Climate change

Climate change
Group no. 2
Submitted by:
Name Roll
1. Marzia Rahman Mim 111151342
2. Taiyeb Ahmed
Bhuiyan
111151349
3. Farzana Rahman Eati 111151299
4. Halima Begum Mim 111151376
5. Shagufta Rahman 111151022

Name: Marzia Rahman Mim ID: 111151342 Topic: Climate change, Reasons
behind climate change
What is climate? What is climate change? What are the Reasons behind
climate change?
Climate:
Climate is the average weather in a place over many years. It includes patterns of
temperature, precipitation (rain or snow), humidity, wind and seasons. Climate
patterns play a fundamental role in shaping natural ecosystems, and the human
economies and cultures that depend on them. But the climate we’ve come to expect
is not what it used to be, because the past is no longer a reliable predictor of the
future.
Climate change:
Climate is usually defined as the "average weather" in a place. While the weather
can change in just a few hours, climate takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of
years to change.
Our climate is rapidly changing with disruptive impacts, and that change is
progressing faster than any seen in the last 2,000 years.
According to report, Preparing for a Changing Climate, rising levels of carbon dioxide
and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere have warmed the Earth and are
causing wide-ranging impacts, including rising sea levels; melting snow and ice;
more extreme heat events, fires and drought; and more extreme storms, rainfall and
floods. Scientists project that these trends will continue and in some cases
accelerate, posing significant risks to human health, our forests, agriculture,
freshwater supplies, coastlines, and other natural resources that are vital to
Washington state’s economy, environment, and our quality of life.
Reasons behind Climate Change:
 Life on Earth is possible because of the warmth of the sun. While some of this
incoming solar radiation bounces back into space, a small portion of it is trapped by
the delicate balance of gases that make up our atmosphere. Without this layer of

insulation, Earth would simply be another frozen rock hurtling through space. Carbon
dioxide (CO2) is the most important gas in this layer of insulation.
 Carbon is stored all over the planet — in plants, soil, the ocean, and even us. We
release it into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide through activities such as burning
fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) and cutting down trees. As a result, today's
atmosphere contains 42 per cent more carbon dioxide than it did before the industrial
era.We have released so much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that our
planet's atmosphere is now like a thick, heat-trapping blanket. By disrupting the
atmospheric balance that keeps the climate stable, we are now seeing extreme
effects around the globe. It's like a thermostat that's gone haywire — it just doesn't
work the way it should. The result: The climate changes and it gets warmer. Extreme
weather events also become more common.
 Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts because of its
geographical location, high population density, high levels of poverty, and the
reliance of many livelihoods on climate-sensitive sectors, particularly rural agriculture
and fisheries. Global warming has significantly increased temperature in our world.
Sometimes this global warming melts the glaciers of Himalayan and the low lying
countries like Bangladesh, Maldives, and Myanmar etc. faces flash floods. Global
warming has already begun. Since 1900, the global average temperature has risen
by 0.7 degrees Celsius, and the northern hemisphere is substantially warmer than at
any point during the past 1,000 years.
Climate change in Bangladesh is an extremely crucial issue and according
to National Geographic, Bangladesh ranks first as the nation most vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change in the coming decades. Various other models predict the
nation's vulnerability. Bangladesh is the nation most vulnerable to global climate
change in the world, according to German Watch’s Global Climate Index (CRI) of
2011. This is based on the analysis of impacts of major climate events that occurred
around the world in the twenty-year period since 1990. The reasons are complex and
extremely intertwined.
Located at the bottom of the mighty GBM river system (comprising the Ganges, the
and the Brahmaputra Meghna), Bangladesh is watered by a total of 57 trans-
boundary rivers coming down to it: 54 from neighboring India and 3 from Myanmar.
The country, which has no control of the water flow and volume, drains to the Bay of

Bengal over 90% of the total run-off generated annually. Coupled with the high level
of widespread poverty and increasing population density, limited
adaptive capacity and poorly funded, ineffective local governance have made the
region one of the most adversely affected on the planet. There are an estimated one
thousand people in each square kilometer, with the national population increasing by
2 million people each year. Almost half the population is in poverty (Purchasing
Power Parity of $1.25 per person a day). Hence these people do not have the ability
to respond to a natural disaster and the government cannot help them.
Earth’s temperature is a balancing act
Earth's temperature depends on the balance between energy entering and leaving
the planet’s system. When incoming energy from the sun is absorbed by the Earth
system, Earth warms. When the sun’s energy is reflected back into space, Earth
avoids warming. When absorbed energy is released back into space, Earth cools.
Many factors, both natural and human, can cause changes in Earth’s energy
balance, including:
 Variations in the sun's energy reaching Earth
 Changes in the reflectivity of Earth’s atmosphere and surface
 The most abundant gas typically erupted is water vapor, which has been
measured to be as high as 97% of gases erupted from some volcanoes.
The water has very little impact on climate because it usually rains out of
the atmosphere fairly quickly. In fact, it is very common to find volcanic ash
deposited that preserve rainfall splash marks.
 Changes in the greenhouse effect, which affects the amount of heat
retained by Earth’s atmosphere
These factors have caused Earth’s climate to change many times.
Scientists have pieced together a record of Earth’s climate, dating back hundreds of
thousands of years (and, in some cases, millions or hundreds of millions of years),
by analyzing a number of indirect measures of climate such as ice cores, tree rings,
glacier lengths, pollen remains, and ocean sediments, and by studying changes in
Earth’s orbit around the sun.

This record shows that the climate system varies naturally over a wide range of time
scales. In general, climate changes prior to the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s
can be explained by natural causes, such as changes in solar energy, volcanic
eruptions, and natural changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations.
Recent climate changes, however, cannot be explained by natural causes alone.
Research indicates that natural causes do not explain most observed warming,
especially warming since the mid-20th century. Rather, it is extremely likely that
human activities have been the dominant cause of that warming.
Other Climate Forcers
Particles and aerosols in the atmosphere can also affect climate. Human activities
such as burning fossil fuels and biomass contribute to emissions of these
substances, although some aerosols also come from natural sources such as
volcanoes and marine plankton.
 Black carbon (BC) is a solid particle or aerosol, not a gas, but it also
contributes to warming of the atmosphere. Unlike GHGs, BC can directly
absorb incoming and reflected sunlight in addition to absorbing infrared
radiation. BC can also be deposited on snow and ice, darkening the surface
and thereby increasing the snow's absorption of sunlight and accelerating
melt.
 Sulfates, organic carbon, and other aerosols can cause cooling by reflecting
sunlight.
 Warming and cooling aerosols can interact with clouds, changing a number
of cloud attributes such as their formation, dissipation, reflectivity, and
precipitation rates. Clouds can contribute both to cooling, by reflecting
sunlight, and warming, by trapping outgoing heat.
 Cutting down forests (deforestation). Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing
CO2 from the atmosphere. So when they are cut down, that beneficial effect is lost
and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere, adding to the
greenhouse effect.

