Climate change and its impact in Bangladesh

The unfavorable consequence of global warming and climate change is exerting tremendous pressure on the global environment as well as Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, three storms, four floods, one tsunami, and two cyclones killed more than 400,000 people and affected another 42 million people between 1990 and 1998. The possible physical effects from global warming and climate change causes such threats to Bangladesh as damage to coastal infrastructure that could reach, as much as 12% of GDP by the year 2010. It will also increase incidence of diseases, flooding, natural hazards, and degradation of the ecosystems. At the same time it will affect water supply to the urban settlements and will bring negative changes in the cropping pattern and agricultural activities. One meter sea level rise will inundate about 2.29 million ha of existing coastal land that is about 15.8% of the total area of Bangladesh. The area compromising of 65% of the greater Khulna, 99% of the Barisal, 100% of the Patuakhali, 44% of the Noakhali and 12% of Faridpur will be inundated. As a result 13.74% of net cropped area and about 401,600 ha Mangrove forests along with its wildlife will be lost. The inundation of net cropped will cause production loss of more than 2 million tons of Jute and 97000 tons of wheat, 21400 tons of sugarcane, 40400 tons of vegetables, 10000 tons of jute and 97000 tons of pulses. The total loss of assets and production in the small and cottage industries sector are Tk. 1078 million and Tk. 981.553 billion, respectively. About 10% of country’s population (about 2.05 million households) will be displaced and will not have any option but to mitigate to unaffected urban areas especially to major cities like Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi and will have to live in perpetual poverty.

Best regards
Mohammed Abu Sayed Arfin Khan
Department of Forestry and Environmental science, School of Agricultural and Mineral Science, Shahjalal University of science and Tecnology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh.