Climate change and the poor

Climate change caused by global warming is a hard and bitter reality now. World leaders and activists have risen to the occasion lately; intercontinental level discussions after discussions have been held over the recent years to agree on ways and means to mitigate effect of and adapt to this unwelcome change. But any adequately effective and agreed measure is yet to be on card. The latest Copenhagen conference has also unfortunately experienced more discord than consensus. Meanwhile the scourge is assuming further gravity for the vulnerable.

Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, one of America's most influential environmental organisations, writes on projection: "The climate models ran and ran, and ran again. Big chunks of Antarctica plunged spectacularly into the sea, while glaciers in the Himalayas quietly withered away, and Kilimanjaro got browner and browner. Finally the scientists concluded their long debate: not only could human activity disrupt and destroy the stability of the world's climate, it was measurably doing so. The rest of us tried not to listen. But we need to" (India Today, Dec 14, 2009).

Yes, we need to, not only listen but act too, now. Because it is already late; we must not allow it to be too late.

Well, global warming is a natural process, but so slow in progression that it never have been anyway significant until late last century when people started to feel the heat to their utter concern. They traced back to find the cause in their own doing: the process has been more human induced than natural following the industrial revolution. And since then there has been no let up in the excessive emission of CFC and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. With the increase in population coupled with unabated consumerism this heating up process has only gained momentum for worse over the recent decades. "Nineteen of the world's 20 warmest years have occurred since 1980". 

But for this not all humans are equally responsible, nor all are equally capable of mitigating the scourge themselves. But when this malady is global, the measures to face it also has to be global -- logically the most emitters helping the least emitters in that.

Although the COP15 Copenhagen has been termed by many as failure, there has been some hopeful outcome to note. The Kyoto Protocol, an international initiative to deal with the problem, was adopted in 1997 but the US, the largest greenhouse gas producer, refused to sign it. This time at Copenhagen it has been a US led deal. Under the initiative of US President Barak Obama, China, India, Brazil, South Africa struck it while there has been pledges that rich (industrialised) countries would provide dollar 30 billion over the next three years and dollar 100 billion a year from 2020 to developing countries. The US, however, announced the lowest pledge of contributing dollar 3.6 billion between 2010 and 2012 while Japan would contribute dollar 11 billion and the EU dollar 10.6 billion.

But the deal has no legal binding. There has been an agreement to arrest global temperature rise at 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial level by 2050. This implies considerable cut in carbon emission over the next 40 years. But would it be realised under a non-binding accord, many doubt. So reasonably many are not satisfied with the COP15 outcome. However, there are also reasons for Bangladesh to feel a bit otherwise. It has been recognised as one of a few countries most vulnerable to global warming and climate change. At least some fund must be available for it to adopt coping measures. Bangladesh consequently finds some solace in the face of mounting miseries due to climate change ravages.

Poor vulnerable countries, including Bangladesh, have already started to bear the brunt of climate change impact. Bangladesh is more frequently visited by devastating cyclones now than ever before and is set to lose 15 percent of its landmass to the rising sea turning 10 percent of its population climate refugees. Damage to Bangladesh's coastal infrastructure is apprehended to amount upto 12 percent of its GDP by 2010, not to speak of how frightening it would be by 2050. According to one estimate, 65 percent of greater Khulna, 99 percent of Barisal, 100 percent of Patuakhali, 44 percent of Noakhali and 12 percent of Faridpur districts will be inundated.

As a result 13.74 percent of cropped area and about 401,600 hectares of mangrove forest with its unique wildlife will be lost. Crop loss will be in millions of tons. The salinity intrusion upward will entail further production loss in agriculture. The total losses of assets and production in small and cottage industries sector are estimated to be Tk 1078 million and Tk 981.553 billion, respectively, not to speak of other industrial and trading losses.

These losses will lead to increased poverty and decreased food security, increased unemployment and decreased accommodation capacity, pushing society to a jeopardy. Climate change will increase incidence of diseases with addition of new affliction and vectors. Vulnerable poor countries consequently having less withstanding capacity will simply suffer more. They need adequate support -- global support to counter their respective local climate change afflictions.

Well, the problems would vary from region to region, place to place, and local efforts are a must to overcome these. Local experts and administration understand their local problems better. Whatever the source of fund local undertakers are required to utilise that. At the Conference also, while raising demand for support to mitigate climate change impacts by LDCs, there has been suggestions by many for local initiative towards ensuring effective encounter.

Like elsewhere Bangladesh also has a local government system which may take the initiative of implementing or permit other appropriate undertakers to implement special climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes. Such programmes, in fact, shall not be much different from other development projects. So there is understandably not much difficulty in assuming and achieving them. But there is little time left for contemplation. Climate is changing rapidly than thought and its impact is already being felt. This will mount and profoundly affect us and subsequent generations. The only way out is our own challenge to slow the process, to lessen our vulnerability and adapt to changed conditions.

If we are serious and sincere in our pledge to reduce green house gas emission, it would not be very difficult to bring down global mean temperature below 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial period by the target period or even before.

Locally we can go for greening (afforestation) projects wherever possible. But, sadly enough of late media is very frequently coming up with reports of denudation of plantations by "miscreants having links with people that matter". This speaks of no sincerity, no seriousness attached to speech. There must be very stringent law against deforestation and exemplary action against perpetrators. And we can go for clean energy -- wind power, solar power -- as much possible. However, windmills in coastal belt run the risk of being affected by cyclones and solar panels will not work during the monsoon. But then we can embark upon some solution measures, ways must be found for survival's sake.

As a least developed country we need to develop; the world want us to develop. Thus we cannot curtail our modest industrialisation process but can cut emission, whatever small it is. In that the developed world has to help us with improved, efficient technologies. In our case at the moment the brick kilns appear to be the most emitters. They should be made to refrain from burning fossil fuels and adapt to efficient energy use step by step.

