Extreme heat summons a holistic strategy to fight climate change

Bangladesh has been experiencing growing heatwaves during the summer for the past few years. 2024 is the hottest year yet, with average temperatures of 40 to 42 degrees Celsius across all districts. The temperatures are much higher than the national average maximum of 33 degrees in April. The countrys people and biodiversity are at risk as a result of this extraordinary calamity. As a result, the current situation forces us to discover the causes of this unprecedented heatwave as well as potential remedies to the catastrophe.

The current catastrophic heatwave in Bangladesh raises concerns as climate change spirals out of control. It has dispelled the notion that heat vulnerability is limited to the peak summer months. Furthermore, Bangladeshs geographical location in the tropical zone exacerbates the impact of climate change. This brutal climate highlights Bangladeshs environmental vulnerability and poor environmental governance. The country is already a top-ranked victim of global climate change, and the current situation indicates grave inadequacies in Bangladeshs environmental governance.

According to Climate Impact Tracker Asia, daytime temperatures in Bangladesh have risen by around 2.74 degrees Celsius during the last two decades. Furthermore, the summer season tends to be longer, while the winter session is shorter. This increase is far higher than the worldwide average of roughly 1.2 degrees and already exceeds the Paris Agreements illusive target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. Experts estimate that temperatures in Bangladesh will rise more in the following decades.
Bangladesh generates only 0.56 percent of global carbon emissions, yet suffers disproportionately from the repercussions. We cannot solve the problem of climate change on our own as our weather is largely dependent on others activities. However, the government must acknowledge the domestic human-caused activities that lead to heat waves. This issue cannot be remedied unless Bangladesh reconsiders environmental governance, concentrating on responsive regulation that balances affirmative and negative compliance motivations.

The main cause of record heatwaves is a heat dome that traps hot air in the high atmosphere. Heatwaves are exacerbated by the loss of cooling from evaporation, normally provided by trees, lakes, and exposed soil, as well as the gain of emitted heat from the surfaces of skyscrapers, tiny gaps between high-rise buildings, dark surfaces, pavements, un-shaded roads, sewers, air-conditioners, and industries that produce heat as a byproduct. Hence, the average temperature in Dhaka as well as other cities in the country is intensifying every year. Warm nights are another climate change consequence that contributes to heatwaves. Over the last 50 years or so, nightly low temperatures throughout the summer months have risen at a rate nearly twice that of midday high temperatures.

Current intense heatwaves in Bangladesh necessitate prompt action to conserve nature and safeguard the ecosystem from harm. Bushra Afreen, the chief heat officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), has commendably launched multiple measures to minimize heat in various areas of her authority, despite being extensively criticized on social media recently. Her principal goal is to devise initiatives that effectively lower the citys temperature. However, we must recognize that we have enraged Mother Nature for decades, and it is impossible to achieve outcomes in a hurry.

Following the release of the most recent IPCC assessment earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proclaimed a worldwide climate emergency. Scientists believe that we have less than a decade to reduce global temperature rise to sustainable levels, and the future appears dismal unless we take fast action.

People are advocating for tree planting to alleviate heat in every open place available on social media. Planting trees is one of the cheapest ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and decrease global warming, while also delivering a variety of ecosystem services such as soil stabilization and flood risk reduction. More importantly, we need to protect the existing trees and need to nurture every tree that we plant. Moreover, we must ensure planned plantation of trees to make the drive a success. But, considering the situation of our country, tree plantation cannot be the only solution.

The presence of heavy metals and contaminants in Bangladeshs soil, along with a lack of essential nutrients, has a direct influence on the countrys life, agriculture, and ecology. Even a successful tree planting program requires high-quality soil. Soil health is declining primarily as a result of the overuse of chemical fertilizers, growing salinity, the use of topsoil in brick kilns, industrial pollution, deforestation, petroleum lead air pollution, and electronic and medical waste deposits. The presence of 5% organic matter in soil is ideal, but at least 2% is required. Recent studies, however, show that it has dropped to fewer than 2% in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is one of the most polluted nations on earth. The major rivers that surround the city, Dhaka, are all so contaminated that the water cannot even be made clean. All the canals, ponds and other water sources are also contaminated. These contaminated water sources poisons the soil and eventually crops and livestock, particularly fishes are contaminated. Hence, the introduction of these dangerous compounds into the body through the food chain puts public health at serious risk. Declining soil fertility is caused by a decline of various nutrients and a lack of organic matter, according to an analysis conducted by the Bangladesh Soil Resource Development Institute.

Industrial exposures have been found to be the main contributors of soil, water, and air pollution in Bangladesh. We are frequently ignoring environmental considerations while we permit uncontrolled industrialization for the sake of economic growth. Chemicals from industries are instantly dumped into different sources of water, which subsequently disrupt the soil. Soil becomes contaminated as well as water. It poses a risk not only to the environment but also to people of all ages. In addition, the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture is seriously harming the water and soil. Furthermore, the domestic wastes including sewerage waters are also often directly discharged to different water sources. Recently, we have seen reports of hazardous chemicals found in the food products of India and though not reported, Bangladesh is also experiencing the same unofficially.

The release of toxic compounds into the environment is extremely dangerous. The time has come for us to seriously examine the amount of chemical discharge into the environment that the agricultural and industrial sectors are permitted to do. To prevent and limit the disposal of chemicals in open water sources or soil, we need to take action to force the enterprises to put up chemical waste management facilities. Additionally, as any agro-production facility should not be focused on endangering public health, we must ban the use of chemical fertilizers and medicines in farming. It is essential to consider the wider picture of how we are harming the environment and causing global warming, as soil, water, and air quality are just as vital as trees in maintaining a healthy ecosystem as well as in reducing the national temperature.

With 1,329 people per square kilometer and nearly 2.2% of the worlds population, Bangladesh is the eighth most populous country in the world. There are also projections that by 2050, the population would have increased to 200 million, which will have a substantial impact on environmental dynamics. Because of our enormous population, industrialization and agricultural productivity must take precedence over environmental preservation. However, we now need to pay greater attention to environmental issues in order to guarantee our survival.

While we endure excessive heat in the summer, we advocate for the planting of more trees. However, despite planting more than five lac trees by the government every year, less than 10% of those trees end up surviving. Neither the government officials nor the public feels any urge to protect those trees. In a similar vein, we hesitate to safeguard our air, water, and soil. We still have huge scope with large water bodies, vast agricultural land, coastal and hilly areas to preserve environment. However, reducing environmental pollution requires a holistic approach that incorporates micro-level reasoning. Only then will we be able to contain the adverse impacts of climate change.

Starting today, we hope that environmental preservation will become a top priority for not just the government and authorities but also the general public. In this context, we need to adopt a comprehensive strategy for action. If otherwise, environmental catastrophes and natural tragedies will wipe out all of our advancement in the years to come. Extreme obstacles to our basic survival will also result from it. Hence, let us act to save our country and ourselves today.

The writer is Chief Editor at Mohammadi News Agency (MNA) and Editor at Kishore Bangla