While the fragile ceasefire and ongoing talks amid the Iran-US war offer some hope, the war has already driven up fuel costs and strained supply. For Bangladesh, this means rising prices, fiscal pressure, and a deepening energy crisis. Bangladesh is currently spending Tk 167 crore daily on fuel subsidies. Much as the subsidy is aimed to reduce the cost of living for everyone, it is safe to say that fuel is mostly used by the wealthiest in our contemporary society.
As there may be no straightforward way out of this war, there is also no quick way to bring fuel prices down or increase availability. Attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East will have lasting consequences—not just on the region, but the entire world. Ships carrying oil move slowly, so the backlog of ships carrying oil will not reach their destinations in time even after the Strait of Hormuz is fully operational again. Since enough oil isn’t being transported—exporters have largely stopped or slowed production—and restarting it fully is going to be a time-consuming task. Even when prices ease and supply stabilises—weeks or months from now—we will still be left grappling with the consequences of a car-dominated city. Dhaka already suffers from one of the world’s worst air qualities, alongside staggering pollution and chronic congestion. Unplanned urban sprawl has only deepened these challenges, leading to wasted time and space, eroding independent mobility for children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, and imposing crushing costs on both individuals and the state to sustain car-centric infrastructure. Here, it’s important to realise that most people’s usage of automobile has less to do with their infatuation with cars and more to do with the planners’ patterns of making cities difficult and unsafe to navigate by other, more efficient means. Many of those who own a car have bought it with a loan because they have, or believe they have, no other viable options for going to work or taking their children to school or bringing groceries home.
Many countries around the world have increased their use of cheaper and cleaner renewable energy by investing in rail, walking, and cycling infrastructure, and those investments continue to pay off. Everyone who is able to move about by foot, bicycle, and public transit currently might as well be largely spared the rising cost of fuel. They also know that their movements are not contributing as strongly to the city’s pollution. Better yet, active transport—including walking and cycling to destinations—means virtually cost-free transport while also delivering needed exercise and often contributing to the commuter’s socialisation and recreation. In some parts of Dhaka, it’s much faster to move about by bicycle than by car or even motorbike. Individuals can adopt those active means of transport by realising how many of their trips are short enough to be feasible by foot and bicycle. Governments, both local and national, should explore options where movements of people and goods can be done with minimal use of vehicles. I have written repeatedly about how walking should not be a punishment and government must make sure pavements are safe for pedestrians. Similarly, cycling should not involve a potential death sentence. Those moving about lightly, burning no fuel and causing no danger to others, should have favourable conditions for doing so.
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'Walking should not be a punishment and government must make sure pavements are safe for pedestrians.' FILE PHOTO: ORCHID CHAKMA
As individuals, we can also make our demands known to our policymakers and government officials. It makes no sense to rely so heavily on expensive, climate crisis-inducing fuel to move around our cities. A shift to prioritise the infrastructure and spending—for both walking and cycling—complemented by public transit, should be adopted. While high fuel prices might be the impetus at present, the benefits are multifold. Who would not like to see less traffic congestion, breathe in air that is less hazardous, spend less money on an unviable transport system, and enjoy more safety, freedom, and joy when roaming the city? All of these positive changes are possible and we should start by making demands.
War is unspeakably atrocious, but let us at least find some silver lining for our country in the insanity occurring elsewhere. Let’s declare our freedom from the enslavement of fossil fuels and the car-based life and work to create vastly better cities and stronger economies.
Debra Efroymson is executive director of the Institute of Wellbeing, Bangladesh.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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