In agriculture we have to adapt to further intensive cropping patterns, for a substantial portion of cropland will be lost under the climate impact, and we have to undergo a massive rehabilitation programme as well. We have also to undertake an extensive campaign to aware people about the climate change -- how and why it happens, and enlighten them of the necessity for mitigation and adaptation measures. This is also necessary for involving the people in the process. Because, all inclusive the task is simply huge; not feasible for administration machinery or a few agencies to shoulder it alone.

Besides, or outside of, government, NGOs have a proven record of undertaking and accomplishing large public interest projects involving individuals as well as communities. The sphere includes healthcare, education, water and sanitation, afforestation, farming, microcredit and poverty alleviation. They can be effectively engaged in alleviating climate change suffering of the people as well utilising their experience and capability. Small industries also can come under some NGOs' SME programmes for employment and rehabilitation of the displaced.

Poor countries' cry for help is by all counts justified. The poor obviously suffer most during any calamity not to speak of the climate change impact -- the calamity of scale. The NGOs have experience of working with and for the poor in some cases more than government agencies themselves. They have experience of involving their network during emergency situations, like flood and cyclone, in relief and rehabilitation service.

Government can chalk out programmes for the poor and vulnerable according to evolving situation or ask NGOs to submit theirs and get approved. Then it can embark upon that at local government level or whatever with NGOs, or ask them to run theirs under its supervision or whatever process plausible. The objective is to serve most the most vulnerable -- the poor -- to help them mitigate and adapt to the climate change situation. This has to be accomplished in whatever way and with whatever means possible.

--Shariful Alam Sharif

Biodiversity for life and livelihood

Human being is probably the most intelligent among the million species. He has tamed the nature by his knowledge and comparative physical advantages. However, in his reckless consumption spree for the sake of development and prosperity, humans have used different species in such a way that many of those have already become extinct and some others are under threat of extinction.

At present, humans have intensified use and production of some so-called economically valuable species ignoring others' contribution. Lately, humans have started to understand significance of ecosystem services generated by different species and estimated that 60% of the ecosystem services, accessed, are in decline due to unsustainable human actions (MA, 2005). Millennium Ecosystem Assessment warned that the cost of failure to halt biodiversity loss on land alone in last 10 years is estimated to be $ 500 billion and if the current trend of biodiversity loss continues then in near future the humanity itself will face extinction. 

Therefore, the realisation of a balanced world with all living beings' 

respective role has come to the forefront of the recent scientific researches. The UN has supported the awareness by declaring 2010 as International Year of Biodiversity. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has further added value to the recent worldwide movement of conserving biodiversity by setting this year's World Environment Day theme as “ Many species. One planet. One future”.

Bangladesh is endowed with very rich biodiversity resources and it is evident from its species diversity profile, particularly for angiosperms and avi-fauna. Recently published 4th National Biodiversity Report estimates that the country possesses 3,611 species of angiosperm, 2,623 belonging to 158 families of dicotyledons and, 988 to 41 families of monocotyledons. Since the country's economy is largely natural resources based, the sheer majority of the human population directly depend on its biological resources to sustain their lives and livelihoods. 

However, country's overwhelming population and their demand for development often compel them to pay little or no heed to biodiversity. Industrial development, expansion of agriculture, human settlements, unplanned urbanisation and rural infrastructure development all have exerted negative pressure on our environment, particularly resulting in the destruction of habitats of valuable biodiversity resources. 

Climatic change, not completely a new phenomenon but recently soared up in policy arena, is another strong factor apprehended responsible for biodiversity loss. Climate change and biodiversity exhibits an inverse relationship. Loss of biodiversity causes climate change; on the other hand, climate change induced natural calamities contribute to biodiversity loss. Bangladesh, supposedly a darling child of nature, is affected from both climate change and poverty. Consequently, its biological resources experience immense pressure; rather than being considered as natural capital, the resources are always regarded as raw materials. 

Agriculture is the world's oldest occupation and constitutes the biggest employment sector. Both basic sustenance (nutrients and calories) for people and raw materials for industries have been coming from agriculture since inception of civilization. Yet, agriculture is fundamentally dependent on biodiversity and eco-system services. Species of crops and livestock and their genetic diversity are the basis of agriculture. Even the insects contribute a lot to the agro-production. Species of earthworms, fungi, soil-micro organisms, as well as flora and fauna surrounding agricultural areas underpin ecosystem services that sustain agriculture, such as pollination and nutrient cycling.

Being an agrarian country, life and economy of Bangladesh are largely dependent on agriculture. In spite of introduction of mechanical agriculture, still larger farmer community practices nature dependent agriculture where they use bull to cultivate their land, earthworm as their plough, cow dung, small trees and leaves as their manure, insects as their agent of pollination and so forth. Every component of the natural environment works as their helping agent in agricultural production. Even if so-called green revolution has been given credit for alleviating poverty and providing food to the country's large population , but recent food crisis has depicted an opposing scenario where mechanised agriculture, which pay little attention to biodiversity, has been blamed for degrading environmental quality and consequently the production decline. 

Intensified production system using only few varities, dominates the current agriculture production system. Even though presence of more than 10,000 rice varieties in the country is a clear example of our vast wealth of genetic resources, but now there are only ten types of local rice in production practice and this sector has been dominated by High Yielding Varieties (HYV) which need an intensive use of fertilizers, insecticides and so on resulting in an adverse impact on the surrounding environment. Once abundant, fish resources might be the most affected by synthetic agri input.

