any sort of violence, killing and destruction shall have to be ruthlessly suppressed by the law and order controlling body of the government. People want peace and that has to be ensured. People do not want the anti-liberation forces and their mango-twigs to get any chance to fish out any benefits in the troubled waters. Raise your voice. Beware of that the ruffians must not get any chance to disturb us because Bangladesh is for Bangladesh’s people. Police department must bring the fugitive war criminals and convicted fugitive war criminals to justice.
One of the most important areas of concern in Bangladesh is education. Without an educated population, a country cannot progress not only in terms of economic development but also because of political development. In Bangladesh, just like in other parts of the world, parents have a strong desire to see their children progress and have a good life; hence, families are willing to make sacrifices for education. The government has to be able to supply enough classroom spaces for those of school age and many existing government facilities in low-income areas offer poor-quality education. Despite all the political and economic challenges facing the country, the people’s desire for a better life with better education for their children, strong domestic institutions, full employment opportunities and faster economic growth means that the future can be much brighter. Many of the hurdles we may uncover have policy solutions. Government should spend primarily on the work to improve not just education systems but also infrastructure across the board. Smart, pro-business policies will also help ensure the creation of decent jobs that can keep young people engaged in society and out of troubles.
Despite serious challenges on the economic front, together we made substantial progress in providing basic services, such as, electricity, housing, roads, water and sanitation, healthcare as well as accessible education. The country’s GDP has begun to show welcome improvements. Thus significant strides were made in 2019 in fighting poverty, inequality and unemployment. Still the government needs for renewed efforts to boost inclusive economic growth and improve the lives of poor and working-class; and it remains a key priority of the government.
Stakeholder in Bangladesh’s apparel sector, which is largely dependent on China for supply of garment raw materials, have sought precautionary policy measures and other facilities to help face the challenges stemming from Corona Virus outbreak. The virus is taking its toll on trade and industry, especially on the supply chain of manufacturing industries of Bangladesh. The epidemic may prolong further, it may prove fatal for our industries as the supply chain becomes paralyzed.
(Sultan Mohammed Giasuddin, Consultant, Community Development Centre (CODEC), Chattogram, Bangladesh)
Sultan Mohammed Giasuddin
