Copyright ©CDRB, I SSN 0254-4199 6 ASIAN AFFAIRS CDRB publication Asian Affairs, Vol. 30, No. 2 : 5-15, April-June, 2008 THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ON WOMEN IN BANGLADESH : AN OVERVIEW MOMTAZ JAHAN Abstract Environmental degradation has become a crucial issue in the contemporary world. Although women and men relate to the environment the same way in many ways, they also use plant and animals, land and water in different ways. Whether the air, water or land is clean or polluted may not have the same affect on men and women because of their different activities and socio economic role. Impact of environmental degradation are divergent for various social groups and for different contexts. This article focuses on the gender differential impact of environmental degradation in Bangladesh and how women have to bear the outcome of nature’s maladies disproportionately. Introduction It is well established today that environmental degradation affects the Third World countries most adversely because of the vicious circle of poverty. In the Third World countries women constitute half of the entire population and they are the poorest of the poor——not merely in wealth but in every other index of development. So naturally women are the worst victims of environmental degradation as they depend upon the renewability of natural systems to provide them food, fuel, water and shelter for existence. Environment has both direct and indirect bearing on women. In this article a modest attempt has been made to theoretically discuss environmental degradation and to identify the major environmental hazards and concerns and critically analyse the effects of such degradation on women in Bangladesh. Basically, this article tries to explain the linkages of environment and women in terms of being victims of the degradation and their particular gender roles in the society. The work is done entirely on the basis of secondary sources that include review of books, journals, research reports and other secondary materials. Environmental Degradation: Theoretical Perspective In the contemporary social science literature many different theoretical perspectives are developed to root out the causes and consequences of environmental degradation. The major theoretical perspectives of environmental degradation are as follows: Pessimists or Neo-Malthusian Perspective According to this perspective, population growth is the main cause of the socio-economic problem including environmental degradation. Among other supporters of Malthus, Ehrlich and Ehrlich (1968,1990) in their books population Bomb and Population explosion have explored the idea. According to this view, pollution ,desertification, deforestation and other environmental problems are the product of population growth (Rahman, 1999:258). Overpopulation and poverty lead to uncontrolled use of resources which results in environmental degradation. Optimists or Cornucopian Perspective In this view, population growth seems to be an asset rather than a burden for the balance of environment. Julian Simon and E. Boserup (1965) are the pioneers of this view. They argue that population is not a problem rather a solution. Innovation of technology, creativity, development of new ideas have created enormous alternatives and renewable resources (Rahman, 1999:258). Similarly, innovation of different cleaning methods and ideas are the product of population explosion (Rahman,1999, Sarre and Blunden 1995). Neutral or Marxist Perspective According to this third view, population growth is not the cause of environmental degradation rather pattern of consumptions, distribution of resources, different social organizations and pattern of ownerships represent different sate of environment. And fundamentally, pollution and environmental degradation of contemporary third world countries can be explained in terms of their incorporation with the capitalist world (Rahman,1999:258) Women and Environment: Why Environment Makes a Special Concern for Women? Environment is a macro concept that covers everything, living and non living objects, the interactions between these and the product of these interactions (Hassan, 1995:2)