Together with the staple rice small amounts of vegetable and fish constitute the everyday diet of overwhelming majority population of Bangladesh. Moreover, fisheries are important occupation of many of the rural poor, constituting main income source for near about 2 million households. Flood plains, rivers, streams, canals, beels and ponds in Bangladesh are equipped with 260 species of fresh water fish resources. Among them, 140 species are classified as small indigenous fish species. Moreover, a considerable number of estuarine and marine fish species have enriched country's fish resource stocks. However, overcatch, destruction of habitat, pollution, conversion of wetlands to alternative uses have resulted in extinction of many fish species and subsequent wild catch has declined sharply in recent years. 

The extinction of local fish species and associated decreased production has affected poor people's diet mostly. Millions of poor rural people are now suffering from malnutrition, who once were dependent on fish to meet their protein demand. Interestingly, official statistics estimate that total fish production has been increasing; this is due to aquaculture practice with some fast growing hybrid and exotic fish species. Regrettably, many of the widely cultivated exotic fish species have been identified as invasive and they exert negative externalities to our local ecosystem. Moreover, poor people have limited or no access to such commercial fish culture. And they cannot afford fish from the market due to high prices. Many of the rural poor cannot even remember now when they had fish last time.

Forests provide food and vast array of materials for medicinal, cultural and spiritual purposes as well as building materials and firewood, more specifically the poor is the primary beneficiary from the forest. It is estimated that one billion people worldwide depend on drugs derived from forest plants. Moreover, by providing home to a large number of birds and wildlife forests play an important role to conserve valuable biodiversity resources. Forests' ecological, social and economic functions are also praiseworthy. Forests store and purify drinking water, protect watershed, mitigate natural disasters, and control erosion, cycle nutrients, help to store carbon and to regulate climate and contribute to the regional and national economies both directly through revenues, value adding and employment. 

Even if Bangladesh is a forest poor country, only 6% of country's total land is forest covered, yet it is very rich in species diversity. The hill forest alone supports 2,259 species of angiosperm. Sundarbans, world's largest single mangrove block and a world heritage site, is a unique habitat of spectacular Royal Bengal Tiger. Being the most bio-diverse forest in Bangladesh, Sundarbans alone supports 53% of birds, 43% of animals, 42% of reptiles, 36% of amphibians, 29% of plants and 17% of fish species of the country's total biodiversity resources.

However, Bangladesh's forests have decreased significantly in terms of both area and quality over the last few decades. The annual deforestation rate is estimated to be around 3.3% (Khan et al. 2004). Number of factors are responsible for forest degradation. The increasing population and associated increased demand for timber, shelter, food continues to put pressure on existing forest resources resulting in over exploitations. Moreover, introduction of some exotic species such as Eucalyptus, Acacia etc. and their wide plantation is another important cause of some native species' extinction. These exotic species neither fitted with local environment nor support birds or any wildlife. Additionally, these have introduced some pests, which incur a huge loss every year. 

Every year about 20% new settlements are being added at the expense of productive homestead agriculture and forest lands, which basically used to provide food and livelihood to the rural poor. Homestead ecosystem is also very important for providing shelter to wildlife. With dwindling forest cover, this importance is becoming far more significant. Most of the small mammals and birds still existing in the country are completely dependent on this ecosystem, including agricultural land for their survival.

Again, culture and biological diversity are closely intertwined. Biodiversity remains at the centre of many religions and culture. The close association between biodiversity and culture is particularly apparent at sacred sites -- areas which are held to be of importance because of their religious and spiritual significance. In Bangladesh, there is a significant diversity in ecosystem, culture, especially rural and indigenous culture, which is the centre of attraction to many tourists. 

We do not have another planet to depend on, except this mother earth. The earth is still livable and beautiful because it has many species, who perform different functions to keep the earth functioning. All the species have been created for serving and supporting human beings as argued by many religions. Biodiversity loss, therefore, will eventually lead to human extinction. We have to protect all the species for our own sake, for keeping the world colourful and, above all, surviving. 

Shariful Alam

The seven stages of working life

YOUR work and your personal achievements remain a major focus these days, or so the contents of my mailbag suggest, so let's return to that subject.

William Shakespeare said that a person went through "seven ages of life."

I think the immortal bard was spot on. 

Here are The Seven Stages of Working Life. Which stage are you at? 

Stage One: The intern
Arrives late. Explains that he got lost. Told to make coffee. Makes undrinkable black gunge. Sits in on meetings at which he realises, with horror, that he knows nothing about anything being discussed. Spends most of the day feeling terrifyingly useless. Asks inane questions such as: "Please, sir, do we have to ask before we go to the toilet?" At midday, eats packed lunch from home. 

Stage two: The short-contract worker
Arrives early. Waits outside till a staff member arrives with a key. Devotes all his energy to volunteering for assignments because he is desperate to get hired full-time. At lunch, he eats sandwiches at his desk while doing everyone else's work. He leaves the office last, at 9:00 pm, but still arrives the next morning before the rest of us. 

Stage three: The new hire
Arrives slightly before other staff. First to take his seat at meetings. Talks constantly about "our vision." Starry-eyed and enthusiastic. Does much of the work that gets done, although he is constantly interrupted by older staff wandering into his room to sit on his desk and spout rubbish. Leaves at 8:00 pm.

Stage four: The experienced executive
Arrives at exactly 9:00 am, not a minute early or late. Has a lot of work to do, but spends most of his time transferring it to other people. Occasionally buys lunch at the wine bar for people at stages one, two and three, because he enjoys the way they worship him. Leaves at 7:00 pm.

Stage five: The senior manager
Strolls into the office at 9:40. Cannot avoid work completely, but does the bare minimum. Lunches at private club, practicing his "vice president" look of worldliness and ennui so as to be ready for the next stage. Sneaks out of the office on the dot of 6:00 pm.

