Lessons in Sustainable Development from Bangladesh and India

Simi Mehta, Vikash Kumar, Arjun Kumar

• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9783319954837
• Topic: Economía
• Subtopic: Economía del desarrollo

This Palgrave Pivot looks through social, economic, institutional, and environmental lenses to examine sustainable development in India and Bangladesh. The effects of climate change make this comparative study particularly pertinent, as rising sea levels and severe weather events will lead to displacement and migration, exacerbating existing issues. India and Bangladesh share similar cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and, as a result, face similar challenges: rapid population growth, widespread poverty, food insecurity, and gender inequality. Developing a sustainable future will require policymakers to consider all of these elements in their efforts to create human security.

© The Author(s) 2018

Simi Mehta, Vikash Kumar and Arjun KumarLessons in Sustainable Development from Bangladesh and IndiaComparative Studies of Sustainable Development in Asiahttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95483-7_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction

Simi Mehta¹ , Vikash Kumar² and Arjun Kumar¹

(1)

Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi, Delhi, India

(2)

Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, Chandigarh, Chandigarh, India

Simi Mehta (Corresponding author)

Vikash Kumar

Arjun Kumar

Email: [email protected]

1.1 Background

1.2 Significance of the Sustainable Development Goals in Bangladesh and India

1.3 Parameters of Sustainable Development

1.4 Conclusions and Way Forward

Bibliography

Abstract

The introductory chapter has a brief description of the geographical, social, and economic contours of South Asia in general and of India and Bangladesh in particular. It involves a discussion over the multi-dimensional nature of sustainable development and its significance for these two fast-developing countries. It also recognizes the need for a comprehensive approach toward environmental, social, and economic sustainability highlighting the need for citizen participation at every level of governance and development processes. This chapter also involves a discussion of the concepts of core parameters of sustainable development and why they matter to South Asia in general and Bangladesh–India in particular.

Keywords

South AsiaSDGs in IndiaSDGs in BangladeshParameters of Sustainable DevelopmentEnvironmentClimate change

End Abstract

1.1 Background

The concept of sustainable development has evolved over time. Up until the mid-1980s, the concept focused mainly on the environment, especially environmental protection strategies. However, because sustainable development is an expansive grid that impacts and intertwines each person on the planet regardless of class, gender, race, or national origin (Lele 1991), the narrative of sustainable development has increasingly embraced the social and economic dimensions as well (International Union for Conservation of Nature 2006). The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), chaired by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, was established in 1983 to address this issue. Following four years of work the Commission presented its report, entitled Our Common Future (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987), which introduced the most widely accepted definition of sustainable development today.

With the institutionalization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations (UN) in September 2015, the social, environmental, and economic objectives in policies and interventions for sustainable development have been formally integrated (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations 2016).

This has further expanded the debate to revisit the conventional development model as well as human relationship with the nature to critically analyze the meaning and character of development both in north and south. The conventional model of development is based on material growth and high consumption in the western world which supposedly leads to social welfare. Modern environmentalists have criticized the western centric development model due to its inherent problems. The third world or countries having industrial transition tend to follow the path of the western model of development resulting in serious exploitation of natural resources, albeit with severe adverse consequences.

South Asian economic transition is fast churning, thus making it a very dynamic region. South Asia is also one the most diverse regions in the world with vast disparities among nations in terms of geography, population, polity, and socio-economic development levels. It hosts nearly one-third of the global population with 36 percent people living under poverty and 50 percent of the world’s malnourished children. The region has countries with the highest GDP growth rates yet they contribute less than 10 percent of the global GDP (World Bank 2016). The South Asian average GDP growth rate was 6.7 percent in 2016–2017. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and India recorded high GDP growth rates between six and seven percent during the same period, whereas the GDP growth rate of Afghanistan was about 2.5 percent (Asian Development Bank 2017a, b). A similar contrast could be noticed in geography, as India constitutes more than two-thirds of South Asian land area, economy, and population. Bangladesh too has achieved a notable success in improving its socio-economic indicators over the years (Asian Development Bank 2017a, b).

