Bangladesh Environment  Network

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Summary

"Obstacles to implementing pro-environment policies."
February 1999 Discussion Topic

by

Nurul Kabir

About a month ago we began to discuss the topic "What is being done & how can we help"?. This helped raise questions many of us have had but never got around to discussing. No doubt the topic is yet to be exhausted; nonetheless, it may be time to step back for a moment and make a summary of the discussion so far.

There was much debate on how effective it is to address environmental problems in isolation, given that environmental disasters typically follow from other problems. Lack of employment in the rural areas for example contribute to urban traffic problems and air pollution. Of concern among BEN participants was the sense of disempowerment engendered by such inter-relationships. Each problem is seen as part of something greater and hence more intractable than it should perhaps be. Our sense of disempowerment is aggravated by lack of education by the government about its efforts. We do not know what the obstacles are to implementing pro-environment policies because we don't know what is being attempted.

It is apparently easier to find out about what efforts various organizations and individuals outside the GOB are undertaking. Although we made only modest progress in this month, Mahbubul and Akhtar are in the process of obtaining detailed information about a WB air pollution project. Akhtar also added to our list information about Community Development Library (CDL) of Dhaka, which helps track other NGOs. CDL is sponsoring an Environmental Video Festival, where 60 environmental films from home and abroad are to be screened. We continue to receive more information about groups and individuals associated with various aspects of environmental issues. Farhad Mazar of Ubinig is involved with a BioDiversity mela in Bangladesh, Kushi Kabir of Nijera Kori is concerned with (among other things) the impact of shrimp culture on the land and livelihood of agricultural workers. We have also recently received reports of a demonstration organized by POROSH against development (filling up for commercial purposes) of the Gulshan Lake, apparently with good coverage in the press.

It is true that the environmental problems (and their solutions) are linked with other issues, but several members pointed out that even as we recognize the inter-relationships of the various problems, we must isolate areas to focus on. We can not address all issues simultaneously. As Tanveer expressed it concerning air-pollution, "We will have to find out what the bottlenecks are in the Bangladesh Department of Environment. If necessary, we have to try to put countervailing pressure against those of vested interests to get to a desirable outcome."

We note that some of us expressed the idea that it may be possible and desirable to carry out individual programs for the environment or have market competition introduce innovations, i.e. not be reliant on the GOB to implement pro-environment policies. It is easy to understand the frustration that leads to such a position. However, while individuals and market forces can play a role, clearly the environment can not be protected by individuals, corporations and NGOs etc. The latter set has a role, but it can't be that of implementing environmental policies. By definition, that is the role of a national coordinating body, let's call it "government". Such a body typically collects the funds for its operation via taxes and foreign aid - funds which generally is meant to provide the infrastructure such as roads, ports, and we would think, air that can be inhaled and water that can be drunk. Thus, like national defense, protecting the environment must be the responsibility primarily of a "government."

This is not to say that individuals and groups like BEN and POROSH do not have an important role. In general citizen's groups are a necessary condition of democracy. As we noted, organizations in Bangladesh are already campaigning on the issues. BEN can work side by side with those groups. All BEN participants have a role here - collect and disseminate information about environmental issues, identify groups and individuals working on these issues, build relationships with such groups and work hand in hand wherever possible. This will work also against the criticism that in a country like Bangladesh, people are too ignorant to monitor the politicians. If people form citizens groups like BEN and POROSH, the means are there to both have the knowledge and the popular strength to challenge vested interests that stand in the way of pro-environment pro-people policies.