Stage six: Vice president
Languidly ambles into the office around 11:00. Finds work a total bore, so he gets people at stages one, two, three and four to do all of his work for him. Spends most of the day sitting on the desks of new hires to give them the benefits of his wisdom. Leaves the office at 5:00 pm pretending to be on the way to a client meeting.

Stage seven: Chairman
Arrives late. Explains that he got lost because his memory is not what it was. Serves coffee from private percolator. Turns out to be undrinkable black gunge. Sits in on meetings at which he realises, with horror, that he no longer knows anything about what is being discussed. Spends most of the day feeling terrifyingly useless. Asks inane questions all the time, such as: "Shall we open some overseas offices, or have we already done that sort of thing?" Before leaving at 3:00 pm, he eats packed lunch from home because he can't eat anything without bran. 

It's the circle of life.

By the way, every time you start a new job, you usually go back several stages. For example, I'm a young man, but I am at Stage Five in my current job. What stage are you at?

Shariful Alam

Water pollution

Pollution affects plants and organisms living in water. Although water has been identified on several planets, none has as much water as Earth, of which 70 percent is covered with water. Approximately 97.4 percent of the water on Earth is found in oceans and is too salty for human consumption. An additional 2.6 percent is fresh water found in underground bodies of water called aquifers or frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps. Less than 0.02 percent of Earth's water is present in lakes, rivers, or the atmosphere. The water itself provides the environment for fish, plants and animals. There are several sources of water pollution which work together to reduce overall river water quality. Industries and agriculture discharge liquid waste products. Rain as it falls through the air, or drains from urban areas and farmland, absorb contaminants.

Many dangerous metals including iron, aluminum, tin, lead, mercury and cadmium come out of old mine workings. Phosphorus from sewage is another powerful pollutant. Careless people can also pollute rivers and harm wildlife by pouring things like used car oil and paint into drains. Rubbish dumps create a strong chemical cocktail called leachate. This can be deadly to fish, small aquatic creatures and plants. In modern waste sites great care is taken to ensure that none escapes, but leachate from older rubbish dumps seeps into rivers and can pollute our drinking water. If we want to mitigate water pollution then we need to be aware of using various technologies. In the industrial sector, there should be use of water purification technology such as waste water treatment plant. This way we can maintain a sound industrial environment. Steps should be taken by the government at the policy making level. The awareness among the general people of the country and the NGOs should help to reduce water pollution.

Shariful Alam

Secrets of Mona Lisa smile

Mona Lisa. The immortal, captivating and the most wondrous creation of the renaissance maestro Leonardo Da Vinci. There is truly something enigmatic about this sixteenth-century portrait that has fascinated artists non-artists alike for generations. Presumably the portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco Del Giocondo, this painting has deeply influenced scientists, fiction writers, even conspiracy theorists. Thanks to the mystic facial expressions created by Vinci, the archetype renaissance painter. A team of French scientists have finally cracked the secret of Mona Lisa. Specialists from the Center of Research and Restoration of the Museums of France, in collaboration with European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Louvre Museum, have studied seven of Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings in order to analyze the master's use of successive ultra-thin layers of paint and glaze, the technique that scholars believe gave Vinci's work their distinct dreamy quality. The paintings are Mona Lisa, Virgin of the Rocks, Saint John the Baptist, Annunciation, Bacchus, Belle Ferronniere, Saint Anne, the virgin and the child, all currently displayed in the famous Louvre Museum where the actual study took place.

Armed with a non-invasive technique called X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, the distinguished team of scientists was able to study each layer of paint and their chemical compositions of each of the seven artworks. According to team leader, Philippe Walter, this equipment is so precise that “now we can find out the mix of pigments used by the artist of each coat of paint.” Published in the latest edition of the journal Angewandte Chemie, international edition, the researchers found out that Da Vinci painted up to 30 layers of paint on his works to meet his signature standard of subtlety and all the layers are less than 40 micrometers or about the half the thickness of a human hair. This is in fact a technique called “Sfumato” (common amongst the renaissance masters), which is the mixing of thin layers of pigment, glaze and oil to create lifelike shadows.

This “Sfumato” technique allowed Leonardo to give outlines and contours a hazy quality which eventually created an illusion of depth and shadow. According to the scientists, the shadows were built up by dozens of translucent layers of glaze where each layer was only one or two micro-meters thick, but each contained a carefully dosed pigmentation. It is believed that this in particular was a new technique during the Renaissance and part of the reason Leonardo and his contemporaries were able to make what had been once flat images of the Middle Ages which appear to leap from their frames into photo-like reality. And this “Sfumato” technique explains the mystic nature of the drawing of “Mona Lisa”. Experts believe that, one of the key reasons behind Mona Lisa's enormous appeal is the lifelike shadows and tones that give her enigmatically smiling face a sense of depth and reality. It was found that in the case of Mona Lisa, Leonardo used a mixture of oil and resins, a binder with a very low amount of pigments. And according to Philippe Walter, “with this mixture it was possible to create a very impressive aspect of the painting-a realistic, like a 3-D painting”. It was also found that in the Mona Lisa, Da Vinci used manganese oxide in hid shadings whereas in others he used copper and often glazes. And regarding any hidden codes or clues, perhaps more patience is in order. This study may have answered how Leonardo Da Vinci illustrated the mystic smile in Mona Lisa, but as for the actual reason behind such mysterious smile, as the saying goes “there is more than what meets the eye”; surely we need to study her more innately. 

Shariful Alam

Save the Mother Earth by keeping biodiversity & ecosystem

WHATEVER the religious scriptures depict, man as a species of living beings constitutes a negligible part of the earth's biota. Yet, having overwhelming intelligence and capacity to mould nature, he has done much harm to the environment that nurtures all of them with motherly affection. In essence, we -- the humans -- have been a destructive species that has caused irreparable damage to mother nature just for rapid production of our utilities and to lead an easier and rather lavish life. 

