Dr. Nazneen Siddiqui

 The people of Sylhet and Sunamganj districts of Bangladesh faced the worst flood of this century. In June 2022, most of the people of these two districts were trapped in the flood water. About 3 million people were affected in these two districts. Army was deployed in eight upazilas of Sylhet and Sunamganj to rescue people. The city of Sunamganj was cut off from the whole country by the flood water. About 70 thousand people of the district took shelter in 220 shelters. Osmani International Airport in Sylhet was suspended due to flood waters. Treatment operations were disrupted at Osmani Hospital due to rising water on the ground floor. All activities including patients had to be moved upstairs. The railway station was closed due to flood. All communication systems were disrupted due to power outages and telecommunication disruptions. From mid-April, severe to moderate heat wave prevails over most of the country's districts. The temperature was around 40 to 42 degrees, but felt above 45 degrees. This is happening due to climate change.

 People of the world hope to get something new in this century. Such needs of people are not insignificant in terms of time. But the world is moved by a news that bypasses all demands. There is only one discussion around, one word - 'climate change'. Today the whole world is threatened by the adverse effects of climate change. There is no alternative to collective efforts to counter this threat, say experts. From individuals to the state, from the state to the international community, everyone must stand together to prevent disaster. Currently, Bangladesh contributes 0.56 percent to global carbon emissions, yet the proportion of our country's losses due to climate change is overwhelming. Sea level rise, subtropical erosion, drought, heat and flooding are all having a serious impact on our economy. Our infrastructure and agricultural industries are collapsing, as we face considerable challenges in preventing, mitigating and dealing with damage and loss related to the effects of climate change. According to study, our GDP is expected to decline significantly due to human-caused warming, and average incomes are projected to drop by 90 percent by 2100. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report estimates that poverty in Bangladesh will increase by about 15 percent by 2030 due to climate change. Climate is not fixed at its location. It is always changing. So why so much fuss about it? There is a reason for the fuss. The normal changes in global climate are no longer visible. The level of change is very high. The fear about Bangladesh in terms of climate change risks is that a large part of the country will one day disappear into the ocean. The fear of this crisis about Bangladesh around climate change is not unreasonable. So prevention is necessary before facing the dire reality.

 Every moment of the environment we live in is unique. The condition of the environment keeps changing hour by hour. For example: Sometimes we see the intensity of the sun and sometimes the sky is cloudy. Thus, atmospheric conditions like cold, rain, heat, storm etc. make the environment unique. Climate is the long-term general state of daily weather, not average weather. The elements of climate are temperature, humidity, wind, clouds, rainfall, snowfall, barometric pressure etc. A country's geographical location and natural conditions control its climate.

 The four elements of weather and climate are: air pressure, air heat, air humidity and precipitation, storms. Wind pressure is the pressure exerted by the atmosphere on the earth's surface at the Earth's diameter. Air pressure at sea level is about 14.7 pounds per square inch. It measures 29.92 inches in barometer at 45 latitude sea level. The weight of the atmosphere in the ocean is about 5,600 trillion tons. This air pressure changes due to a number of factors, one of which is heat. Air pressure changes due to variations in temperature. These elements of climate have some control over the change. The angular position of the sun is one of the regulators of climate. Oblique sunlight has to penetrate more atmosphere; But it is much more intense when the sun's rays are exposed perpendicularly, which controls the temperature of the air. Moreover, 70.8 percent of the surface is water and 29.2 percent is land. The sun's heat reaches up to 600 feet of water and up to 60 feet on land. As a result, the water becomes much hotter and this hot water moves from one region to another, increasing the temperature of that region. Airflow is also one of the regulators of climate, as air from warmer areas moves to colder areas, increasing the temperature of that area. Again, when the air from the cold region moves to the warm region, the air in that region becomes cooler. Thus the climate is controlled by these factors. There was no idea before that the earth's climate is changing. When it became known that the temperature of the earth is gradually increasing, people's anxiety increased. Current climate change was first recognized in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first warning signs of climate change we got were in the late 1950s when carbon dioxide was measured in Hawaii, and carbon dioxide was measured again in the following decade. According to that measure, carbon dioxide is increasing on Earth due to humans. Thus, the concept of climate change has been created among us since then.

Climate change occurs due to human abuse of nature. Climate is changing slowly due to natural causes, but climate is changing very rapidly due to man-made causes. Therefore, man-made factors are seen as the main cause of climate change. There is strong evidence that humans are changing the climate. And this process is carried out by humans through the production of greenhouse gases. In particular, it produces greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. For more than 150 years after the industrial revolution, the atmosphere has been warming due to the high rate of emissions of various gases, including carbon dioxide from factories, for which humans are responsible. Climate changes due to increase in carbon dioxide, land use change, deforestation, deforestation, burning of fossil fuels, methane gas emissions, agriculture etc. Also, reduction of navigability of rivers, water pollution, noise pollution, oil pollution also play a special role in climate change. An increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases the temperature of the atmosphere. Moreover, the gradual depletion of the ozone layer helps the sun's ultraviolet rays to enter the earth directly. Ultraviolet rays destroy the earth's environment and destroy the living environment. This situation changes the climate. But carbon dioxide mainly increases due to the growth of additional industries, vehicles, brick -fields, various materials of urbanization (ie: various parts that emit carbon dioxide) etc.

 In addition, large amounts of carbon dioxide are produced due to the burning of chemical wastes. These chemical wastes are generated from various industries. Where there is extreme greed of people. The biggest step to prevent climate change is to make people aware. Awareness about climate change mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Only then will it be possible to reduce the impact of climate change along with mitigating the damage of climate change.

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