With 4IR knocking on the door, is Bangladesh ready?
The early advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), caused by Covid-19, has posed a threat to our productivity, employment, and the overall socio-economic condition, leading to a paradigm shift in work habits last year. The lockdowns forced us to work from home, which later turned into the norm even after workplaces started opening. The gig economy gained popularity and people started doing multiple part-time jobs remotely. Work hours also became flexible, and employers began to focus on result-oriented jobs rather than routine-based ones. And technology enabled us to complete more tasks, resulting in far greater yields. The digital lifestyle changed our way of life — digital commerce, over-the- top (OTT) streaming services and mobile financial services (MFS) made our lives dependent on technology, and slid further into 4IR territory. As 4IR becomes more integral to our lives, there are many challenges ahead for Bangladesh, where infrastructural and skilled HR support is inadequate. Unfortunately, the arduousness of these challenges has yet to be realized by not only most policymakers, but also by most leaders in the business community. Then there is the RMG industry, which being the largest industry of the country also faces the biggest challenge. In the last four decades, this entire industry grew capitalizing on the fact that the country can offer cheap labour. Hence the clothing merchants and retailers around the world sent their clothes to Bangladeshi RMG factories to be cut and sown and folded and packed, and then shipped back to their stores.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.