THE effects of climate change are being felt worldwide. Underdeveloped and developing countries are most at risk. Climate change is threatening the public health and the economy of these countries.
The international health journal ‘The Lancet’ in a research report recently stated that on average, one person dies every minute throughout the year from various heat-related causes.
This is also true in Bangladesh. In the master plans of the country’s major cities, the issue of climate change has always been neglected.
Although master plans have been formulated at various times for the development of important urban areas such as the capital Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Cox’s Bazar, the issue of environment and climate resilience has remained absent.
The main cause of climate change is human-made factors. From June to August this year, billions of people around the world faced an unusual heat wave due to human-made causes, and Bangladesh was one of the countries’ most affected. Such a situation is a profound warning for the future.
To avoid such disasters, there is no alternative to giving importance to the environment in the overall development plan of the country.
Due to unplanned urbanization, filling of reservoirs, deforestation, excessive carbon emissions, the country’s nature and environment have been destroyed.
The amount of forest and wetlands in the country has gradually decreased. Although an ideal city is said to have about 25 percent forest land, no city in this country has it.
The country’s urban development authorities have not included any significant initiatives to address the impacts of climate change in their urban plan, though climate change has been a global issue since 1980s. This is a kind of planning error.
In coastal areas like Khulna or Cox’s Bazar, storms, tidal waves, salinity and flooding are constantly affecting life. In urban areas, temperatures are rising and there is a shortage of clean water.
Again, the detailed regional plan for the 2022-35 term of the Rajdhani Unnayon Kartipakkha (RAJUK), climate change has been included in the plan (DAP), while other development authorities in the country have not yet moved in that direction. So, the environment issue has not been given priority there.
In the long term, it is necessary to increase the number of green factories and develop an environmentally friendly transportation system.
It is also necessary to take into account the issue of increasing forests and water bodies.
Above all, policy changes need to be brought about at the state level. Climate change and environmental protection should be included as mandatory in every master plan.