However, after axing our own feet, we could realize that such destructive activities have harmed our own well-being, and have started crying for sustainable development using as much renewable energy as possible, reducing carbon emission to avert or at least minimise green-house effect and global warming that are contributing largely to melting of ice caps, sea level rise and unforeseen climate changes. 

There were four major organised international efforts at sustainable development to retain the natural biodiversity as much as possible in the ecosystems. The first one was held in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly in Stockholm on the issue of Human Environment. On the same platform, one more resolution was adopted, which gave birth to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). That Stockholm conference decided to celebrate World Environment Day on June 5 every year.

World Environment Day (WED) is the main weapon of the United Nations to make people aware of the worldwide environmental degradation, and to attract the attention and action of various political sources and human resources. Now over 100 nations around the globe celebrate this event. Every year, the UNEP coins a theme and its central program is arranged in a specific place. This year's theme was “Biodiversity -- ecosystems management and the green economy” and the venue Pittsburgh.

At the state levels, various resolutions and pledges are taken by prime ministers, chief ministers and ministers for environment on WED. They make commitments to take care of the world environment. The pledges are then established as the basis of environmental management and economic planning dealt with by the government.

In Bangladesh, the first and foremost state program is the seasonal tree plantation campaign that is inaugurated by none other than the head of the government. This is usually done on June 1, four days before the international WED. Our ministry concerned also arranges street rallies on the scheduled day. Furthermore, we also arrange essay and poster competitions in schools, while the clean-up campaigns are usually arranged by some non-governmental organisations, especially the environmental groups like Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA). 

Now let's dwell on the theme of this year's WED. Here “biodiversity” comes first. The term refers to the existence of diverse biota (species diversity) in the various types of ecosystems (ecosystem diversity). Another term, “genetic diversity,” signifies especially the different varieties of living beings (containing diverse genetic constitution) inside a species of plant, animal or microbe. We must note that both genetic and species diversities need diverse ecosystems (and in micro-level, different niches) to sustain and thrive. 

Once we destroy even partially the underground, surface and aquatic ecosystems (along with the atmosphere), unwisely creating only some artificial (secondary or tertiary) forests, and confine aquatic biota to closed water bodies (lakes and ponds) we actually close or limit the scope of sustenance and growth of diverse flora and fauna. Hence, UNEP properly placed the term “ecosystem management” just after biodiversity. 

How can we manage the natural ecosystems? In countries like Bangladesh, where geometrically increasing human population is literally eating up space (ecosystems) essential for all other biota, how can we still leave the spaces that other living things deserve to have?

There is a two-way solution. One is to arrest further growth of our own species. The other way is wiser living. We must occupy lesser earth surface for our living, i.e., living in vertical spaces, in high-rise buildings. Another way to keep some spaces available for other living things is decentralisation of human organizations, including dwelling houses, social establishments and industries. 

Most people's longing for living in cities (thus leaving no space in large continuous areas of concrete jungles for other living things) can be changed by sincere state efforts through sound policies of turning the whole country into a mix of urban and rural communities rather than concentrating all urban facilities in cities. This refers to green economy all through a country and, in turn, worldwide. 

However, “green economy” cannot be established by a single state, or even a region. That's why three major international efforts, other than Stockholm declaration, were made. These are the Rio Declaration (1992), Kyoto Protocol (2002) and Copenhagen Summit (2009). 

The last summit was termed by many as failed and by some as an opportunity. To me, this summit was just saved from a total failure by the last minute efforts. Why are most industrialised states -- both western and eastern -- still reluctant to reduce carbon emission and rely more on renewable energy? The answer I find is that they do not realise the very basis of environmental concerns that created UNEP, WED, Rio, Kyoto and Copenhagen. 

What is that? That's the very first proclamation of the Stockholm declaration, which states: “Man is both creature and moulder of his environment.” Leaders in most developed countries still like to “mould” the environment further by using technology, forgetting that the environment thus moulded shall turn unsuitable for living of “creatures” of nature that we actually are. So, please stop further moulding of nature, let's rather mould our psyche to avert the 27th destruction of earth that can make room for the 28th evolution of life (An evolution theory says: living things have evolved 27 times so far after large scale destruction).


Shariful Alam

Save Old Dhaka

IT is time to think and talk about old Dhaka and the people living there. It is more pertinent to do so after the tragic fire incident at Nimtoli that claimed so many lives recently. We must not let it happen again. Old Dhaka is unique by every definition. It has a character of its own that can be felt only by people who continue to live there or who had lived there for at least a good number of years. New Dhaka lacks that character. 

Puran Dhaka, as it is popularly called, is a moving canvas of colour, faces, food, dress, language and lifestyle that can hardly be emulated by outsiders. It is the part that never sleeps. It is the part where most of our traditions, heritage and pride linger in every nook and niche, silently bearing testimony to many historic events for the last four hundred years. Old Dhaka must survive. Old Dhaka must live. If it is gone, we will be left with no past; no history.

As we see the population increasing like crazy everywhere, old Dhaka is no exception. But, not all are genuine Dhakaiaas who live there. At the moment, a guesstimate is that one third of the population there is constituted by people coming from other districts. 

This gradual infiltration by aliens has not only alarmingly diluted the original character of old Dhaka but has also created a demand for more living space. But, as space is a big constraint in that part, house owners have opted to go skyward to earn rents. 

They are building floors on weak foundations despite the fact that most buildings have outlived their allotted time. The invasion has in turn created tremendous pressure on the utility service supply system in the entire area from Wari to Wiseghat, from Laxmi Bazar to Lalbagh. The increasing number of people, shops, hotels, restaurants, schools, cars and rickshaws has resulted in the narrowing down of the roads and lanes in the area. 