 Land-use and land-cover change plays a major role in climate change at global,
regional and local scales. At global scale, Land-use and land-cover change is
responsible for releasing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, thereby
driving global warming. Land-use and land-cover change can increase the release
of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by disturbance of terrestrial soils and
vegetation, and the major driver of this change is deforestation, especially when
followed by agriculture, which causes the further release of soil carbon in response
to disturbance by tillage. Changes in land use and land cover are also behind major
changes in terrestrial emissions of other greenhouse gases, especially methane
(altered surface hydrology: wetland drainage and rice paddies; cattle grazing),
and nitrous oxide(agriculture: input of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers; irrigation;
cultivation of nitrogen fixing plants; biomass combustion).
 Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the
atmosphere. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture,
and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide.
 Increasing livestock farming. Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane
when they digest their food.
 Fluorinated gases produce a very strong warming effect, up to 23 000 times greater
than CO2. Thankfully these are released in smaller quantities and are being phased
down by EU regulation.
 The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century saw the large-scale use of fossil fuels
for industrial activities. These industries created jobs and over the years, people
moved from rural areas to the cities. This trend is continuing even today. More and
more land that was covered with vegetation has been cleared to make way for
houses. Natural resources are being used extensively for construction, industries,
transport, and consumption. Consumerism (our increasing want for material things)
has increased by leaps and bounds, creating mountains of waste. Also, our
population has increased to an incredible extent.
 Both natural and human factors change Earth's climate. Before humans, changes in
climate resulted entirely from natural causes such as changes in Earth's orbit,
changes in solar activity, or volcanic eruptions.
 From more severe and frequent droughts to unprecedented flooding, many of the
most profound and immediate impacts of climate change are related to water. The

water polluted by human being. They laundry, wash car, cook food, shower and the
water treated, cleaned and dumped into the rivers or seas. Not only this, the
industries garbage also dumped into rivers. These are the main cause of water
pollution. More than one-third of all counties in the lower 48 states will face higher
risks of water shortages by mid-century as a result of global warming. Other impacts
will include sea level rise, saltwater intrusion, harm to fisheries and more frequent
and intense storm events.
 Air pollution is one of the major reasons for climate change. Many gasses are
responsible for air pollution. Methane. The most important Green house gas is
produced both naturally and through human activities. The most significant sources
of Methane come from the decomposition of organic matter e.g. in landfills and in
agriculture. Another large source is from the digestion of ruminants (cows, goats
etc). Methane is a stronger GHG than CO2 because it can absorb more heat,
however it is much less abundant in the atmosphere. Nitrous oxide, a very powerful
greenhouse gas which is heavily produced in the agriculture sector, specifically in
the production and use of organic fertilizers.
 It is also produced when burning fossil fuels. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), these
man-made compounds were produced for industrial use, mainly in refrigerants and
air conditioners. They are now regulated under the Montreal Protocol due to their
adverse affect on the Ozone Layer. It polluted air which is important reason of
climate change.
 All this has contributed to a rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels
such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the energy needed to run vehicles
generate electricity for industries, households, etc. The energy sector is responsible
for about ¾ of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of the methane emissions and a
large quantity of nitrous oxide. It also produces nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon
monoxide (CO) which is not greenhouse gases but do have an influence on the
chemical cycles in the atmosphere that produce or destroy greenhouse gases.

Picture: Reasons behind Climate Change

Name: Taiyeb Ahmed Bhuiyan ID: 111151349 Topic: Causes of climate change
Causes of climate change
The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories, human and natural
causes. It is now a global concern that the climate changes occurring today have
been speeded up because of man activities.
 Human causes of climate change
“It has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the climate is changing due
to man-made green house gases. We are already committed to future substantial
change over the next 30 years and change is likely to accelerate over the rest of the
21st century.”
-The Met Office, Hadley Centre, UK
“The Hadley Center holds an unique position in the world of climate science. No
other single body has a comparable breadth of climate change science and modeling
or has made the same contribution to global climate science and current knowledge.”
-Interdependent Review 2007
“There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has
been caused largely by human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels and
changes in land use, including agriculture and deforestation.”
-The royal society 2010
The industrial revolution in the 19th century saw the large-scale use of fossil fuels for
industrial activities. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the
energy needed to run vehicles generate electricity for industrial and household. The
energy sector is responsible for about 8/4 of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of the
methane emissions and a large quantity of nitrous oxide. Carbone dioxide is
undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Changes in
land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture and other activities have all

led to rise in the emissions of carbon dioxide. Methane is another important
greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. It is released from animals such as dairy cows,
buffaloes, camel horses and sheep methane is also emitted during the process of oil
drilling, coal mining, leaking gas pipelines, landfills and waste dumps.
The certainty of global warming can be seen through some of the natural
phenomenon like the effect on crops and extreme weather condition around the
world. It is especially clear in the dramatic change of the polar caps, i.e. the Arctic ice
cap is shrinking and the Antarctica ice shelf is melting.
There other elements of people’s homes that contribute climate change in directly.
Everything, from furniture to computers, from clothes to carpets, all use energy when
it is produced and transported – and this causes carbon emission to be released.
 Agriculture as Contributor to the Causes of Climate Change
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change, the three main causes
of the increase in greenhouse gases observed over the past 250 years have been
fossil fuels, landaus, and agriculture.
Agriculture has been shown to produce significant effects on climate change,
primarily through the production and release of greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Another contributing cause of climate change is when agriculture alters the Earth’s
land cover, which can change it’s ability to absorb or reflect heat and light. Land use
change such as deoforestation and desertification, together with use of fossil fuel,
are the major anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide.
 Deforestation as a contributor to the Causes of Climate change
It is important, first to understand what a precious resources rainforests play in our
world. They part of a delicate ecosystem that has taken millions of years to evolve.
Rainforest every year help to absorb almost 20% of man-made CO2 emissions
therefore deforestation can be classed as major contributor to the causes of climate

change. Cutting down rainforests faster than they can be replaced has a devastating
effect on the carbon emission cycle producing an extra 17% of greenhouse gases.
Remember trees absorb CO2. More deforestation means more CO2 build up in the
atmosphere.
Deforestation by means of cutting down and burning these tropical rainforests
usually pave the way for agriculture and industry which often produce even more
CO2.
Dr. Md. Miazanur Rahman, a biodiversity specialist, (UNO, Mongla, Bagerhat) says,
“that climate change and forests are interlinked. The increased of deforestation of
the rainforest forming a precious cooling band around the Earth equator, is
recognized as one of the main causes of climate change. Forest trap and store
carbon dioxide, playing a major role in mitigating climate change. On the flip[ side of
the coin, forest become the sources of a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide when
destroyed or ever harvested and burned. Forests, if not harmed ensure that they are
enabling to continue to produce the benefits; to mitigate to effects of a changing
climate; and to compensate for fossil fuel emissions through carbon storage; and to
enhance ecosystem health, sustainability and resilience.
Forests reduce greenhouse gas emission t combat global warming. 20% of global
greenhouse gas emissions result from deforestation and degradation of forest, more
than all the world’s car, truck, ships and planes combined. Fossil fuel release carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere contributing to global warming and climate change.
Forest alleviates this change by converting carbon dioxide to carbon during
photosynthesis. The world forests contain about 125 percent of the carbon found in
the atmosphere. This carbon is stored in the form of wood and vegetarian through
“carbon sequestration”.
Trees possess about 20% Carbone by weight and biomass of forest acts as a
“Carbone sink”. The soil organic matter produced by the decomposition of dead plant
material also acts as a Carbone store. Consequently forests store enormous amount
of Carbone, twice the amount found floating free in the atmosphere, according to
FAQ studies.
The atmosphere carbon dioxide concentration the pre-industrial era was 280 ppm.
Right now the level has risen to 375 ppm, a 30% increase. It is predicted that the