These fast-developing economies coexist with poverty, illiteracy, homelessness, conflict, poor health system, high mortality, and lack of other basic services that expose major development gaps, barriers, and bottlenecks (UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 2017). In the race of achieving high economic output, rapid industrialization, rampant urbanization, and unabated exploitation of natural resources put serious challenges on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Moreover, the region is exposed to several environmental consequences including climate change which causes flood, drought, erratic rainfall, and change in weather patterns. Over exploitation of arable lands for high output has resulted in declining fertility and high levels of toxics in the soil.

In the background of the post-development theories of sustainable development and human well-being, this chapter involves a discussion of the concepts of economic, social, and environmental parameters of sustainable development and explore the reasons for their significance in South Asia in general and situate their special relevance to Bangladesh and India. The basic premise of the sustainable development discourse that would be assessed here is that it demands substantial investments to create long-term economic, social, and institutional benefits without compromising the natural environment. It would embrace the overarching need to respond to the complexity and uncertainty of sustainable development through dedicated governance and relevant policies. It also links these issues to the UN SDGs according to Agenda 2030 adopted by the UN in September 2015. (See Chap. 2 for additional details.)

Thus, to address the series of complex and interrelated issues of the region, the comprehensive and targeted SDGs are important to South Asia (World Bank 2016). The following indicative map of South Asia, which is often referred to as the Indian subcontinent, depicts the unique settings in which Bangladesh and India are located (Fig. 1.1).

Fig. 1.1

Map of India and Bangladesh. (Source: drawn by the authors)

Bangladesh and India are intricately connected through a common culture, history, and geographical proximity. Until 1947, both were a part of British India, after which both became sovereign nations. From 1947 to 1971, Bangladesh was called East Pakistan as it was a part of Pakistan. It was only in 1971 that Bangladesh attained its independent state status. As a result, the history and cultural ties on both sides are very similar and so are the dialect and the script in and around that area. While India is diverse in its geography, climatic features, and local weather patterns, Bangladesh is primarily a low-lying riparian country located between the foothills of the Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal. The climate of India is greatly influenced by the presence of the Himalayas, Thar Desert, and Indian Ocean, which keeps the subcontinent warmer than other regions at similar latitudes by acting as a barrier to the cold winds flowing from Central Asia. The weather conditions of the northern region of the country alternates with seasons of severe summer and cold winter. The coastal regions of the country receive frequent rains and have nearly uniform warmth throughout the year.

The country accounts for 2.42 percent of the world’s total land area and sustains 16 percent of the world population. The climate of India is dominated by the Asiatic monsoon, most importantly by rains from the southwest between June and October, and drier winds from the north between December and February. From March to May the climate is dry and hot.

The northernmost point of the Indian mainland lies in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the southernmost point is Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. From its northernmost point to the southern tip, India stretches to 3200 kilometers (2000 miles) and has twenty-nine states and seven Union Territories.

India has about 91,000 species of animals and 45,500 species of plants (Goyal and Arora (eds.) 2009), that have been documented in its ten bio-geographic regions. Of these 12.6 percent of mammals, 4.5 percent of birds, 47 percent of reptiles, 61.2 percent of amphibians, and 33 percent of Indian plants are endemic (Alfred 2006), being found nowhere else in the world. The country also contains many threatened species. These include 213 species of mammal, 149 birds, 33 reptiles, and 148 amphibians (Goyal and Arora (eds.) 2009). The country has three of 34 ‘global biodiversity hotspots’—unique, biologically rich areas...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Institutional Framework for Addressing Sustainable Development in India and Bangladesh
• 3. Experiments and Experiences of MDGs in India and Bangladesh in the Context of SDGs
• 4. Measurement of Sustainable Development in India and Bangladesh
• 5. The Way Forward: Advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals in India and Bangladesh
• Back Matter