Hi everyone! This will be my final post of the week, and the penultimate post of the semester! We have discussed a lot of things through my research on 11 different countries in the Global South. One thing I find in common between these countries is the severity of pollution, and the lack of motivation to fight pollution. I cannot recall the number of times I saw statements that talked about the dangers of high levels of PM2.5 in the atmosphere; they caused heart and lung diseases, various cancers, diabetes, thyroid problems, devastating effects on children, and so on. Yet, we see that even though these countries try to tackle the problem, there is rarely any improvement in the environment. The only remarkable change that occurred was during the lockdown season when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Even though the situation seems unpromising, I believe there is a way forward.
I echo the suggestions made by the World Bank, a source I covered in my blog post on Bangladesh. The only way we can help countries in the Global South is by pressurizing their nation leaders to enhance environmental institutions and their policies, to strengthen their levels of enforcement and accountability, and to promote resource-efficient and cleaner production of materials. By forcing leaders to be more transparent and engage better with their citizens in decision-making processes, we can even leverage on market-based instruments to unlock opportunities for green financing. If these leaders came they do not have the financial resources to do so, we should encourage our nation leaders from the Global North to help. The environment is shared by all of us, and if we do not help these countries, we will eventually suffer the consequences brought about by environmental pollution, which does not restrict or limit itself between territorial boundaries on the world map.
Of course, all of this is easier said than done. What do you think about the situation? Do you have any suggestions for these countries?
Up next, my actual final post. See you in the next one! ✿
References
Salim, N. (2021) Indonesian President Guilty of Environmental Negligence in Lawsuit over Jakarta’s Chronic Air Pollution. 17 September. ABC News. Available from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-17/air-pollution-in-indonesia-court-case-jakarta/100233996 [Accessed: 21 February 2022].
World Bank (2018) Clean and Resilient Growth in Bangladesh. 16 September. Available from: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/09/16/clean-and-resilient-growth-in-bangladesh [Accessed: 24 January 2022].