level will be 50 ppm in 2050 resulting in 1.8-3 degree Celsius increase in
temperature eventually.
Therefore, global warming will produce a sharp upswing followed by a deep plunge
into a glacial period several thousand years from now. A myriad of potential impacts
such as increased cyclone intensity, melting of polar iceberg and glaciers; increased
salinity and changes in oceanic currents sea level rise and inundation of flow lying
cities like Bangladesh, Venice, Amsterdam, etc; coral bleaching and morality of coral
leaf; colonization of invasive species and species migration; changes in ecosystem;
mass extinction; ozone layer depletion; water shortage; and spreading of diseases
predicted.
 Shattering some of the Green myths that contribute to the causes of
climate changes
Traditional nappies (diapers) are as bad disposables, a study by the Environment
Agency found. While throw away nappies make up 0.1 percent of landfill waste, the
cloth variety are a waste of energy, clean water and detergent.
Paper bags cause more global warming than plastic. They need much more spaces
to store require extra energy to transport them for manufacturing to shops.
Diesel trains in rural Britain are more polluting than 4x4 vehicles. Douglas Alexander,
when Transport Secretary, said:” if ten or fewer people travel in a Sprinter (train), it
would be less environment damaging to give them each a Land Rover FreeLancer
and tell them to drive”.
Burning wood for fuel is better for the environment than recycling it, the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs discovered.
Organic dairy cows are worse for the climate. They produce less milk so their
methane emissions per liter are higher.
Someone who installs a “green” light bulb undoes a year’s worth of energy saving by
buying two bags of imported vegetables, as so much Carbone is wasted flying the
food to Britain.

Trees, regarded as shields against global warming because they absorb Carbone,
were found by German scientist to be major producers of methane, a much more
harmful greenhouse gas.
 United States Global Research Climate Program – “human activities
have increased additional heat-trapping gases”
Human activities have played a significant part in releasing additional heat-trapping
gases. This has intensified the natural green house effect and changed the Earth’s
climate.
United States global research climate program report says, a variety of factors
influence the climate which are either human – induced or natural.
The most important and key factor causing global warming over the past 50 years is
the increased build up and concentration of CO2 otherwise known as Carbone
dioxide.
The buildup of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere started during the industrial revolution
around the mid 18th century which saw the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil,
natural gas and the clearing of forests. Trees help to reduce carbon dioxide by
absorbing it during the night, producing oxygen during the day.
Human activities have helped to increase other greenhouse gases, such as
methane, nitrous oxide, and halocarbones3. These emissions cause thickening of
the blanket which trapping gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing the surface
temperatures to rise.
 Greenhouse gases trap heat
When we extract and burn fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum, we cause the
release of carbon dioxide carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping “greenhouse
gases” into the atmosphere.

Through natural amounts of carbon dioxide have varied from 180 to 300 parts per
million (ppm), today’s level, are around 400 ppm. That’s 40% more than the highest
natural levels over the past 800,000 years.
We can also tell that additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes mainly from
coal and oil because the chemical composition of the carbon dioxide contains a
unique fingerprint.
There are human fingerprint on carbon overload. When humans burn coal, oil and
gas (fossil fuel) to generate electricity or drive our cars, carbon dioxide is released
into the atmosphere, where it traps heat. A carbon molecule that comes from fossil
fuel and deforestation is “lighter” than the combined signal of those from other
source. As scientist measure the “weight” of carbon in the atmosphere over time they
see a clear increase in the lighter molecules from fossil fuel and deforestation
sources that correspond closely to the known trend in emissions.
Natural changes alone can’t explain the temperature changes we have seen. For a
computer model to accurately project the future climate, scientist must first ensure
that it accurately reproduces observed temperature changes. When the models
include only recorded natural climate drivers –such as the sun intensity- the models
cannot accurately reproduces the observed warming of the past half century. When
human –induced climate drivers are also included in the models, then they
accurately capture recent temperature increases in the atmosphere and in the
oceans. When all the natural and human-induced climate drivers are compared to
one another, the dramatic accumulation of carbon from human sources is by far the
largest climate change driver over the past half century.
Lower level atmosphere –which contains the carbon load –is expanding. The
boundary between the lower atmosphere (troposphere) and the higher atmosphere
(stratosphere) has shifted upward in recent decades. See the ozone FAQ for a figure
illustration the layers of the atmosphere. The boundary has likely changed because
heat-trapping gases accumulate in the lower atmosphere and that atmospheric layer
expands as it heats up (much like warming the air in the balloon). And because less
that is escaping into the higher atmosphere, it is likely cooling. This differential
would not occur if the sun was the sole climate drive, as solar changes would warm

both atmosphere layers, and certainly would not have warmed one while cooling the
other.
And use changes (e.g. cutting down forest to create farmland) have led to changes
in the amount of sunlight reflected from the ground back into space (the surface
albedo). The scale of these changes in estimated to be about one-fifth of the forcing
on the global climate due to changes in emissions of greenhouse gases. About half
of the land use changes are estimated to have occurred during the industrial era,
much of it due to replacement of forest by agricultural cropping and grazing lands
over Eurasia and North America. The largest effect of deforestation is estimated to at
high latitudes where the albedo of snow-covered land, previously forested has
increased. This is because snow on trees reflects only about half of the sunlight
falling on it, whereas snow covered open reflects about two thirds.
Overall, the increased albedo over Eurasian and North America agricultural regions
has had a cooling effect.
Other significant changes in the land surface resulting from human activities include
tropical deforestation which changes evapotranspiration rates ( the amount of water
vapor put into the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration from trees ),
desertification, which increases surface albedo, and the general effects of agriculture
on soil moisture characteristic. All of these processes need to be included in climate
models.
Except for climate change studies there are few reliable records of past changes in
land use. One way to build up a better picture of the effects of past changes is to
combine surface records of changing land use with satellite measurement of
properties of vegetation covers. Such analyses show that forest clearing for
agriculture and irrigated farming in arid and semi-arid lands is two major sources of
climatically important land cover changes. The two effects tend, however, to cancel
out, because irrigated agriculture increases solar energy absorption and the amount
of moisture evaporated into the atmosphere, whereas forest clearing decreases
these two process.

Name: Farzana Chowdhury Eati ID: 111151299 Topic: Effect of climate change in
Bangladesh society
How climate change effect Bangladesh Society?
Bangladesh is one of the largest countries in the world which is highly vulnerable to
Natural Disaster because of its geographical location, flat and low-lying landscape,
population destiny, poverty, illiteracy, lack of institutional setup etc. In other lords, the
physical, social as well as economic conditions of Bangladesh are very typical to any
of the most vulnerable countries to Natural Disasters in the world. The total land area
is 1, 47,570 sq.km consists mostly of Floodplains (almost 80%) leaving major part of
the country vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season. Moreover, the adverse
affects of climate change – especially high temperature, sea-level rise, cyclones &
storm surges, etc. has aggravated the overall economic development scenario of the
country to a great extent.
Bangladesh has got a population of around 150 million (2011) with a life expectancy
at birth of around 63 years, and an adult literacy rate of 47.5 %. The recent human
development report ranks Bangladesh number 140 of 177 nations. Bangladesh has
an average annual population growth rate of around 2% (4.6% in urban areas),
almost 75% of the population lives in rural areas and a population destiny on 954.4
(people per sq.km). Bangladesh in predominantly agricultural with two third of the
population engaged in farming or Agro-based industrial activity mainly. The climate
of Bangladesh can be characterized by high temperatures, heavy rainfall, high
humidity & fairly marked three variations like hot summer, shrinking winter & medium
to heavy rains during the rainy season.
Our society is also very much responsible for the climate change in our country.
Land and life are closely entwined in Bangladesh. Around 84% of the country’s 110
million people live in the rural sector. The land area of 148,393 km2 is mainly the
deltaic plains of the Ganges and Brahmaputra River systems. The prevailing climate
is monsoonal & the dominantly agricultural economy is attitude to its wet & dry
seasons. Lands are frequently flooded by heavy rains, over- full river channels & sea
surges associated with cyclone. Disaster is relatively common. Changes in climate in
Bangladesh could, therefore, heave serious implications for local economies
&human welfare.