What the government must do on an emergency basis, if it is serious about not allowing any man-made disaster striking again, is formulate a pragmatic policy of creating a new residential area for the people of old Dhaka -- for the genuine Dhakaiaas that is. Offer them compensation package for dismantling their dilapidated buildings. Then find land for them and sell plots on instalment basis. Where would the government find land in old Dhaka? There is a solution. 

Remove the Central Jail. Take it to somewhere in Savar or Gazipur or anywhere. The Central Jail is situated on a large area, which can be cleaned up and then divided into hundreds of plots. Those plots would be sold on lottery basis. No minister's nephew would be eligible to apply. Everyone will have to submit evidence to prove that he or she has been living in old Dhaka for five to six generations. 

As an alternative step, the government can construct spacious, modern multi-storied residential buildings and sell flats to the Dhakaiaas. The entire enclave should be built with a modern concept. There should be wide roads criss-crossing in all direction with a park and a shopping mall for the residents. There should also be a small field for children to play in. The demand for such flats would rise among the people in old Dhaka. But, where is land to construct more flats? There is a solution. 

Remove all the tanneries from Hazaribagh and remove all factories and illegal warehouses from old Dhaka and you will have sufficient land to construct hundreds of flats. Hazaribagh itself is almost half the size of Dhanmondi residential area. One can visualise how many flats the government would be able to construct there; how many old Dhaka families would be able to live amidst fresh air and sunlight. Then why don't they do it?

Here everything stops. All good ideas and good initiatives come to a dead end when we ask the government to do something. Why? because, government does not belong to anyone, neither does it belong to itself. It is a strange conglomerate, if we may say so for argument's sake, constituted with some strangers who do not know each other well and do not share any common interest. Each member of the government has his or her individual interest to fulfil. 

Then who would do it? Private developers? But, cynics say that most of them are even worse than the East India Company. Well, a dilemma indeed and we shall have to find the best way as to how we can help our brothers living in old Dhaka. To reach a solution, let us form a strong committee comprising some highly respected, elderly citizens who would visit the entire old Dhaka, talk to the people, talk to the local leaders and seek their advice regarding how the crisis of residential quarters can be overcome. 

The time bomb in old Dhaka is ticking. The ominous signs are there. If we do not act fast, greater man-made disasters will take more lives. Someone, some organisations will have to come forward with the good intent to help solve the problems. The commercial banks have been doing good business in old Dhaka for over a century under different names. Can they all get together and set aside a big fund from their CSR account to undertake massive facelift work? 

Whether government or private sector, the bottom line is Save Old Dhaka. 


Shariful Alam

Science and/with Rabindranath

WHY should Biswa Parichay (our universe) by Rabindanath Tagore, written so long ago in 1937, be a matter of discussion today? This is because the scientific-minded Tagore comes up less in our discussion than the God-loving poet. This type of discussions has given rise to many interpretations and misinterpretations about the great mind of the poet.

There is another less discussed side of the poet, who has contributed to not only our literature but also to our nation-building efforts. Putting him only within books deprives us of the vision for going ahead in the modern world. 

Rabindranath, with some of his contemporaries -- though towering above them all -- showed us the way forward. Just reading his popular poems and listening to his songs pulls down him to a narrow place in our national life. 

What is the significance of Biswa Parichay? It makes us realise that the nation cannot develop without learning and practising science. Practising science does not mean only using electric fan, mobile phone, television, laptop, etc., or becoming a doctor or an engineer. 

Beyond these, it is necessary to study, think about, debate over, assimilate in life and contribute to the development of science. Biswa Parichay is a book on science written for children. The poet said that he wrote it just to show the way of discussing science in an entertaining and understandable manner for all. Many critics call it the best book on science in Bangla literature. 

In it, the poet has discussed physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy, all in a manner of telling a story combining science with life in society. This is the one characteristic that has made this unique among all Bangla books on science. 

When our intellectuals are struggling to find Bangla terms for scientific words and are at wit's end, there is a good example in this book which shows that there is no barrier to discussing the most complex scientific ideas in the Bangla language. 

This book is not only a scientific explanation of the world, but also a linguistic explanation of it. After discussing the growth and development of the universe, Tagore said, almost in passing: “Eijonnoi amader bhashay ei bishshoke bole JaGaT. Orthat er shongga hochchhe e cholchhe, cholatei er utpotti, cholai er shobhab" (So in our language this universe is called jagat. The definition of it is it is going on, it grows out of movement, and its nature is to keep moving). 

I learnt from the writings of Kalim Khan, a linguist in West Bengal, India, that in the Bangla word ja-ga-t, ja = origin, ga = development and t = revolutionary change. (Paroma Bhashar Shongket by Kalim Khan, published by Papyrus, Dhaka.) 

Since Tagore wrote this book many scientific ideas and information have changed. Except those few things, the book is as new as if it was written yesterday. It is known that more school students in our country prefer humanities and commerce to science. This is because presentation of science, the most interesting subject of all, is very insipid in our classrooms and so students fail to enjoy the reading of it. 

Those who study medical science and engineering do so not so much either for their interest in science or for working for humanity as for the money these professions will fetch -- yet there are not many doctors and engineers in our country. Again, a scientific outlook is necessary for everyone, irrespective of what group s/he studies in; it is imperative for the development of the nation as well. 

There are five chapters in this book. Notes can be given at the end of each chapter, showing the changes in modern scientific ideas. Each chapter can be studied in different grades. This article is written as an appeal to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to make Biswa Parichay compulsory reading for all from Class IV to VIII. 

