The High Court (HC) has recommended the establishment of a separate development authority to protect and preserve the Sundarbans.
Citing the example set by Germany in raising the proportion of renewable energy generation in its national power mix, the higher court also recommended the enactment of a renewable energy act and establishment of a renewable energy ministry and a renewable energy commission in a bid to expedite clean power generation. The court asked the government to prepare a masterplan to make the country cent percent powered by renewable energy.
The HC bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil placed the recommendations in a full judgement that was uploaded on the Supreme Court (SC) website recently.
The High Court delivered the full verdict in a public interest litigation writ filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).
Responding to the writ seeking an order to protect vulnerable wildlife habitats to save the wetlands across the country, the HC in its full verdict has compared the destruction of biodiversity and ecocide with a crime against humanity. It also recommended that such crimes be included in the International Criminal Tribunal Act for the proper trail.
In the verdict, the court said that destruction of the environment was mainly caused by conflicts and violence. The wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan are the latest examples. Every war kills people and destroys plants, animals and biodiversity.
The HC bench said that genocide is the annihilation or destruction or killing of a large number of people, a community, a nation, a group, or a minority religious group by a relatively strong party or group. Similarly, ecocide is the killing of life, including biodiversity, fauna, birds and plants. That is why the court has said that ecocide should be included in the International Crimes Tribunal Act.
Besides, the HC bench has placed a 14-point recommendation to make Bangladesh an eco-friendly developed country as per Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s dream. The government has also been asked to take steps to implement these recommendations immediately.
The verdict said that another name for the environment is peace. Eco-friendly governance and protection of the environment not only reduce conflicts and disputes but also ensure local and global security. So, all the development plans need to take an ecocentric (nature-centric) approach.
The 14-point recommendation calls for the adoption of a masterplan to make Bangladesh a 100% renewable energy dependent country and as an environment friendly country following the German policy, and a country of bicycle like the Netherlands.
The recommendations also include introduction of cloth bags following Japan, and the establishment of all the parks following America, especially Yosemite National Park.
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Environmentalists and others are happy over the verdict of the High Court. They said that it a historic judgement. “We have long been demanding to establish a separate ministry to promote the renewable energy sector. Our demand has been reflected in the High Court’s verdict,” said Syed Saiful Alam Shovan, an environment activist.
In response to one of the points raised by the court, he said that the current Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority wing of the power ministry is not sufficient to drive the country’s energy transition.
