Climate crisis

Dhaka, the most populous capital city of Bangladesh, ranks third in the list of cities with the most polluted air in the world. Currently, the city’s air quality is ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups.’ Dhaka scores 141 on air quality index at 9 am on Tuesday. Lahore in Pakistan and Delhi in India are ranked first…

In 2018, in the Kalobeyei Settlement Area in Kenya, water was supplied from boreholes and pumped as far as 4km away. To reduce fuel costs the Norwegian Refugee Council (implementing partner for UNHCR’s water, sanitation and hygiene programmes) used solar-powered pumps for 6-7 hours daily, saving on fuel costs. Goal 6 of the UN’s Sustainable…

When the monsoon comes, people in the northern townships of Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram worry more. Especially during the monsoon season, the most affected by the erosion are the residents of the Char area along the banks of the Brahmaputra, Dharla, Teesta and Dudhkumar rivers. As the dam was not repaired during the dry season,…

The dependence of low-income countries on loans from foreign governments and international organizations is increasing day by day. Along with this, the interest and principal repayment pressure is increasing. In particular, the half-dozen countries affected by climate change are facing double debt repayments than in pre-pandemic times. Experts have warned that the situation will worsen…

Sudden temperature drops in winter, sweltering and frequent heatwaves in summer, poor rainfall during monsoon, and four cyclones marked this year, and the experts blame it on climate change. Heatwaves swept over the country for 62 days — 24 days in April, 22 days in May, and 16 days in June, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department data…

As the climate crisis mirrors the unpredictable and fast-flowing waters of the Padma River, the response to the emergency remains sluggish, particularly in the realms of mitigation, finance, and adaptation. This observation comes from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as expressed in an opinion piece for Context, a Thomson Reuters Foundation media platform. The prime minister…

Bangladesh’s agriculture and livestock sector is likely to generate increased amount of greenhouse gases by 2030 driven by emission of methane from irrigated rice fields, nitrous oxide due to nitrogenous fertiliser use and enteric fermentation of livestock and manures. The amount of emission of carbon dioxide equivalent (Co2e) from agriculture and livestock sector may increase…

French President Emmanuel Macron has said his country will sign an agreement with Bangladesh to finance climate-change adaptation and loss and damage in the first half of 2024. The French Development Agency will be contributing €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in investment, and the IMF will be extending up to $1 billion worth of SDRs (Special…