Sustainable Development
'Integrate climate issue in nat'l planning, budgeting'
Environmentalists and experts yesterday called for integrating natural resource management, conservation, and climate change into national planning and budgeting to ensure sustainable development in Bangladesh.
They also underscored the need for improving environmental governance alongside launching sensitisation campaign among policymakers and mass people so that best practices and success stories can be replicated and scaled up across the country.
They were addressing a public lecture titled "Good governance: Environment, climate change, and sustainable development" marking the 29th year of founding of the Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB) at Jatiya Press Club in the city.
Chaired by FEJB chairman Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, the programme was addressed by former environment secretaries Sabihuddin Ahmed and Syed Marghub Murshed and Dhaka University Mass Communications and Journalism teacher Dr Sudhangshu Shekhar Roy.
Sabihuddin Ahmed said the environment and forests ministry has already formulated national adaptation programme actions 2005 and 2009 and Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2008 and 2009. Now these plans should be integrated into five-year plan and national budget and it requires more direct involvement of the ministries of finance and planning, he said.
Ahmed underscored the need for involving the finance, foreign, and planning ministries and economic relations division in the environmental policymaking and planning discussions.
Syed Marghub said, "There are plenty of success stories and achievements in the field of environment in last two decades. The environment and forests ministry, environment department, and related agencies are trying to improve environmental governance and conservation of the nature with their very limited manpower and resources. But given the scale of environmental degradation and adverse impacts of climate change, we do require lot more".
The former secretary recalled the contribution of FEJB in unfolding of the green agenda in Bangladesh and urged all concerned to help check growing carbon footprints and plastic footprints in the country and prevent encroachment on land and water-bodies and environmental degradation.
Emphasising capacity building of the media, Dr Sudangshu Roy said most of the media reports on environment are now event-based rather than process-based.
FEJB member Mrinal K Roy recalled the role of the media and civil society in phasing out polybags and two-stroke three wheelers from Dhaka city and said the nation should be united in the campaign for protection of the nature, ecology, and environment.
Quamrul Chowdhury favoured promotion of green growth, green economy side by side the conservation of the nature and natural resources management to help achieve sustainable development in Bangladesh.
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