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SAARC Climate Change Conference

Developing nations struggle to stay alive

Sheikh Hafizur Rahman KARZON
Athrcc-day SAARC conference on climate change was held in Dhaka from I to 3 July, where the ministers and experts of South Asian countries resonated die judicious ^demands of developing nations to adapt vis-a-vis the impacts of the climate change. In the context of global warming, faster sea level rise, frequent devastating cyclones, floods and droughts, the SAARC countries have designed an action plan to combat the environmental challenges.
The rift between the developed and developing nations exists from 1960s when environmental issues started to become prominent in the consciousness of the international community. The Drafting and Planning Committee for the Stockholm conference in April 1972 underlined that 'environmental protection must not be an excuse for slowing down the economic progress of emerging countries.' Further development took pl^pe in 1974 when UNEP and the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) organized a symposium of experts in Cocoyoc, Mexico. The Cocoyoc Declaration clearly expressed the agony of the poor and developing nations. According to the Declaration: ‘The combined destructive impacts of a poor majority struggling to stay alive and an affluent minority consuming most of the world's resources are undermining the very means by which all people can survive and flourish."
Though the developed countries are largely responsible for environmental pollution, but the poor and least developed countries have been subjected to irreversible loss. In the sequel of global warming, the exposure of extreme events like flood, cyclone, drought, sealevel rise, vector- borne diseases are appearing recurrently in least developed countries. The Brundtiand Commission assumed a common future for all the countries, but the developed countries in the Earth Summit (1992) preferred further environmental regulation, whereas developing states accorded priority to development. The developing countries clearly conveyed that they were not ready to accept further environmental controls, without such financial assistance and transfer of technology as was necessary to offset the economic restrictions otherwise involved.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its fourth assessment report in 2007. As a result a series of political and economic meetings, including the G8 and World Economic Forum, took place and many countries updated their domestic policies to fight climate changes. In this context a good ambience has been created for international climate negotiations. China and India have played a significant role in determining future response of developing countries to global wanning and climate change.
EU urged the developing
nations not to prioritize economic growth ahead of environmental protection. Here lies the difference of opinion between the developed and developing nations. The developing nations want their development should take full pace which will help them to eradicate poverty, and ensure the basic needs of people, including food, shelter, education, medical treatment, employment, and social security. If the process of development is implemented at the cost of environment, the poor and developing nations do not hesitate to do so as global warming, ozone depiction, loss of biodiversity - as a whole
climate change is the outcome of the greenhouse gas emissions, and emission of other pollutants from developed countries. The industrialized countries have to shoulder lion responsibility of reducing the greenhouse gases and other pollutants. This reality has been reflected in the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility.” The developing countries are very much clear in their views that the developing nations cannot afford the environmental standard pursued by the EU and developed countries and it will hinder their economic progress. They, therefore, are insisting the developed countries to fund them so that they will be capable to adjust with the aftermath of the climate change.
The climate change has posed a serious threat to the existence of the South Asian countries. Scientists predict that the sea level rise may reduce Bangladesh to 20 per cent of its present size, leaving only the highlands of Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet stand out of water. The IPCC apprehends that 35 million could flee Bangladesh's flooded delta by 2050. The condi-
tion of other South Asian countries is also not good. There is fair possibility of Maldives being submerged fully under the sea water, Sri Lanka may risk a similar fate. India. Nepal and Pakistan encounter up to 40 per cent drop in food production, frequent flood and erosion. The devastating memories of super cyclones Sidr and Nargis are still fresh in the mind of the people. (The Daily Star, 01 July, 2008).
In the first two days of SAARC climate change conference, climate change experts of eight SAARC countries drafted an action plan comprising seven thematic working areas to battle the impacts
of climate change. The thematic working areas are: (i) adapting to the climate change; (ii) forming policies and finding out actions for climate change mitigation; (iii) actions for technology transfer; (iv) creating fund for investment in research; (v) working on climate change education, training, and awareness based on New Delhi work programme; (vi) monitoring, assessment and management of impact risks caused by climate change; and (vii) capacity building programme for the SAARC member states to deal with international negotiations. The expert committee prioritized clean development mechanism (CDM) projects. Currently India is implementing 342 CDM projects whereas Bangladesh is implementing only 2 such projects.
Finally Dhaka Declaration came after a ministerial level meeting of ministers from eight SAARC countries on July 3, 2008. They observed that climate change is the result of the greenhouse gas emissions by the developed countries for over last two centuries. The impacts of climate change
and environmental regulation --both have created formidable barrier for the developing nations to ensure sustainable development and achieve Millennium Development Goals. Dhaka Declaration sketched out an action plan to make sure that those were consistent with the national action plans. The action plan covers capacity building for Clean Development Mechanism projects, exchange of information on disaster preparedness and extreme events, exchange of meteorological data, capacity building and exchange of information on climate change impacts including
sea level rise, glacial melting, and threats to biodiversity, mutual consultation in international negotiation process and media briefing as and when required.
This climate change conference is significant as it has identified the reality that a large portion of the South Asian countries may be in undated within 50 years and that more and more cyclones, floods, and droughts can reduce food production, cause loss of lives and slow down economic progress. The conference is very spectacular as it courageously channeled the voice of developing nations which was very prominent in the Bali UN Climate Change Conference, 2007. It is no more a developmentenvironment debate for South Asian countries as the impacts of climate change have posed threat to our existence. Now we have to go into all out action for saving our environment, and the flora and fauna, the sacred deposit of the next generation of which we are mere repository.
Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karzon is an Assistant Professor, Law Department, Dhaka University.
***It is no more a development-environment debate for South Asian countries as the impacts of climate change have posed threat to our existence. Now we have to go into all out action for saving our environment, and the flora and fauna, the sacred deposit of the next generation of which we are mere repository. ***