Transcript Slide 1

E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Who owes whom in the international
economy?
jointly organized by
EquityBD, JS-APMDD, MFTD, SUPRO, Unnayan Onneshan and Voice
27 July 2009 at National Press Club, Dhaka
What is Ecological Debt?
- The ecological debt is created by the effects of
preserve and exercising an unjust global
environmental situation, where a minority has
appropriated the majority of the Earth and
environmental resources and exports the
consequences of planetary degradation to the
poor majority of humankind.
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
How the ecological debt is constituted
- The extraction of natural resources
- The ecologically unequal terms of trade
- The intellectual appropriation and the use of
ancestral knowledge
- The use and degradation of the best naturals
- Contamination of the atmosphere
- The production of chemical and nuclear
weapons,
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Trend of GDP growth in colonial regime
Country 1700
1820
1890
1952
China
23.1
32.4
13.2
5.2
India
22.6
15.7
11.0
3.8
Europe
23.3
26.6
40.3
29.7
Binod Rayna
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Ecological debt and Bangladesh perspective
Bangladesh: A creditor of eco-debt!
- Bangladesh was a part of Indian subcontinent
and exploited by the British colonial regime
- Northern countries imposed flawed
development paradigm with a set of neo-liberal
policy approach
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Because Bangladesh faced
Frequent adverse Climate Change impact due to unequal use of
natural and environmental resources by the north's
- Sea level rise will inundated at least 17% of coastal land
according IPCC report, that would be also cause a creation of 30
million environmental refugee and 40% of crop damage
- Cyclone Marian (1991), SIDR (2007) and recent Aila (2009) have
made a damage of 4.7 billion US$ asset
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Because Bangladesh faced
Neo liberal policies also leads the TNCs to snatch and controlling
over the natural resources and their repatriation with huge
ecological and environmental damage
- In 1997 US company Occidental create a disaster of gas blow out
at Magurchara that damaged the loss of,
- 01 billion US$ gas
- 2.5 billion US$ environmental damage (Reserve forest and
29 Tea garden) but compensation made only 10 million.
- In 2005 Canadian company NIKO has created the same damage
through gas blow out, but didn’t made any compensation.
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Tengra Tila gas blow out
Because Bangladesh faced
The conditions of Neo liberal policies also created the country
indebted that going the process of underdevelopment in the name
so called development
The new form of looting the resources that’s are very strong than the colonial
regime. For example:
- Foreign debt promoted by the countries of the North.
- Promotion of the international market and terms which favored them.
- Flow of foreign investment.
- Privatization of energy, communications, water, and the earth.
- Green revolution.
- Practice of “free trade”
- Create technologically dependent, and the laws of intellectual property rights,
amongst many others.
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Bangladesh External Debt Stock
Agencies
Debt Stock (In million US$)
In 2007-08:
OECD Countries
2466.824
OPEC
179.837
Multi Agencies
18647.54
Total
21294.20 million
In 2008-09 (July-Nov)
357.060
G. Total
21651.26 million
Per capita Ext. debt stock
150 US$
Source: ERD & BB report janu,2009
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Debt Servicing Liability (DSL)
Total DSL for 26 donors
In 2007-08: 1962.9 million US$
In 2008-09: 2000.5 million US$
In 2009-10 (proposed)
% of Revenue budget
2411.83 million US$
20%
Total Health Budget (2008-09) 911.10 million US$
Total Health Budget (2000-10 proposed) 1026.47 million US$
The total DSL has crossed the national health budget
Source: ERD Hand Book and Budget doc
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Ecological debt and global perspective
- JS (Jubilee South) is a key player in global
perspective
- Different countries are now assessing the
ecological debt officially
- JS-APMDD promote the CSOs in movement
on Eco-Debt
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Why Eco-Debt campaign before CoP 15
in Copenhagen
- The G 8 countries clearly fail to grasp the scale
of the solution required to deal with climate
change
- WB manage Climate Change Adaptation Fund:
A Tool of business
- We demand compensation and reparation the
eco-debts
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T
Thank You All
E C O L O G IC A L D E B T