Climate influences the water, vegetation, soil, and animal resources upon which
people depend for food and other products. In seeking to exploit resources, a society
like that of Bangladesh adapts to the natural environment, modifies it according to its
needs and wants, and is in turn influenced by these changes.
Agriculture
Food production will be particularly sensitive to climate change, because crop yields
depend directly on climatic conditions (temperature and rainfall patterns). In tropical
regions, even small amounts of warming will lead to declines in the amount of crops
harvested. In cold areas, crop harvests may increase at first for moderate increases
in temperature but then fall. Higher temperatures will lead to large declines in cereal
(e.g. rice, wheat) production around the world.
Indirect effects on crops include increased amounts of Carbon dioxide (a
greenhouse gas) in the air, this can help plants to grow (photosynthesis) and 13 to
reduce the amount of moisture lost from leaves. But like warmth it will only benefit
agriculture in the short term, as other indirect effects on crops such as drought,
flooding, less moisture in soils and an increase in pests and diseases will soon lead
to less food being produced from farmland. Added heat stress, changing monsoon
patterns, and drier soils may reduce yields by as much as a third in the tropics and
subtropics, where crops are already near their maximum heat tolerance. Further to
these effects forestry due to drier and hotter conditions will face increased risk of fire
damage.
Fisheries may be initially boosted by warmer waters, but again in the longer term it is
bad news as increased Carbon-dioxide in the air will cause more carbon-dioxide to
become dissolved in the oceans and seas which will make them more acidic, this will
reduce the number of fish in them. Livestock farming will be threatened by increased
animal diseases and the cost of straw or grain to feed them as crop harvests
decrease .
Drought:
Water is an essential resource for all life & a requirement for good Health &
sanitation. It is a critical input for industry & essential for sustainable growth &

poverty reduction. Climate change will alter patterns of water availability by
intensifying the water cycle. Droughts & floods will become more severe in many
areas. There will be more rain at high latitudes & less rain in the dry subtropics.
Hotter land surface temperatures cause more powerful evaporation & hence more
intense rainfall, with increased risk of flash flooding. Differences in water availability
between regions will become increasingly pronounced & areas that are already
relatively dry likely to become drier.
Reduced water supplies would place additional stress on people, agriculture, and the
environment. Already, some 1.7 billion people, a third of the world population live in
water stressed countries, a figure expected to rise to 5 billion by 2025. Climate
change will exacerbate the stresses on water supply caused by pollution and by
growing populations and economies.
Heavy Rainfall:
Warming may induce sudden shifts in regional weather patterns such as the
monsoon rains in South Asia or the El Niño phenomenon - changes that would have
severe consequences for water availability and flooding in tropical regions and
threaten the livelihoods of millions of people.
Heavy rainfall will become more common, and this is likely to damage farm incomes
through increased soil erosion, and an inability to cultivate land due to the water
logging of soils. It may also cause contamination of drinking water supply,
exacerbating various water related illnesses. Landslides and avalanche damage,
loss of life and damage to buildings and property, and loss of livelihoods due to
longer periods of flooding are additional effects of heavier rainfalls.
Sea Level Rise:
Global warming has raised and will continue to raise sea level due to thermal of the
oceans and the melting of ice stored in glaciers or ice sheets (floating sea ice being
lighter than water sits on the sea surface and when it melts it increases the seas
volume causing sea level rise). The consequences of sea level rise include more

frequent and more devastating flooding and loss of coastal land. For in coastal
situations, a 50cm rise normally results in a 50m loss of land.
Rising sea levels will cause livelihoods to be lost and people displaced as land
permanently go under water, while the costs of sea defenses will rise. Coastal areas
are amongst the most densely populated areas in the country and support several
important ecosystems on which local communities depend. Critical infrastructure is
often concentrated around coastlines, including oil refineries, nuclear power stations,
port and industrial facilities.
Health
Climate change is expected to have wide-ranging consequences for human health.
For the health of communities depends on sufficient food, safe drinking water,
comfortable homes, good social conditions, and a suitable environmental and social
setting for controlling infectious diseases. All of these factors can be affected by
climate
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that climate change since the
1970s is already responsible for over 150,000 deaths each year through increasing
incidence of diarrhea, malaria and malnutrition, predominantly in Africa and other
developing regions. Slum populations in urban areas are particularly exposed to
disease, suffering from poor air quality and heat stress and with limited access to
clean water. In some tropical areas, temperatures may already be at the limit of
human tolerance such as in the Indo-Gangetic Plain where they can already exceed
45°C before the arrival of the monsoon.
Health will be further affected by changes in the water cycle. Droughts and floods
bring disease, as well as causing death from dehydration or drowning. Prolonged
droughts will fuel forest fires that release respiratory pollutants (causing asthma and
allergies), while floods foster growth of infectious fungal infections, create new
breeding sites for disease vectors such as mosquitoes, and trigger outbreaks of
water-borne diseases like cholera.
Diseases
Temperature, precipitation and humidity influence the incidence of water-borne (and
air-borne) diseases. Bacteria, parasites, and their vectors may breed faster and live
longer in warmer, wetter conditions in Bangladesh.. However, climate is a necessary,

but not sufficient condition for these diseases. Sanitation tied to poverty is the main
condition for diarrheal diseases (like cholera). Drought and flood facilitate their
transmission. Rainfall and poorly maintained human settlements facilitate breeding of
mosquitoes, and migrants from infected forest areas and/or migrants returning to the
plains are a main reason for its resurgence on the lowlands. Climate change in future
could encourage such diseases, especially if economic development is impeded.
Livelihood
Poor people living in the marginalized lands perusing nature dependant livelihoods
are facing barriers and constraints earning wellbeing in the changing climate. The
climate change is posing challenge to the livelihoods in different ways. Livelihoods
are either disrupted by the extreme weather events like cyclone, heavy downpour,
floods, erosion, storm surges, dense fogs, sea turbulence or by slow onset disasters
like sanitization, dryness, ecosystem degradation etc. (OXFAM, 2009). On the other
hand, achieving food security and reducing poverty in the Bangladesh has been a
major challenge for both governments and development agencies due to
vulnerability of Bangladesh agriculture to Climate change. Currently, much more
people in the rural Bangladesh are considered food insecure due to recurrent
different climatic events like flood, storm, river bank erosion, salinity intrusion, and
drought. The poor and marginal farmers are becoming more vulnerable as a result of
crop loss due to climate change. Shortage of food and price hike goes beyond the
purchasing capacity of the poor people (Nasreen et. al., 2008).
People of coastal belt, char and haor areas in Bangladesh are continuously fighting
with
Impact of climate change. Climate change is forcing people to take diversified
occupation to maintain their livelihood. Researchers pointed out that agriculture in
Bangladesh “is already under pressure from increasing demands for food and the
parallel problems of depletion of agricultural land and water resources from overuse
and contamination. Climate variability and projected global climate change makes
the issue particularly urgent (Selvaraju, 2006). It is also mentionable that extreme
weather events not only limits livelihood persuasion during the event but also has the
potential to erode household assets, like destruction of house, trees and even it may
kill people or injure them. The extreme events also destroy local resource base and
thus limits livelihoods and wellbeing. The household assets including human health

