“Sustainable Development means a kind of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Sustainable Development Commission)
All the development things are happened due to the needs and in all of these approach to reach the development, there will be damages and sacrifices as the result of trying to reach a goal by pursuing unsustainable development ways. The longer we pursue unsustainable development, the more frequent and severe its consequences are likely to become which is why we need to take action now.
Myanmar is facing four overarching challenges. First is inequality, second is the massive technological and economic gap and third is transformation of the global economy as a result of automation and artificial intelligence which is something devastate the low scale manufacturing jobs on which Myanmar Development now depends. Finally, it is climate change. All are important but climate change is the most important. The impact of climate change on Myanmar would be nothing less than catastrophic. Impact will come not over century or decades but over years. Myanmar today is a climate emergency.
Facts are important in pointing out the above mentioned. The world last experience of major climate shift is at the end of Ice Age. The world then warmed about 5 degree Celsius but that transition to place over thousands of years. Since about ten thousand years ago, the climate of the earth has been fairly stable. All the human civilization including agriculture and the immergence of cities has taken place during this relatively stable climate. Now the climate is no longer stable. Instead it is changing at an incredibly fast rate and its changing mainly because of carbon dioxide emissions send to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels. Most of the damages have been done over the past 25 years by the US, China and Europe. Each year’s emissions are greater than the last with nearly 40 billion tons of CO2 pumped to the atmosphere in 2018. The intergovernmental panel on Climate Change or IPCC is the UN body which brings together thousands of scientists from around the world on this issue. Last year they warned that an increase in global temperature of 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial level will be a tipping point. If nothing changes, it will reach 1.5 degree by 2030. So the world has just eleven years to prevent reaching this tipping point. This will require the transformation of US, China and Europe economies on a scale that has never before taking place. It’s possible but extremely unlikely. If we pass this tipping point of 1.5 degrees, further warming to 2, 3 or even 4 degrees will become increasingly difficult.
 Intense storm, cyclone or Nargis will be seen more and frequently perhaps ever year. Moreover, sea level rise, inundating the coastlines; parts of the Ayeyarwady delta and areas around Yangon will also be seen. Unbearable heat, not for weeks but for months of the year and drought for long time will be visualized. With unpredictable rain which combine with intense heat and drought which made agriculture impossible in the dry zone and the delta. Mass extinction of animal’s species and spread of new diseases would be seen in Myanmar. If climate change is not reversed, we’ll move from 2 degrees to 4 degrees warmer planet and country will become an inhabitable. The Ayeyarwady delta will be gone as well as much of Rakhine state. Yangon would be an island. The centre of the country will be too hot to live for humans as well as for most of animals. Migration of millions of people would also be seen. It will produce tons of millions of refugees. We may see this 4 degrees warmer world well before the end of this century, well within the lifetime of young people today. There is reason to hope that humans will take the measures needed to prevent global catastrophe. New technologies may have find ways to repair the climate.
Myanmar is said to become one of two or three countries most impacted by climate change. It is also one of the poorest. There is an issue of climate justice. Myanmar has done almost nothing to cause this crisis. Myanmar does not have the resources to address this alone. Myanmar should be demanding massive financial assistance to prepare for the future. All of the planning for the future should be with climate change in mind to protect the poorest in most vulnerable. On the other hand, Myanmar should be the forefront of the countries working internationally to stop climate change. We should help lead multilateral discussions and help make climate change as no 1 issue at the United Nations.  Together fighting for equality and end of poverty is should be the cause the unity of all peoples of not only in Myanmar but also all over the world. Strongest possible action and connected global efforts are needed to face the challenges.