Professor Rayhan Ahmed Tapadar :
In recent times, the most widely discussed and important issue in the world is climate change. It can be said that this is the biggest challenge of the 21st century.
Day by day climate change has become a cause of concern for us due to its adverse impact on biodiversity. Research on this is also going on at a large rate.
Climate naturally changes due to natural causes. But human activities are largely responsible for the rate at which temperatures are rising now. Since humans started burning oil, gas and coal to run factories and vehicles or to keep homes warm in the winter, the Earth’s temperature is now 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer. Carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, has increased by 50 percent compared to the 19th century. It has increased by 12 percent in the last two decades.
Due to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions are also increasing in the atmosphere. Plants store carbon. As a result, when those trees are cut down or burned, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere. A healthy and clean environment is required for healthy living in any region. The impact of the environment on our overall life is immense. With the increase in population in the world, environmental degradation is a topic discussed in recent times. Due to the effects of climate change, air pollution, noise pollution, floods, disasters, deforestation, river erosion, some regions of the world are facing environmental disasters.
In recent times in the country, there has been an increase in economic activities in view of the various needs and demands of the people. Due to massive population density and extensive economic activities, various types of pressure on natural resources are increasing, as a result of which there is a fear of environmental disaster across the country. Such as felling of trees, soil extraction and mountain cutting, extraction of excess water from underground through deep tube wells, excess irrigation etc. are leading to disaster in the environment of the country. Time will tell how much money allocated in this year’s budget will be used to overcome this disaster.
However, due to its geographical location, topography and some natural and man-made reasons, Bangladesh is one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world. The country’s climate has been changing its natural pattern at a rapid rate in recent times and the temperature is rising due to excess carbon emissions from industrialized countries. If we compare the temperature between 1850 and 1900 with the current temperature, it can be seen that the average global temperature has increased by 1.3 degrees. On April 23, 2024, the World Meteorological Organization stated in a report entitled ‘State of the Climate in Asia’ that Asian countries are warming faster than the global average temperature. Environmental threats are evident with increasing frequency of regular cyclones, floods, recent heatwaves, lightning, droughts, etc.
Adequate allocation of funds is required for these threats, protection of biodiversity, and protection of wildlife and disaster management. Because the various components of the environment, such as air, water, soil, and the biosphere, is interrelated. If one element of the environment is affected, it will affect other elements. In the 2024-25 budget presentation, the sector-wise action plans and proposed budget allocations that have been detailed include several sectors, which are directly related to environmental protection. However, this year’s budget has given special priority to the protection of people who are at risk of social security in the construction of Smart Bangladesh, taking into account the context of food security and climate change.
In managing the impact of climate change, the government formulated the Climate Change Policy in 2009. Three thousand 969 crore taka has been allocated for 969 projects from the financial year 2009-10 to the financial year 2023-24 for managing the climate change trust fund formed by the government.
The incidence of climate change related disasters such as floods, cyclones, droughts, wildfires etc. is constantly increasing in this country. That is why if more money is increased in the budget to deal with the effects of climate change, the compensation of those affected by these disasters and loss of property could have benefited a little.
Although Bangladesh is a global role model for disaster management by reducing the loss of life and damage in disasters at a significant rate, floods and cyclones are disrupting the country’s development journey every year.
Recently, about 37 lakh 58 thousand people of the coastal area were affected by the impact of Cyclone ‘Remal’. Apart from the death of 18 people, about 35 thousand houses were completely destroyed in this cyclone. It is estimated that in 20 districts there is an equivalent amount of loss of 6 thousand 880 crore taka.
Many scientists fear that there is no way to prevent this dire outcome and that the world temperature will rise by three degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Then the impact will be different in different parts of the world.
For example; Rainfall levels in Britain will increase significantly and cause frequent flooding. Many small islands or island states in the Pacific Ocean may disappear due to rising sea levels. Droughts may increase in many African countries and result in food crises.
Australia may experience excessive heat and droughts. Countries are asked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by the middle of the current century, i.e. by 2050. That is, the amount of gas that will be released should be balanced by planting additional trees. If countries can do that, it is hoped that the catastrophic consequences of climate change will be avoided by slowing the rapid rate of temperature increase.
(The writer is researcher and columnist [email protected] Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer)