Published: 11:27 AM, 14 December 2020 Last Update: 02:43 PM, 14 December 2020
Climate change and Migration crisis in Bangladesh
Touhidur Rahman Tuhin
At present climate change is one of the most challenging issues in the world. It's such a kind of controversial matter between developing and developed countries. But most of the affected people are living in developing countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar. For these reasons many people are affected by natural disasters due to climate change. This rate is increasing randomly day by day. Those areas suffer from unavoidable disasters and many people migrate to other places.
Climate change is a change in global or regional climate patterns over an extended period of time. For this way, the earth’s average surface temperature has risen about 0.9 degrees Celsius since the last 19th century. The concentration of Green House Gases in the earth’s atmosphere is directly linked to the average global temperature on earth. In the world, the highest percentage of GHGs are emitted from industrialized countries. But, most of the GHGs are emitted from the power sector which is more than 30%.
In addition, Bangladesh emits a low number of GHGs. According to the Paris agreement, that’s aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees above pre industrial levels. But in the geographical context, Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country in the world who is directly affected by climate change. The most sufferer regions are Bhola, Satkira, Khulna, Patuakhali, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barguna, Laxmipur, Feni, Noakhali, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.
However, climate change has some key factors which are discussed for impacts. Mostly these are Agriculture and food security, Water resources, Energy, Health and Ecosystem. All of these sectors are affected by climate changes and it's happening directly or indirectly. Reduced access to health service and potable water, damaged energy infrastructure, more intense or frequent extreme weather, rising temperature, alteration or loss of coastal wetland, increased saline water intrusion due to sea level rise or storm surges- those are all vulnerabilities for climate changes.
Bangladesh is the worst victim irrespective of the locations where the cyclones make the landfall. Cyclones are not only resulting in human casualties and destruction of properties but also leaving behind perpetual tidal floods. Those types of tidal floods are covered in the mainland. For this reason, agricultural land is damaged by salt water and creates food insecurity. In case tidal flood water level had risen by 1 meter during 5 years. As a result, many low lands are being submerged by tidal flood.
Another massive problem is saline water intrusion which is currently taking a severe situation. In the dry season, groundwater level goes down and people cannot reach fresh water available. Other hand saline water intrusion seems to be making this situation more difficult. Sea level rise is one of the major causes for saline problem in the coastal belt of south-east regions. It kills plants, leaving bare soil that is prone to erosion.
Those mainland are affected by any natural calamities because their location is close to sea level. Many infectious diseases, including water-borne ones, are highly sensitive to climate conditions. The correlation between temperature and diarrhea. A main concern in those affected areas of developing countries was the increased geographical spread of diarrheal diseases. Those particularly in relation to drought and flood.
The climate change in Bangladesh creates insecurities for food, water, life, property, settlement, livelihood and others. Mainly, The poorer people who used to live in the extremely exposed locations in the coastal belt. They lost their property and they turned into short-term migration. But, after a few years when disasters are continuing they turn into long term migration in the capital or other places.
Moreover, migration or suffering is not a solution to this problem. But mitigation and adaptation strategies can help to survive with climate change. Where we can try to stop future warming or involve developing ways to protect people and places by reducing their vulnerability to climate impacts. Strategies to adapt to climate change involves individual, local and regional efforts. Adapt is making changes that enhance resilience or reduce vulnerability to changes in climate.
Humans have a long history of adaptation for survival. Against climate change we need highly infrastructural and technological advancements. We can use more efficient end-use electrical equipment, improved heat and power recovery; material recycling and substitution, Improved land use and transport planning. Improved afforestation which is Tree species improvement to increase biomass productivity and carbon sequestration.
In the crisis of climate change migration, it increases many problems for migrants. Most of the people lose their work insecurity, they face unhygienic conditions, rise crime, increase pollution and also face negative reactions from the local community. Local population density rises at the massive point. Those migrations disrupt social and economic systems with the environment. A large number of people are migrating to the urban region and create a new risk for urban sustainability.
So what will people affected by climate change do? Then, what will continue to suffer or they will leave the place. There is no solution to either of these from climate change. In this case, the best way to handle this situation is to adapt to climate change. As a result we need to plan for the long term at different levels and ensure watershed development projects for a long time.
We need to focus on community based adaptation and local governments policy options. Most of the successful adaptive measures are landscape restoration. A few steps on climate change adaptation include – preliminary risk assessment, assess priorities, raise awareness, establish and enhance partnership, preparation of master plan. Must follow Sustainable and climate-smart management of land, water, biodiversity and disaster risk management for adaptation.
Touhidur Rahman Tuhin is a student, Dept. of Environmental Science & Engineering of
Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Trishal, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
