Home ›› 25 Oct 2021 ›› Editorial
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was observed in Bangladesh and different parts of the globe on October 17. The day is an opportunity to not only acknowledge the difficulties the poor face worldwide but also to make the concerns on poverty heard by all, particularly the policymakers. The United Nations (UN) at its General Assembly in December 1992 declared that October 17 would be observed annually as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. All member states were invited to promote activities towards poverty eradication in their respective national contexts. Calculating a poverty line grounded on some lowest standard level of consumption and assessing the proportion of population below the line, are the most frequently used standard for the measuring income or consumption related poverty.
It must be admitted that Bangladesh has made significant progress regarding reduction of poverty. Time was, and not too long ago the majority of Bangladeshis were poor. At one time most of the people of Bangladesh were poor. But that no longer is the case. World Bank Vice President for the South Asian region Hartwig Schafer said “Bangladesh has proved that with commitment and determination of the government and the people, a country can come out of poverty and emerge as a low middle-income country within only a span of four decades. To accelerate growth and reach the next level of development, the country will need to create more and better jobs for its youth. A robust private sector, conducive business climate, skilled labor force, efficient infrastructure along with the right policies and quick actions will be critical."
Having said that it should also be said that poverty is a highly complex issue. It is also a multidimensional one. While progress has been made in addressing income related poverty, there has been less success in addressing the other important dimensions of poverty, including the rapidly growing impact of the environment, within a more holistic approach. Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to pollution and environmental risks. To achieve upper-middle income status, Bangladesh must act now to tackle environmental degradation and pollution, especially in its sprawling urban areas. The unholy environment-poverty nexus manifests itself most particularly in health effects. For example, waterborne diseases are widespread because ha significant portion of the population still does not have access to clean drinking water. The poor also tend to be more vulnerable to the effects of air and water pollution given their limited access to quality health care. The prevalence of disease exacerbates poverty mainly by compelling the poor to devote ever increasing proportions of their limited income to health costs. And also, by reducing productivity.
Bangladesh requires effective policies, a sound legal framework, and stronger institutions at the national and local levels. The country also needs to scale up green financing, promote clean technologies, improve hazardous waste management, and raise awareness for environmental protection. Unplanned urbanization and industrialization are affecting both big and small cities. In the last four decades or so, Dhaka lost about 75 percent of its wetlands. Due to filling of wetland and now, with high-rise buildings built on sand-filled areas, parts of the city are more susceptible to flood inundation. Smaller cities see a similar toll from unplanned urbanization. For instance, since 1990, Pabna lost half of its wetlands, and its lifeline, the Ichhamoti river, is dying a painful death. Dhaka and other cities can and must do far more to prevent encroachment, as well as invest in and sustainably manage their wetlands and canals.
We live in an unequal world, where the lack of food and other necessities is a symptom of deeper systemic issues. Attempts to solve global environmental challenges must consider the nature and scale of human need around the world. Climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, pollution, and other aspects of global environmental change are not only environmental problems; they are also economic and social ones. From an environmental perspective, both poverty and unsustainable patterns of production and consumption are key drivers of environmental degradation. At the same time, environmental degradation and climate change can drive poverty. While there is no easy solution, poverty and the environment must be addressed together.
Smallholder farmers depend on their crops for both food and income. When droughts, natural disasters, or some other climate change-related event push them off their land, they often sink deeper into poverty. In wealthy countries, insurance acts as a safety net for farmers, allowing them to cope with bad crop yields and recover from disasters in a timely manner. Farmers in low-income countries like Bangladesh meanwhile, often don’t have this support. The same goes for small-scale fisheries in developing countries who depend on their daily catch to get by. Livelihoods tied to subsistence — like farmers and fishermen in developing countries — are threatened by climate change and the people who fall into these categories often don’t have the resources to become climate resilient. Farming and fishing are just two professions, but they represent hundred of millions of people across the globe. In many countries, Bangladesh included, agriculture is the among the primary drivers of the economy, with fishing being a major source of commerce as well. Climate change can also affect the flow of people escaping poverty. Poverty reduction is largely driven by asset accumulation. With reduced income due to lower agricultural productivity and asset losses due to natural disasters, asset accumulation would naturally slow down. natural disasters often affect human capital, a critical component of capital accumulation, especially for children who may be pulled out of school or suffer permanent health consequence. Furthermore, natural risks, for instance the risk of a drought, can keep people poor by affecting behaviors. If increased likelihood of drought makes investments riskier, people may decide to invest less, which may make it impossible for them to escape poverty. An increase in drought frequency and intensity brought about by climate change could, therefore, hamper poverty reduction by creating a disincentive to save and invest. If the assets of the poor are more exposed or vulnerable than the assets of richer individuals, climate change may increase inequality. Moreover, a pronounced difference in exposure and vulnerability between rich and poor could disconnect the impact of climate change on poverty from the impact on growth. As global temperatures and sea levels rise, as the oceans acidify and precipitation patterns get rearranged, people living in poverty are the most severely impacted. Since climate change affects everything from where a person can live to their access to health care, millions of people could be plunged further into poverty as environmental conditions worsen. Climate change is also expensive for developing countries like ours that have to redirect budgets to cope with environmental crises. The money spent dealing with climate change also means less money spent on health care, education, job training, and other poverty reduction initiatives.
Assessing and managing future impacts of climate change on poverty requires different metrics, and specific studies focusing on the vulnerability of poor people. The fight against climate change and poverty are closely interrelated. Investments made to mitigate or adapt to climate change will inevitably reduce poverty, and investments made to reduce poverty will better protect people against the growing environmental crisis. The authorities concerned can distribute hardier and more nutritious seeds to farmers, while providing them access to loans, grants, markets, technologies, and data that can boost harvests. The government should invest more in reforestation and coastline restoration projects to improve water security, protect communities from natural disasters, and create economic opportunities.
The writer is Senior Assistant Editor of The Business Post