and motivation, houses, trees, other physical assets, livelihood tools and equipments
are destroyed in the extreme weather events and thus reducing capitals to pursue
livelihoods and accordingly reducing resilience to extreme conditions (OXFAM,
2009).
Climate Change and Gender
Women are generally more vulnerable than men to climate-related impacts due to
their social status, cultural norms, lack of access to and control over resources, and
lack of participation in decision-making processes in the developing countries (Khan,
et. al., 2010). It is evident from a number of studies (Nasreen, 1995; 2008; 2012) that
women especially the poor, destitute and vulnerable women in Bangladesh bear
multiple responsibilities at home, including food preparation, provision of cooking
fuel, health care, and caring for children and their education. It has also been found
that women living in poverty bear a disproportionate burden of consequences of
climate change because of their marginalized status and dependence on local
natural resources. When a cyclone and floods hit Bangladesh in 1991, the death rate
for women was almost five times higher than for men (Pender 2008). In recent
studies Nasreen (2012) shows that climate change induced disasters affect both
women and men but the burden of coping with disasters falls heavily on women.
Since, additional works are also performed by women to deal with the adverse
situation. According to Nasreen (2012), during and aftermath of a disaster men in
rural areas lose their places of work while women shoulder the responsibilities to
maintain households’ sustenance. Women suffer more
Than men from poverty, hunger, malnutrition, economic crises, environmental
degradation, health related problems, insecurity and become victim of violence and
political crises. The gendered division of labor becomes critical as gender roles are
often re-enforced and even intensified – due to the additional work and changes in
environment brought on by a disaster. It has been argued that violation of women’s
rights becomes more prominent due to crises created by climate change (Nasreen,
2008). For example, people have to depend on relief to cope with disaster, however,
relief do not reach to those people who mostly need it. It is evident that women’s own
adoptive techniques and initiatives become crucial for their family sustenance and
ensuring food security (Nasreen, et.al, 2008). Besides, women are also engaged
themselves in addition activities outside regular domestic works. In addition, it is also

mentioned in a study (Khan, et. al., 2010) that women often have to accompany their
husbands for catching fish at night. In both waterlogged and flash flood prone
hotspot, women also help their male counterparts in making handicrafts such as
mats or fishing traps, which are later sold in the market. However, although poor
rural women have very few options to them to overcome their problems, their roles in
disasters are obviously not simple: they relate to complete range of socio-economic
activities. Studies (Nasreen, 1995, 2008; Alam, 2008) also argue that women are the
mere victims of climate change but are also playing crucial roles for household’s
sustenance. Women’s contribution to rural production activities include raising
seedlings, gathering seeds, post-harvesting, cow fattening and milking, goat farming,
backyard poultry rearing, agriculture, horticulture, food processing, cane and
bamboo works, silk
Reeling, handloom weaving, garment making, fishnet making, coir production and
Handicrafts. A significant number of rural women, particularly from extremely poor
landless households, also engage in paid labor in construction, earthwork and field-
based agricultural work, activities that traditionally have fallen within the male
domain’ (Alam, K. et al, 2008) . During floods women continue to be bearers, care
givers and socialize of children, collectors and providers of food, fuel, water, medical
herbs, fodder, building materials and keepers of household belongings (Nasreen,
2012).

Name: Halima Begum Mim ID: 111151376 Topic: Climate change affect the world
and society in Bangladesh
How Will Climate Change Affect the World and Society in Bangldesh?
Climate change is already affecting the planet and society and will continue to do so
for generations to come. The physical and chemical changes of human activities are
being felt in natural ecosystems on land and at sea, on farms and ranches, and in
cities and suburbs, but the changes are not happening uniformly. Differences in how
regions are affected by varying degrees of warming, precipitation, and changes of
animal and plant species are likely to get even more extreme as climate change
continues. Some areas may actually get a bit cooler for a while! Similarly for rainfall,
some parts of the planet will get drier, while others will get more precipitation in more
extreme events.
Change in climate will impact natural systems (ecological systems, hydrology and
water resources, coastal systems) and the human society at large (including human
health, settlements, food & fiber production, industry, energy and infrastructure), thus
impeding the achievement of sustainable development.
Global climate change would affect diverse sectors via different pathways varying in
complexity, scale (both spatial and temporal) and directness.
Impacts of climate change can be understood in two broad categories.
Sectoral Impacts: This refers to changes likely to be felt across various sectors
(covering both natural and human systems) with serious implications on societies,
often exacerbating existing vulnerabilities.
Regional Impacts: This refers to changes with respect to different regions with
varied geography, exposure and socio-economic status across regions and their
ability to respond to the changing climatic conditions.
Ability to Cope
Different groups have different abilities to cope with climate change impacts.
 People who live in poverty may have a difficult time coping with changes.
These people have limited financial resources to cope with heat, relocate or
evacuate or respond to increases in the cost of food.
 Older adults may be among the least able to cope with impacts of climate
change. Older residents make up a larger share of the population in warmer
areas of the United States. These areas will likely experience higher
temperatures, tropical storms, or extended droughts in the future.
 Young children are another sensitive age group, since their immune system
and other bodily systems are still developing and they rely on others to care
for them in disaster situations.

Urban Populations
 City residents and urban infrastructure have distinct sensitivities to climate change
impacts. For example, heat waves may be amplified in cities because cities absorb more
heat during the day than suburban and rural areas.
 Cities are more densely populated than suburban or rural areas. In fact, more than 80% of
the U.S. population lives in urban areas. As a result, increases in heat waves, drought, or
violent storms in cities would affect a larger number of people than in suburban or rural
areas.
 Higher temperatures and more extreme events will likely affect the cost of energy air
and water quality, and human comfort and health in cities.
 City dwellers may also be particularly susceptible to vulnerabilities in aging
infrastructure. This includes drainage and sewer systems, flood and storm protection
assets, transportation systems, and power supply during periods of peak demand, which
typically occur during summer heat waves.
The poles have already seen the greatest warming, and will continue to warm more
rapidly than other areas. Already we’re seeing record losses of ice in the Arctic. That
melting ice contributes to rising sea levels, affecting the entire planet. In addition,
warm water expands, so sea levels will rise as the atmosphere warms. The ocean
has risen 4-8 inches (10-20 centimeters) globally over the last hundred years. As sea
level continues to rise, flooding and storm surges will threaten freshwater sources,
as well as coastal homes and buildings. Coastal facilities and barrier islands in many
parts of the world are gradually submerging, and some low-lying islands have
already had to be evacuated, as Australia’s The Age (July 29, 2009) describes
happening in the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea.
As a society, we have structured our day-to-day lives around historical and current
climate conditions. We are accustomed to a normal range of conditions and may be
sensitive to extremes that fall outside of this range.
Climate change could affect our society through impacts on a number of different
social, cultural, and natural resources. For example, climate change could affect
human health, infrastructure, and transportation systems, as well as energy, food,
and water supplies.
Some groups of people will likely face greater challenges than others. Climate
change may especially impact people who live in areas that are vulnerable to coastal
storms, drought, and sea level rise or people who are poor. Similarly, some types of

