Environmental resource management in Japan: lessons for Bangladesh
Bangladesh needs a proper, effective and collective approach that can combine our economy and environmental security
SHISHIR REZA
Development depends on home grown philosophy. Japan has developed their strategy by considering sustainable strategies. They take decision or implement any project by taking ideas from different ministries. Such as, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries, Ministries of Education, Ministry of Law, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of International trade and industry. Such kind of integrated approach helps them to sustainable resources management.
In Bangladesh we have to reform the environmental law and policy, forest policy, water policy, fisheries policy, land policy, petroleum resources policy. We can obtain the different ideas to collective approach. It is possible to divide the different responsibilities among the different ministries. Integration among the ministry of environment, forest, fisheries, agriculture, trade, education, law will help us to take better policy, manage the environment and explore the mineral resources by nation agency. The government of Japan allows the participation of general people in development policy making. They open the floor for public to obtain different comments. This culture in Japan provides a useful instrument for incorporating public opinion.
In Bangladesh, general people cannot share their ideas or concept with political government due to the demographic engineering under the system of political engineering. Basically the extract of development is enjoyed by the upper class. From one side, it violates the constitutional rights of general people and on the other side, this culture damages the collective management initiatives in Bangladesh. Participation of general people in policy making is essential in Bangladesh.
Regarding Japanese perspective on sustainable development, where it implies the economic growth, environmental protection and good health and happiness, the authority of Bangladesh is still in rudimentary stage irrespective of he green strategy formulation for economy and environment.
Common good is another development philosophy in Japan. It implies that there is an agreement on values, norms or common ground. Such common ground is inevitable whenever parties blend their values through a social decision process. The political parties of Bangladesh make consensus for some common causes. For example, in terms of environment and forest resources management, industrial pollution control, agricultural land shrinking and management, international treaties to oil, gas or mineral resources exploration, foreign investment for infrastructural development, fiscal deficit etc. Political parties can blend their values for sustainable management.
Regarding the Confucianism ideology and collective development, Japan has issued their forest policies, water management policies, energy policies and mineral resources management policies. In Japan, Confucianism ideology implies to the collective investment, profit, sharing, policy making, implementation and management. In this case, public agency and private are very much aware about the forest, water, mineral and energy resources management in Japan. The main responsibility of national govt. is policy formation where local govt. plays the vital role to project implementation. Local govt. is very much careful to the public interest. In Japan, forest laws deal with the landslide prevention, environmental management, water management, nature conservation and tourism development. With the system of open floor platform, local helps to the local govt. how to implement any project to explore the mineral resources or manage the forest or water resources. In 2002, Japanese government has passed the Basic Law on Energy Policy in order to promote comprehensive and integrated energy policies. This law sets forth the basic energy policy principles of ensuring energy supply, harmonization with the environment and utilization of market mechanisms. Basic Energy Plan that promotes a systematic, long-term, comprehensive approach to policies concerning energy supply and demand. In the new energy sector, solar power generation has been making steady strides forward. Japan has built their own national agency to explore the natural resources. Their institutional and technical capacity is very much effective to manage the national resources. Their scientific capacity, innovative ideas, the recent trend of research and development, field level development criteria, people oriented policy are capable enough to explore, extract and manage their own national natural resources. All are the sign of integration strategy or rules attitude practices in Japan.
Bangladesh got independence at 1971. After that she has established different agency for the collective development.
But we have seen a lack between policy formation and implementation where Bangladesh could not overcome the international pressure. Already, international companies have extended their hand through investment, loan, aid etc. As a result, the authority of Bangladesh needs a philosophical rethinking to explore and manage all types of natural resources for national benefit.
Bangladesh needs a strategy of sector centered policy approach. As the level of vulnerability of Bangladesh is increasing as a result of severe land degradation, deforestation, lack of appropriate technology and sea-level rising. The main impacts of climate change will be on the water resources and water-level changes, food security and agriculture, ecosystem and natural resource management and biodiversity, and human health. A subjective ranking of key climate change impacts and vulnerabilities for Bangladesh identifies water and coastal resources as being of the highest priority in terms of certainty, urgency, and severity of impact, as well as the importance of the resources being affected. Therefore, policies should be formulated to balance conflict of interest between livelihood requirements of the people and sound environmental resource management. The provisions of sector centered policies should therefore be critically analyzed to synchronization and ensure synergy.
Japan is now a developed country. It is important that Rome does not build in a day. Japan does not do everything in a day. They have taken huge time to create their shape around the world, Made in Japan. Natural resources are not always an indicator for development. Basically Japan has very little amount of natural resources. They have only 12% fertile land, 70% private forest, water resources, renewable energy and very short amount of mineral resources. But their law, policy, research, institutional and engineering capacity combine the industrial human resources and lower amount of natural resources.
The features of Japanese approaches to environmental resources management are very unique. Shintoism a cultural religion in Japan which implies the love with nature. In addition, giri, another Japanese culture also implies to save people, environment, and nature from calamity. These are home grown philosophy in Japan, help them to power sharing capacity, relative decentralization, natural ethics, pollution control agreement between governmnet and industries for sustainable environmental resources management.
The people of Bangladesh should have 100 per cent ownership and authority over their own natural resources. The Neo-liberal development paradigm should be replaced by a people centric development policy which is common in Japan.
Bangladesh is neither a resource-abundant country nor a resource-poor one. It has abundant sun and wind, sources of infinite renewable energy. However, it lacks the political will and institutional set-up to utilize its own resources in a way that best serves its people and the environment. We have some of the most fertile lands and rich water systems, creative and industrial work force. We have coal, gas, forests, water and valuable stones. Farmers, garment labourers and non-resident foreign workers have played imperative role in mainstream development.
We need a proper and effective, collective approach that combines our economy and environmental security. Global experiences teach us that environmental resources are the key to national sovereignty, security and development. Therefore, countries like Bangladesh have no other option but to make fundamental changes in their approach towards development to break out of the resource-curse and rent seeking model, and stay alive, enlarge and ensure environmental resources security.
The writer is an
environmental analyst
