Dhaka – Simon Maxwell, a leading thinker on international development on Saturday stressed the need for visionary leadership, appropriate policies and their implementation by enlisting the participation of all to make development climate compatible.
Delivering the anniversary lecture 2015 of the Centre for Policy Dialogue at the Westin Dhaka he said while zero carbon development is the 2070 goal Bangladesh should focus on appropriate policy development and their implementation because in the global process there will be winners as well as losers in the race.Simon said adoption of low cost renewable energy by neighbouring countries might make their textile industries more competitive than that of Bangladesh which is largely dependent on RMG exports. Then again agriculture still employs 30 percent of Bangladesh’s labour force b shall remain a major contributor of Co2 emissions to the atmosphere.
While pursuing low carbon development developing countries should be able to fare well in competiveness indices in order not to fall behind in the development race. The leadership therefore should not only be visionary but also persuasive to evoke response and participation of concerned stakeholders for desired results.
Prof. Rehman Sobhan, founder chairman of CPD drew attention to the challenges lying ahead and said all depended on the way the major carbon emitters like the US and China responded to the call for climate compatible development. Prof Sobhan pointed out that while China has committed low carbon development and has but now turned into the largest exporter of solar panels all over the world; Republican leaders of the US were still terming the plan for climate compliant development as a conspiracy against the potentials of the US private sector.
The lecture attended by climate researchers, activists, government officials, and members of the diplomatic corps.
The lecture session on ‘Climate Compatible Development: Pathway or Pipedream?’ presided over by CPD chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan, the programme was moderated by CPD distinguished fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya.
UNB adds: Maxwell, also a senior research associate at the UK’s leading independent think tank Oversees Development Institute (ODI), lauded the socio-economic development of Bangladesh and its leadership role in the international climate forum, including the climate vulnerable forum.
Talking about the SDGs, he suggested taking take SDGs seriously but not taking it absolutely and literally. But, he said, the poverty reduction and social inclusion goals of the agenda are non-negotiable ones.
He said climate compatible development offers a framework for thinking about the pathway for dealing with changes, while simultaneously achieving the poverty reduction and other targets embedded in the SDGs.
Maxwell said climate compatible development emphasises not only mitigation and adaptation within countries, but also the impact on individual countries of transformation in the wider global economy. In this context, innovation becomes a key concept and competitiveness is an essential tool, he added.
“Prof. Rehman Sobhan said Bangladesh allocated fund from domestic resources for the Padma Bridge, when the World Bank withdrew its finance. The political challenge was met by the Prime Minister. They committed Tk 28000 crore to construct Padma Bridge,” he said.
Rehman Sobhan, however, doubted whether Bangladesh would be able to do the same if the global community did not invest any significant money in mitigation of and adaptation to climate change impacts in Bangladesh and other developing countries. – News Desk