professions and industries may face considerable challenges from climate change.
Professions that are closely linked to weather and climate, such as outdoor tourism
and agriculture, will likely be especially affected.
Impacts on Vulnerability and Equity
Projected climate change will affect certain groups of people more than others,
depending on where they live and their ability to cope with different climate hazards.
In some cases, the impacts of climate change would worsen existing vulnerabilities.
CLIMATE-SOCIETY INTERACTION
The interaction between society and climate is ongoing. In the long-term, both
climate and society vary and change, as do relationships between them. In the
shortterm, a significant change in climate may impact on resource uses in an area,
beneficially or detrimentally. Likewise, a significant change in society, such as
moving from a traditional farming economy to a modern farming and industrial
market economy, may result in both beneficial and detrimental effects on society, as
well as on the environment. When rapid social change and climate variation
coincide, the outcomes can be quite profound. The interactions between climate and
society are schematized in. If considered in present-day terms, the diagram
encapsulates discussion in response to the first main question dealt with in this
Document: The diagram also tries to signify changes through time. This is initiated at
the top of the diagram as trends in climate and society. As the solid arrows suggest,
these trends directly affect natural and managed environments (such as the land,
water, forests, and crops Natural resources), which in turn affect socio-economic
systems.
A change in climate will affect natural resources, such as water, forests, and
grasslands. Changes in natural resources will have social and economic effects;
some beneficial, some detrimental. For example, increased rainfall might increase
the amount of water available for irrigation (a beneficial effect on agriculture), but
increase the rate of soil erosion and leaching (a detrimental effect on agriculture).
These impacts on agricultural resources (plant and soil) would in turn affect the
social and economic circumstances of farmers and other socioeconomic sectors
dependent upon their production. The socio-economic effects of climate change
therefore arise from interactions between climate and society and how these in turn
affect both natural and managed environments. Traditionally, in Bangladesh, climatic
variations have provided opportunities (resources) and imposed costs (hazards),
depending on how society adapted to the environment. Thus, a bountiful floodplain
rice-growing system, finely tuned to seasonal climate variations, is often disrupted by
floods, droughts, and cyclones. In the future, the extent to which Bangladesh will be
affected (whether adversely or beneficially) will depend on the future technological,
demographic, and socio-economic trends and how they influence Bangladesh’s
ability to adapt in order to strike a new balance between resources and hazards.

VULNERABLE IN TRANSITION
Bangladesh is a newly developing country in transition from being a traditional rice-
growing society. In the drive for modernization, evolving technologies and
economical and social structures alter existing systems and make many sectors of,
and groups in, society more vulnerable to significant variations in climate and sea
level. For example, large scale environmental interventions, such as flood control
and irrigation, may buffer people from lesser and more frequent events thereby
enhancing the resource base. On the other hand, protected areas will remain at
threat from supra-design events which may be made more likely under a changing
climate, even though other benefits may accrue from climate change, such as
improved crop production. In the long term, Bangladesh’s vulnerability may,
however, depend more on the direction of technological, demographic, economic
and social trends than on the rates of climate and sea-level change. This is because
the pace of change in society is likely to be much more rapid than for climate and
sea-level change.
POPULATION, SETTLEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Since 1965, the population of Bangladesh has doubled to 110 million. The medium
UN projection gives 235 million by 2025AD and 305 million by 2050AD. In rural
areas the population density may increase by over half by 2025AD. The high density
rural areas will continue to supply migrants to low density areas and to cities. The
exposure of people to climatic extremes will persist and is likely to increase as more
intense use is made of high risk areas. The urban population is projected to grow at
a faster rate, about 5 percent per year. This increasing concentration of people in
large urban areas could increase the risk of catastrophe from rare climatic events
and is likely to create additional risks of climate impacts more akin to other urbanized
countries, such as heat stress, urban flooding, and urban drought. Overall, the trend
of high population growth in Bangladesh should increase vulnerability to climate and
sea level change.
SOCIETY IN TRANSITION
When traditional farming societies are in transition to a modern state, many aspects
of society are affected, both positively and negatively. For example, death rates fall
in response to modern medicine much faster than birth rates because of the
reluctance of people to adopt birth control due to social and economic reasons.
Population quickly expands, but subdivision of family land escalates and uneconomic
land holdings increase. Access to credit improves and new technologies result in
improved production, but indebtedness strikes many small land owners. Although
many of the landless move into new forms of employment, alternatives fail to keep
pace with the expanding population. Industrial and service sectors expand, but this is
typically at a rate that is insufficient to absorb surplus rural labor. Large-scale
underemployment occurs and family incomes for some groups fall. For them,

nutrition intakes deteriorate and rural urban migration escalates. Migration to cities
flows at a pace beyond the capacity of urban infrastructural systems to cope
adequately. Thus, in the period of transition, a significant portion of the rapidly
growing population becomes marginalized and vulnerable to social and
environmental stresses. This summary of socio-economic change by and large
applies in Bangladesh, although the explanations for it may vary (Chowdhury,
Hakim, and Rashid, 1989; Husain, 1991; Jansen, 1987; and Khan, 1989). As already
noted, human activity in Bangladesh revolves around climatic resources and
hazards. With respect to climate change, it is important to know how socioeconomic
changes in traditional farming systems influence coping mechanisms. It is frequently
asserted in the scientific literature that a traditional farming economy is more resilient
to environ mental variations than a society in transition to a modern economy.
Comparative research on how societies in different stages of economic development
cope with extreme natural events has been carried out in many developed and
developing countries (Burton, et al., 1978; Hewitt, ed., 1983; White, ed., 1974). A
major conclusion is that societies that are in transition from traditional to modern or
industrial stages are more vulnerable to natural hazards (floods, droughts, and
cyclones) than either traditional or industrial societies. This is because the
mechanisms of traditional societies for coping with disasters are disrupted by the
development process before being adequately replaced by mechanisms used in
developed countries. One might surmise, therefore, that climate and sea-level
change would have a more severe impact on a society in transition than one that is
in a traditional or a developed state.
Land and wealth
Nearly three-fifths (61 per cent) of the total land area of Bangladesh is under
cultivation—primarily with rice which occupies four-fifths of the area and provides
three-quarters of agricultural produce. While irrigation and flood control projects
allowed some expansion of cropped land since the 1950s, the limits of this are likely
to be reached in the next 10-15 years. The significant increase in crop production
that did occur over the last 30 years was due to the introduction of small-scale
mechanised irrigation technologies, higher yielding varieties (HYV) of rice, wheat,
and potato, and chemical fertilizers in the 1960s and 1970s— the ‘green revolution.’
This enabled the intensification of land use through multiple annual cropping of rice
and increased production of wheat in the dry season. Consequently, food grain
production has grown at a steady rate since the mid-1960s, and the food-gap has
gradually narrowed due to a decreasing rate of population growth (Hossain, 1991;
Rashid, H., 1991; World Bank, 1989). Some 84 per cent of the population is wholly
dependent upon rural landholdings as landlords, owner-operators, tenants,
sharecroppers, and as landless labourers. Thus, any factor, such as climate
changes, that affects the resource base of soil, water, or forest will have important
socio-economic consequences. Bangladesh households have been divided into 10
socioeconomic groups (Ministry of Environment and Forests, 1991; Task Force,