It will help learners achieve a scientific outlook, understand that all branches of knowledge are unified at a deeper level of understanding, remove some harmful misunderstandings about Tagore from our social life, and ultimately learn to have joy in earning knowledge about our JaGaT.

Shariful Alam

The Bengal Legend: Shamsur Rahman

If Robindranath Tagore was the last poet in the Bengali tradition, Jibanananda Das was the first of a new breed. And this new breed, in the trend of Bengali modern and post modern poetry, has been unarguably continuous with the powerful contributions of Shamsur Rahman.

Shamsur Rahman emerged in his time as the most popular poet of modern Bengali literature. Popularity apart, Shamsur Rahman had distinguished himself as an extraordinary poet presenting a paradigm hitherto best chosen. It is a fact that his most familiar poetic diction, choice of words and thematic preferences took not much time to reach the heart of the readers. Today it can be said without exaggeration that the poetry of Shamsur Rahman has become the defining essence of modernism in 21st century Bengali poetry.

Shamsur Rahman was born on 24th October 1929 in Dhaka. He studied at Pogos High School [matriculation in 1945], Dhaka College and Dhaka University. Shamsur Rahman wrote most of his poems in free verse, often with the rhythm style known as Poyaar or Aakhsharbritto. It is popularly known that he followed this pattern from poet Jibanananda Das. He also wrote poems in two other major patterns of Bengali rhythmic style, namely, Matrabritto and Shorobritto. 

Of Bengali modern poets, poet Shamsur Rahman was equally popular in both Banglas. Surely, his early poems bear the influence of Jibanananda's and some other poets like Satyendranath Dutta and Buddhadeb Bose. However, before long, he thoroughly overcame all influences and created a post modern poetic diction. However, as his style and diction matured, his message appeared to touch urban hearts. In fact, he gave huge attention to liberal humanism, human relations, romanticised rebellion of youth, the emergence of consequent events in Bangladesh, and opposition to religious fundamentalism in his poetry and writings and these were considered mostly comprehensible. His poetic talent has reserved a crown for him in Bengali modern poetry. 

Bengali literature received a big blow with the death of Bangladesh's poet laureate Shamshur Rahman in 2006. 


Shariful Alam

Digital distractions

Imagine you are sitting in your living room, looking at your friend's new photos on Facebook. Old friends start to send instant messages, and you have your email account open on a different window. Other links are also open, where you are browsing for information. Your television is also switched on and your cell phone rings, you pick it up, and while conversing, you try to read and send a text message. Looking obliquely from the corners of your eyes at the computer screen and someone enters your room and you finish your important family talks.

You must be thinking that this is exactly what you do. It doesn't take much imagination to conjure up this scenario, because in this era of technology, all of us go through this situation. But a growing body of research suggests that people are paying a mental price for their addiction to electronic gadgets.

Today's office workers face a lot of distractions. There are some with a Facebook obsession and others who check multiple e-mail accounts throughout the day. Inside office cubicles, workers can surf the web or text without worrying about whether anyone is looking over their shoulder. 

It is also common for students to browse the internet with their cell phones in classrooms and while riding CNGs three-wheelers or rickshaws. 

Digital distractions are everywhere.


We have so many ways of communicating that it's nearly impossible to simply answer a call, research something online or jot down a note without transitioning to other tasks.

PC World recently published an article saying the biggest digital distracters are calls and texts from our cell phones, emails, instant messages and social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter.

The article is great because so many of us don't realise how much time we drain on these forms of remote communication. They've become so deep-seated in our day to day lives that, for some of us, it's hard to imagine what the world would be like if we didn't know whether someone has changed his/her profile picture or not, or what your cousin and friends abroad are doing. 

In 2009, David McCandless, a writer, conducted a survey, The Hierarchy of Digital Distraction, to spot the attention-grabbers. The iPhone and e-mail topped the list. 

The hierarchy showed the entries at the top of the pyramid wins attention over the lower levels. Landline still has a place, but it is thoroughly trumped by anything coming in on your iPhone.

Facebook makes a surprisingly low showing, occupying only the lowest two levels of the hierarchy.

At the very top of the pyramid is the ultimate arbiter of them all: significant other closing the laptop lid on your fingers. At the very bottom? Any kind of actual work.


Nevertheless, we cannot controvert the fact that rapid advances and continuous innovation in technology have made the world a smaller place. The internet has made it possible to access information and communicate free of charge with a person sitting at the other end of the world at the click of a button. 

It is amazing how technology has slowly entered our lives and become a part of our daily activities, even without our conscious knowledge.

When using technology, we should keep in mind the best and worthy use of it. Our goal is a harmonious balance between our daily productive lives and feeling like we are still clued in on the world around us being completely digitised.

Let us see whether the points below can help us come up with ways to take away the distraction part from the equation. 

Schedule your surfing -- Give yourself a block of time to catch up on all your Facebook contacts, personal email, and news feeds. 

Create a schedule that allows you to check in with your inbox, friend's list and social networking friends on a reasonable basis. 

Limit yourself to one email account, Facebook page and instant message screen name. 

If you are constantly refreshing a favourite site or pressing send/receive on your mail client, then you are not actively engaged -- you are probably avoiding your long-term priorities, which show you are wasting time and energy.

While you are trying to read something online, do not log on to social networking sites. Stick to that very topic, do not open more than four or six links on different topics or else, you will end up remembering nothing.

Settle on a schedule that works for you. We all have different priorities, commitments and levels of activity. Determine how much time you can comfortably spend “plugged in” to these digital distractions and work from there. 

If possible, make more time for people, not people's emails, status updates or instant messages. When we engage with people face-to-face, we're able to dive a lot deeper into conversation, resulting in a pleasant experience for both parties. 

Limit the number of times you check your phone while you are really working on something online.

