COP-28 and the message given by cyclone Migjaum

Chinmay Prasun Biswas :

In his poem Prasna (The Question) Rabindranath asked god – Have you pardoned those who are poisoning your air? It was an ethical question but at present poison in air is really a serious danger. Just a few days ago cyclone Migjaum has showed its devastating power.

Luckily Bangladesh has escaped but such devastation occurred many times in Bangladesh.

The name Migjaum, given by Myanmar, means endurance and fortitude.

But how much developing countries are capable enough to raise their endurance against the ravages of nature which is a part of life particularly of the people of coastal area? Cyclones like Migzaum, created due to warming, has whipped us to think that it is not always easy to survive against storm.

According to statistics, the number of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean is just 4% in the world but number of deaths due to cyclones is 80%.

Ironically or coincidentally, Migjaum has hit at a time when the Cop 28 summit is ongoing in Dubai and member countries are bargaining to find out ways to prevent global warming.

We must remember that around 71% of the world is water which absorbs carbon dioxide. At the same time, it is also an area of keeping the temperature of the earth-surface at a tolerable level. Sea has also taken up the responsibility to save our civilisation.

Oceans absorb air pollution to maintain balance of our environment and perform one more job i.e. keeping the earth cool.

When surface of the ocean warms cold water currents rise up from ocean bed to cool it.

The interaction between ocean currents and upper air currents that maintains their purity is a matter of meteorology.

But recent studies say that oceans are gradually becoming unable to fight against pollution to protect the balance of nature.

The reason is – rate of pollution caused by civilisation is beyond the capacity of the ocean to clean it.

According to a World Climate Organisation report of this year, because of this failure the Atlantic Ocean alone is responsible for 30% of recent global warming.

This failure is warming up the water down to 200 metres below sea level which has made 2014-2023 the warmest decade. As a result, a deadly circle has been created. Due to this warming melting of polar ice is increasing accelerating the overall warming process.

Acidity in sea water is rising which is not only pushing marine life towards destruction but also holding a gun to our forehead.

It is to be noticed that the number of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal is increasing without following the cycle of season.

This time though December is not a cyclone time traditionally, but because of warming of sea surface, Migzaum has hit in December.

The study says that 27% of sea surface that covers 70% of the earth is a victim of heat waves. The Atlantic Ocean covers 20% of the earth’s surface and is responsible for 33% of global warming.

We human beings are actually the creator of this ambience of devastation. We know it but do not obey. As sea surface temperature rises, storms not only kill people but also destroy crops in untimely attacks. Due to increasing acidity in water fish production is decreasing.

According to a 2015 study, fishermen in the United States lost income of several billion dollars due to warming. It is not clear whether any such study has been conducted in our country but there is no doubt that coastal fishermen of Bangladesh has also suffered huge loss.

So, what is the way out? According to environmental scientists, the only way is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. For this purpose radical change in agriculture, cooking methods, industrial production process and technology is required but industries are unwilling or unable to bear the expenses required for it.

In Dubai summit some countries refused to sign the agreement to reduce the use of coal which is the most polluting fossil fuel widely used for power generation. Coal-based power plants are largely responsible for emitting more carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and other poisonous heavy materials.

With rain these harmful particles come down to earth which is known as acid-rain that imposes harmful impact on human body and agriculture. Not only through burning, coal pollutes water and air badly while carrying, loading and unloading.

Now many countries in the world are strongly trying to reduce dependence on coal for generation of power. In 2015 the UK announced to be completely coal-free by 2025. Germany plans to phase out its coal-fired power generation system by 2038. The German parliament has passed a Coal Exit Law in July, 2020 to implement the plan gradually.

In contrast, dependence of Bangladesh on coal for power generation is noticeable. Till 2020 Bangladesh government approved to build 21 coal-based power plants. Bangladesh is not a coal-rich country that can provide coal for so many power plants from own source. Bulk amount of coal for these plants is import-dependent.

There was strong public opinion against the coal-based power plant at Rampal adjacent to the Sundarbans. However, in June, 2021 the government decided to cancel approval of 10 out of those 21 coal-fired power plants. As reported, the main reason for this rethinking was not to protect environment but failure to start construction in time.

On international perspective, old technology is cheap but enemy of the environment. New technology that reduces pollution is more expensive and dominated by the developed world. Present deplorable situation of the environment has been created by the developed world and third world countries have to suffer the consequences.

For this reason developing countries have been demanding for a long time that developed countries must bear the cost of saving the environment. After long debate the Dubai summit has agreed to this demand and has established a “Loss and Damage Fund “to be managed by the World Bank to help those affected by environmental pollution. Formation of this fund was initiated in the COP-27 climate summit. After discussion of last one year this fund has been given a complete shape.

However, experts think that this fund will not prevent environmental pollution. Rather, it will try to handle the financial loss cause by pollution. But as a result of warming, how can we save ourselves from the violence of nature that we are facing? The question is, how many more summits will be required to prevent the destruction of our civilisation? From Somalia to Bangladesh, this question is running everywhere but there is no convincing answer so far which can ensure the reduction of global warming and mitigate the sufferings caused by it.

(The writer is a former
Commissioner of Taxes.)