United News of Bangladesh

After collecting feedback from bicyclists and other stakeholders across four cities in Bangladesh, India and Ghana, a new study shows policymakers devising ways to cut emissions in their countries must meet people where they are and not rely on the same policies that have worked in richer countries. In many high-income countries, bicycling on city streets is becoming more common— being promoted and invested in both for its health benefits and its benefits to our environment and climate. The new study published in Nature Cities shows that policies that address the needs of bicyclists are far less common in low- and middle-income countries. Read More: Europa likely unsuitable for life despite hidden ocean, study finds This, despite the fact that 49 of the top 50 countries with the most polluted air are located in the Global South and 82 percent of CO2 emissions over the remainder of the century are projected to occur there. The study evaluates the current state of bicycling in the Global South and what can be done to increase its use as a tool for reducing emissions and improving air quality. “There is enormous potential for bicycling to be used as a way to reduce harmful pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector in low- and middle-income countries,” says Kavi Bhalla, one of the study’s co-authors and an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Chicago’s Biological Sciences Division. “But just because certain policies work to boost bicycling in cities in the United States or Europe doesn’t mean the same policies will be successful in countries in the Global South, where the context is much different. Our study digs into that local context so policymakers can better design policies to fit their local needs.” Read More: Rising medicine prices threaten healthcare for marginalised communities, warns study Bhalla and his co-authors including those from Bangladesh studied bicycling in four similar low- and middle-income cities: Delhi and Chennai (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Accra (Ghana). The locations they chose are all rapidly densifying and expanding cities with flat terrain, heterogeneous traffic, and marked by very hot summers and seasonal flooding. The authors gathered both “in the moment” feedback and interview testimony from more than 550 bicyclists and other stakeholders. They discovered that bicycling is a mode of everyday transportation for some. But the typical rider was a low-income man cycling a long distance to work each day, with fewer low-income women also riding bicycles to travel shorter distances and on quieter neighborhood roads. But the conventional belief was, once someone could afford an automobile, they would no longer use a bicycle. Those who did bicycle faced harsh and risky road conditions. Along with needing to cope with extreme heat, heavy rains and flooding, they also needed to navigate roads that were built to accommodate high-speed automobiles. In the few areas where separated bicycle lanes existed, they were often either blocked by parked cars or vendors, taken over by motorcyclists escaping roadway traffic, or built in affluent neighborhoods where few people actually bicycle. It is of little surprise that roadways were built without bicyclists in mind. Planning documents rarely acknowledged that people bicycled at all, and when they did it was often in reference to recreational use within beautification projects. Additionally, the responsibility of bicycling infrastructure is spread among many different agencies, while bicycle distribution policies were aimed at improving access to school for low-income girls. Bicycling cultures persist despite these barriers, sustained by informal and precarious support systems. Non-profit organizations provide tools like air pumps and water at basic public comfort stations. Meanwhile, small street-side bicycle repair shops, often no more than footpath stalls, provide maintenance and sell second-hand bicycles. Yet, many have downsized over the past decade and must regularly negotiate with police and regulatory authorities simply to continue occupying public space. “What we saw was not a lack of bicycling, but a lack of institutional support,” says Rahul Goel, one of the study’s co-authors and an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. “Bicycling continues largely because of informal systems that keep bicycling viable from day to day. These systems are essential, yet they are increasingly fragile and invisible to policymakers, even as motorized traffic and regulatory pressures make cycling harder to sustain.” Drawing on this analysis, the study concludes that large-scale increases in bicycling could meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution from the transport sector in low- and middle-income countries. However, rather than importing models from high-income settings, the authors argue that policies should start by addressing the everyday needs, constraints, and risks experienced by current bicyclists. “If we begin by making bicycling safer and more workable for those who already rely on it, we can create conditions that make bicycles a viable option for many more people and help prevent a shift toward private motor vehicles as incomes rise,” says Smruthi Bala Kannan, who led the work as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Chicago before joining the Madras Institute of Development Studies as an Assistant Professor. Read More:  Bangladesh solar power projects fail to draw investors for rigid terms: Study

Speakers at a webinar have urged the government to set the renewable energy as a priority sector to scale up its use saying that policy support is instrumental for its development.   “There’re huge potentials for renewable energy, especially solar power, for different sectors, including irrigation, and motor vehicle recharging,” said Munawar Misbah Moin, Vice President of Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA).  The BSREA, a platform of private operators in solar and renewable energy business, organised the seminar titled "Energy Access & Resilience of Bangladesh - Potentials and Challenges" with its president Dipal Barua in the chair.   Also read: Policy support instrumental for renewable energy development: Experts The organizers said the seminar was arranged in order to send its outcomes to the "Blue Zone", the window and connector of people to COP26.  Chairman of Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda) Mohammad Aladdin and Energypac CEO and director Nurul Aktar also addressed the seminar. BSREA general secretary Data Magfur conducted the event.  Munawar Moin said solar home systems (SHSs) have been the best example of success in renewable energy as it illuminated 6 million homes across the country.  Now solar irrigation, solar chilling systems for rural industry, solar recharging stations for electric vehicles have new potential areas for renewable energy where it could be utilized for climate resiliency, he added.  Also read: G20 leaders to tackle energy prices, other economic woes Nurul Aktar said renewable energy could be imported through cross-border transmission lines. He said a strong policy support is essential for the further growth of the renewable energy sector as Bangladesh will need to generate 16,000 MW of power from this source while the country’s total power generation will reach 40,000 MW by 2030. Dipal Barua said the country is now generating 850 MW power from renewable sources where solar power’s contribution has been the highest.  Mohammad Aladdin said the government is now moving forward to introduce a floating solar system as the country has scarcity of lands.  He said an initiative has been taken to develop wind power plants as well.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday stressed the need for having adequate policy support from the USA government to expand bilateral trade between the two countries. “It’s important that both the countries provide adequate policy support to further expand bilateral trade,” she said while addressing the virtual launching of the US-Bangladesh Business Council in a pre-recorded video message. The Prime Minister mentioned that Bangladesh buys a considerable amount of industrial raw materials and consumer items like cotton, soybean and wheat from the United States.  “All these items enjoy zero tariff in Bangladesh,” she added. Regarding development, she said the United States has remained as a strong partner in Bangladesh’s journey towards democracy and development. “It’s [US] the largest destination of our exports, the largest source of foreign direct investment, a longstanding development partner and an important source of technology and training.” The Prime Minister said while Bangladesh’s dependence on foreign aid has come down substantially, the need for foreign direct investment increased to create jobs for millions of youths.  Also read: Will work together with Bangladesh, global partners against Covid-19 pandemic: Miller

The marginalised and the vulnerable population of the country are still in "dire need of policy support" in view of COVID-19 although the government announced a number of stimulus incentives in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, experts say.