A break from work should be a restorative action, chatting with a friend online about your project isn't a break. It's a distraction.

Distractions exist because we allow it. It's human nature to wonder what we're missing and we want to be the first to receive an update from a loved one or a piece of gossip from a well-placed source. E-mails, text messaging, push updates, and chat sessions may make us more productive than we've ever been -- in fact, they may be vital in helping us do our jobs, but for many, it may reduce the ability to focus on a single task for more than a few minutes at a time. Rather than multitasking, we are being distracted.

Shariful Alam 

Digital Bangladesh: Farmers wise up online

A big chunk on the map of Bangladesh happens to comprise of rural areas. Thus, the dream of a 'Digital Bangladesh' can never be achieved by leaving behind the interests of our rural co-habitants. Everyone has the right to information and development. But Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID) took the provision of this right one step further by providing them with a very modern solution to the problems of our rural farmers by launching their e-krishok campaign. The campaign provides farmers with information and advisory services, so that the farmers can increase their income as well as generate new sources of income.

Bangladeshi farmers have to go through numerous hardships. Natural calamities cannot be avoided. However, if the farmer knew when to expect one and thereby take appropriate preventive measures, maybe  some of his crops could be saved. Besides natural calamities, he is always running the risk of crop infestations and rainfall that is either too low or too high, thereby producing poor yields. Due to poor education, many farmers may be following the practices of his fore-fathers blindly, without looking for better agricultural methods or practices.

Without proper information, a farmer whose crops have been infested by pests, for example, would think that this is the end and that his crops are only destined to die. This would mean a bad income that year, and no food for his family.

So what if this farmer was armed with easy access to the correct information at the correct time? This could lighten his load by ridding him of numerous uncertainties during his agricultural process and thereby raise his family's living standards. A better living standard for the farmers would mean a more developed Bangladesh. This is the prime aim of the e-Krishok campaign.

Through e-Krishok, farmers can get information and advice not just on agricultural issues, but also on other issues relevant to the Bangladeshi farmer, like animal husbandry, fisheries, rural cottage industry and handicrafts.

BIID , with support from UNDP, has teamed up with Grameenphone by setting up Community Information Centres all over the country. In the pilot phase, 10 Centres had been opened in various locations, but the aim is to scale this up to more than 1000 locations in the country.

So how does this e-krishok campaign work? When a farmer faces a problem or needs information relating to an agricultural or animal husbandry issue, he only has to visit his nearest community information center and using the e-Krishok agricultural services, the farmer can get reliable and correct information as to what he should do. The farmer has to inform the entrepreneur of the CIC the nature of his problem or the kind of information he is looking for. The entrepreneur then searches for the solution on http://www.ruralinfobd.com or if the solution is not available there, he e-mails the information of the problem to the agricultural expert of e-Krishok. The agricultural expert will get back to him with a solution via an e-mail. This way, the farmer can get a solution to his problem within a 24 hour time span.

BIID is also engaged in the process to build the capacity of the CIC entrepreneurs to provide better services and facilities to the customers thereby adding value to the user experience of the customers. The District Commissioner Offices are leading the initiative of training on using the Computer, Internet and all other ICTs with the support of a 150 trainers pool. More and more people are getting trained on how they will run their telecentre and what will be their role. This again would help in raising employment opportunities in the rural areas.

The achievements of this campaign are after setting up more than 100 information centres were as follows:

Around 1400 farmers could be reached either directly or indirectly through the campaign. They now have around 1200 registered members. A total of around 6000 queries of framers have been handled by the CICs and around 1800 farmers have reported to have benefited from applying the information or advice of the CICs.

Initially, it is but natural for the farmers to be cautious and mistrustful of anything new, especially something that they do not understand. However, the e-Krishok campaign has shown the farmers that they can rely on ICT to improve their livelihoods through better techniques and practices.

Here's to a greener 'Digital Bangladesh'.

Shariful Alam

Toxic chemicals in food chain

We are alarmed at the news item that scientists have discovered high concentration of toxic chemicals like cadmium, lead and chromium in fertilisers that are being used by our farmers for better yield of agricultural produce. Zinc, cadmium and lead are basic ingredients for manufacturing batteries and tin but zinc fertiliser is being used in Bangladesh for the last three decades to save soil from sterility. 

Experts are of the opinion that such harmful chemicals, if used for a long time, find their way into the food chain and thereby put human health at considerable risk. On top of that, if the situation is not reversed toxic chemicals are likely to endanger microscopic organisms and eventually the entire agriculture ecosystem of the country. Prof Dr ABM Faroque of the department of pharmacy of the University of Dhaka has to say that once in food chain, cadmium and lead could affect liver, kidney and cause blood cancer and thalassemia. Chromium in blood could affect human reproductive system resulting in the birth of deformed babies. The vulnerability of the consumers therefore is obvious and it needs to be addressed without further loss of time. 

Some good words must be said about the Soil Resources Development Institute (SRDI) which has been able to identify highest 40,258 ppm (parts per million) cadmium and 31,292 ppm lead in zinc sulphate, whereas the allowable level of cadmium and lead is only 10 ppm and 100 ppm respectively. Furthermore, the experts suspect that manufacturers use expired battery cells, waste of tin or steel as zinc for low cost. We wonder with so much risks in evidence around how the various government agencies responsible for checking such things could remain oblivious to the danger for such a long time! 

There is no scope for debate on the importance of launching a massive laboratory testing campaign pertaining to chemicals and other substances being used in crops, vegetables, bottled water, soft drinks, confectionary items and other varieties of finished foods. Such action no doubt would go a long way in ensuring safety of the health of the citizens of the country. We are reassured by the fact that agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury has spoken about taking action against fertiliser adulteration. We only hope her words would be translated into action very soon.




Shariful Alam