1991d, vol.4, 190). 1. Landless agricultural labourers 2. Small farmers (0.5-1.49
acres of land) 3. Medium farmers, mainly tenant (1.5-5.0 acres) 4. Medium farmers,
mainly owners (1.5-5.0 acres) 5. Large farmers (5.1-10 acres) 6. Very large farmers
(> 10 acres) 7. Rural formal (households, mainly rich, in nonagriculture) 8. Rural
informal (households, mainly poor, in non-agriculture) 9. Urban formal (households,
mainly rich, in nonagriculture) 10. Urban informal (households, mainly poor, in non-
agriculture) The landless, small farmers, and rural and urban informal groups are
poor and disadvantaged. Together they account around 50 per cent of the total
population. Many of the medium farmers are also poor. Possessing few resources or
assets, they are particularly vulnerable to the vagaries of the economic and physical
environment (Ahmad, 1993b; 1993c; Chowdhury, et al., 1989; Maloney, 1988; Sen,
1981). The proportion of rural households that are functionally landless rose from
about 35 per cent (involving around 18 million people) in 1961 to 68.8 percent (65
million people) in 1983-84, and has since increased further. In the same period,
average farm size declined from 1.45 hectares to 0.8 hectare and, under medium
population growth, is expected to drop to 0.6 hectare by 2011. The net cultivable
area per capita will have declined from around 0.12 hectare in 1975 to 0.045 hectare
by 2011 (World Bank, 1989, 34). With unemployment in rural Bangladesh at 35 per
cent or more (in terms of available labour time) and employment opportunities on the
land and in other rural sectors limited, much of the rural population is subsisting
below the absolute poverty level. Without denying the obvious benefits that have
accrued to Bangladesh and the rural sector from the ‘green revolution’ it is often
argued that these adverse trends area consequence of the highly skewed land
distribution. However, capitalist transformation of agriculture has been limited. Land
is still acquired more often by people for the more traditional reasons of subsistence,
prestige and power. This means that while agriculture has experienced many
important changes in the last 30 years, it is still very much in a state of transition
(Khan, 1989). An important reason for the increasing number of families that are
becoming landless and/or that are falling into poorer socio-economic categories is
the increasing control by the rich of land. Other major reasons are the pressure on
natural resources by a rapidly growing population and the subdivision of land
holdings in successive generations. Repeated natural disasters, particularly river
bank erosion, also play a part. However, the continuation of these trends into the
future combined with a more fulsome penetration of capitalism into agriculture could
lead to quite profound socioeconomic changes. These changes could in turn
significantly increase the proportion of people made vulnerable to climatic variations
and extremes.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENTS
A strategy dictated by and suited to the prevailing socioeconomic circumstances for
accelerating economic growth and poverty alleviation is crucially needed in
Bangladesh. These two goals are, by themselves, of topmost priority in this country.
But progress in these directions will also enhance the ability of the people and

society to respond better to other problems, including those arising from natural
hazards. Such a strategy must necessarily be people-centered in the sense that their
full potential is used in conjunction with the best possible utilization of available
resources and that they benefit equitably from the outcome. If people at large are
going to participate in the socio-economic transformation process in this way,
activities must be planned at local places, with adequate administrative
decentralization and political devolution to appropriate levels being essential
prerequisites. Macro, memo, and micro policies must also be conducive to this
process, supported by appropriate institutional networks. The strategy may be based
on policy adjustments within a market economy framework and not on centralized
planning. A new market economy concept that mainstreams rather than alienates the
poor needs to evolve so that the latent creative energies of the people at large are
released and mobilized in a competitive framework at the grassroots.

Name: Shagufta Rahman ID: 111151022 Topic: Solution to deal with the
effects of climate change
1. Changing Lifestyle of people in Bangladesh
Advocacy to influence businesses and governments in Bangladesh and overseas
could help to mitigate climate change. Individuals and organizations in Bangladesh
also has responsibility to reduce their contribution to greenhouse gas build up in the
atmosphere.
A major way to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas is in the area of transport which
globally accounts for 14% of greenhouse gas emissions. From 1986 to 1996 the
amount of cars, trucks and jeeps doubled in Bangladesh. Most taxis and auto-
rickshaws now run on compressed natural gas which when used as fuel, produces
far less greenhouse gases than petrol, diesel and octane fuelled vehicles. All
organization should concerned about the effects of climate change and should use
gas fuelled vehicles and individuals should seek to use buses,gas fuelled taxis that
produce less greenhouse gases. Organizations and individuals should also seek to
minimize air flights which result in huge emissions and to buy food and luxury items
which have been made locally when out shopping, as less emissions will have been
produced in the transport of locally made items than imported ones.
Buying second hand or recycled goods or simply using them for long period of time,
before discarding or recycling them additionally reduces greenhouse gas production.
Industries will produce less emissions if less goods or products are being produced
that cause emissions and it is easier to make something from recycled materials
requiring less emissions. Bangladesh already has good recycling rates due to its
impoverished “rag pickers” but there is still room for improvement, and initiatives to
improve the conditions and pay of those collecting rubbish and playing such an
important role in society should be developed.
2. Use of energy
Energy use is another way to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas. Natural gas
produces 24% of Bangladesh’s fuel need and imported coal and mineral oil 19%. It
produces large quantities of greenhouse gases to produce electricity, while although
very much less, gas still produces some carbon dioxide when burnt. Therefore every

organization should try to cut down on its use of electricity such as only using air
conditioning on the very hottest days in offices, turning off lights, televisions, fans
and computers when leaving rooms or at night.
Solar panels can also be installed on rooftops to capture energy and have proved
effective in Bangladesh in fact solar lanterns have also been supplied for use in
fishing boats. In remote Chalanbeel in Bangladesh, a fleet of boats fitted with solar
panels even deliver a combination of services which include: Children education,
libraries, training in sub stainable agriculture and health advice. They also use solar
power to recharge batteries to run solar home lighting systems, mobile phones and
internet access.
The use of energy efficient light bulbs, fluorescent or LED is one simple way to make
a huge difference in electricity consumption. Church of Bangladesh Social
Development Program Meherpur has already exchanged many of its light bulbs for
low energy using small fluorescent bulbs.
Traditional fuels like wood, crop residue and cow dung makes up 55% of total energy
used in Bangladesh. So using energy efficient stoves or chulas to increase the
amount of energy utilized from wood or dung from 5-15% to 50-70% when cooking
and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions per family is good practice
(Moral,2002). The use of Chuli Water Purifier ( that is a coiled aluminum pipe
through which water flows from one bucket to another ) inserted into the clay stove
when built can also make water safe to drink by pasteurizing it at the same time of
cooking. This reduces the amount of carbon-dioxide produced during boiling water,
through wood burning, as well as deforestation, itself a cause of climate change.
These are available in Bangladesh from IACD ( Integrated Approach to Community
Development ) and Wagtech ( suppliers of water testing equipment ).
Biogas plants that use dung and vegetable matter to produce gas for cooking also
reduce emissions of carbon-dioxide as they produce less than wood fuel. Removing
wet or moist dung from the ground surface into the below ground 24 biogas plant
also reduces the greenhouse gas, methane naturally given off when it decomposes,
going into that atmosphere, as the methane produced is burned. For methane (
natural gas ), is a more dangerous greenhouse gas than carbon-dioxide, in other
words more effective in acting like a blanket over the earth. Bangladesh has

successfully installed biogas plants near Dhaka and Faridpur. Those near Dhaka use
poultry manure that would otherwise emit methane into the air.
3. Micro-finance
Microfinance has had a huge profile in Bangladesh and internationally after the
award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Mohammed Yunis the founder of this concept
through the Grameen Bank. Many development NGOs such as the church of
Bangladesh Social Development Program constructed its development programs
around the operation of microcredit. Microcredit undoubtedly has its limitations and is
particularly criticized for not reaching the very “poorest of the poor” who either do not
qualify for credit or are unable to handle the credit when they receive it. However, for
many of the poor of Bangladesh it has been a valuable tool in developing livelihoods
and reducing their vulnerability.
Sadly though the many disaster that have occurred in Bangladesh in recent years
have often killed livestock or destroyed businesses developed through microcredit. In
these circumstances loan repayments need to be delayed or cancelled and new
loans will often be needed. Disaster relief and rehabilitation such as vegetable seeds
may help families but they cannot replace the hard work, effort and finance put into
these small businesses. S disasters and other adverse effects of climate change will
increasingly hit villages and urban areas in Bangladesh microcredit must adapt to
maintain a useful tool to combat poverty.
4. Alternative activities taken by climate change affected people
The patterns of alternative livelihood and other activities vary according to nature of
disasters induced by climate change. The affected people are taking several
strategies to cope with extreme climatic variability. It is seen that food crisis is an
acute problem in coastal zone.
Like food problem, they also suffer from health, housing problems etc. When they
are unable to solve the food crises or other problems, they borrow money from
others. To solve food crisis or other problems more than 72% household borrow
money from neighbors or relatives while more than 46% of the household borrow
money from Mohajan with high interest. During a particular time they are taking this
mean but the means of borrowing money is not a last long solution. Though, they got

relief from the government and NGOs, it increases the burden of loan. As a result, in
disasters prone areas the coastal communities are trying to solve their problems by
selling mat and other handicrafts in the local markets. Around 21% families are now
making mats and other handicrafts to maintain livelihoods. Livestock rearing is also
an important source of income in all over the country. Though, the affected people
cannot rear poultry and layer due to lack of dry space, but have taken livestock
rearing as a main income earning source. For example, more than 68% household
are now rearing livestock to meet their basic needs. Besides, livestock rearing and
sweet water fish cultivation are also found as important sources of income of 59.1%
households. During flood, food crisis is found as major problem. Women store food
and fruits to solve the problem of food crisis. Women face problems in cooking due
to lack of water and fuel wood. Agricultural lands are gradually losing its top soil
fertility. Agricultural crops and vegetables cannot grow due to saline water and
extreme temperature. The coastal people are now trying to cultivate extreme
weather suitable and salinity tolerant crops. For example, 15% of the coastal families
have cultivated water lemon whereas more than 11% households planted betel leafs
to maintain livelihoods. As frequent cyclones destroy houses of coastal people, they
have to take shelter at the school compounds. At this time, schools are kept closed
as they are used as cyclone shelter or temporary residence for the homeless people.
However, they face difficulties at cyclone shelter as they are not sufficient. It is
observed that in Boga Union of Patuakhali district, there is no cyclone shelter within
2 or 3 kilometers and two cyclone shelters are seen in whole Boga union. It is also
found that several NGOs are working in the coastal areas to support and to enhance
the livelihood capacities of the affected people by providing jobs, training, providing
poultry and animals and giving credit with low interest etc. The affected people are
also getting assistances involved affected people in community based livelihood
programs and providing training in different livelihood activities. Many people are
becoming members of social safety network programs supported by youth club or
citizens committee and also participating in innovative livelihood programs initiated
by government or other organizations. Besides these alternatives strategies, the
affected people are also trying to increase their knowledge on climate change and
understanding of risks would help to learn more on crop cultivation patterns. Different
clubs and citizen committees have been formed by GOs and NGOs to make people

knowledgeable on the effects of climate change become more resilient. Water is also
another acute problem in the study area. There are some Pond Sand Filters (PSF)
installed by government NGOs to make water free from salinity. The local people
have also developed a system with the help of NGOs and GOs to store rain water as
well as ground water. Moreover, affected people are also harvesting rain water.
During monsoon period they store drinking water into water filters placing them on
house roofs. They are also using surface water and extracting ground water for
agricultural cultivation and other household tasks. However, they are becoming more
resilient by adopting different types of strategies to strive with the climate change.
5. Alternative means of livelihood for women
As of other parts of rural Bangladesh women in the coastal areas are playing key
roles in supporting their families by adopting several means. The coastal women are
maintaining their livelihoods and trying to fulfill basic needs of their families through
involvement in earth filling, homestead platform raising and planting vegetables in
the raise plinths. They also nurture poultry and involved in beef fattening or rearing
milky cow generate income and reduce family poverty. As shelter problem is another
problem created by frequent cyclones and storm surge. The cyclones affected
women protect their houses through planting saplings and trees. They also cultivate
vegetables on the raised platforms around their homesteads and store fuel woods.
The government is also allocating Khash land to solve the residential problems of
female headed household.
Cottage industry is an important alternative strategy adopted by the women. They
are taking credits from NGOs and GOs for producing cottage based products.
Though women do not have sufficient training on how to produce cottage ased
products, they are getting training on skill development by different NGOs. The rural
women are also getting training on rearing poultry and cattle. From the qualitative
data, it is evident that women make and preserve the dry food like cake, chira, muri,
khoi etc. during and pre disaster period. They also rear livestock like cows, goats
even buffaloes. They involve themselves in rising homestead plinths for planting
vegetables and rearing poultry and animals, beef fattening and rearing milky cow.
The coastal affected women are also organized themselves in emergency responses
and formed society or co-operatives etc. to reduce their livelihood risks. Climate

change has induced several risks for both men and women but the risks are different
for those women who are particularly more vulnerable an living under below poverty
line. Different NGOs and professional are collecting data and assessing the risks of
women. It is evident that the risks burden is more for women than that of their male
counterparts. Thus. Different NGOs are giving training to understand risks of women
and formulating women groups to involve women in emergency responses. It is
evident from the study that all women in coastal areas are trying to become more
resilient to adopt with climate change.
6. Foreign aid and funding
Various countries have pledged to provide funding for adaptation and mitigation in
developing nations, such as Bangladesh. The accord committed up to $30 billion of
immediate short term funding over the 2010-2012 period from developed to
developing countries to support their action in climate change mitigation. This
funding is available for developing nations to build their capacity to reduce emissions
and responds to impacts of climate change. Furthermore, this funding will be
balanced between mitigation and infrastructure adaptation in various sectors
including forestry, science, technology and capacity building. Moreover, the
Copenhagen Accord ( COP 15 ) also pledges $100 million of public and private
finance by 2020, mostly to developing nations. The advisory group compromises
high-level officials, researchers, professionals and academics and they constantly
study ways to fund this global initiative.
Bangladesh is one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world and will
become even more so as a result of climate change. Though the country has made
considerable progress in meeting the targets of Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), climate change induced risks like cyclone, tidal surge, coastal inundation
and salinity intrusion due to sea level rise, erratic rainfall, flood, river bank erosion,
drought landslide and negative impacts on agricultural production have appeared as
hindrances to achieving the targets of Vision 2021. Attaching highest importance to
the issue, Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009
was formulated. BCCSAP 2009 indentified six thematic areas, namely
A. Food security, social protection and health,
B. Comprehensive disaster management,

C. Infrastructure,
D. Research and knowledge management,
E. Mitigation and low-carbon development, and
F. Capacity building and institutional strengthening.
Subsequently, in the fiscal year of 2009-2010, Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF)
was created by the government from its own resources to finance projects for
implementation of BCCSAP 2009. The aim of these projects is to reduce the
vulnerabilities caused by the adverse effects of climate change. To set up
institutional arrangements for management of the Fund, Climate Change Trust Act,
2010 was enacted. Under the framework of this Act, Bangladesh Climate Change
Trust (BCCT) was constituted.
The projects undertaken so far from CCTF include construction of embankments and
river bank protective work, building cyclone resilient houses, excavation or re-
excavation of canals, construction of water control infrastructure, introduction and
dissemination of stress tolerant crop varieties and seeds, a forestation, installation of
solar panels and so on.
The government is committed protect the countrymen from the hazards induced by
climate change. To meet this end, the government is employing its earnest efforts in
proper utilization of Climate Change Trust Fund as well as mobilizing finance from
external sources.

Climate change

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