Unconventional Effects of Global Warming On Bangladesh

The unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh can be easily felt. Be it a small village on the rugged coastline or densely populated city like Dhaka, global warming has affected lives of all. Even an illiterate farmer who has never heard the word ‘global warming’ can taste the climate changes very well. For farmers like Jahangir unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh have drastically changed his life and this is the main cause of concern for him. Few years ago water from the village tasted very sweet but now the flavor is salty. This the sign of the brackish water from the Bay of Bengal is encroaching and surging up fresh river water of Bangladesh as well as percolating deep inside the soil and underground water supply on which these villagers depend for daily supply of their drinking water. The salt making its way to the paddy fields belonging to villagers like Jahangir is destroying their only source of income.

Bangladesh, with 140 million population and low lying coastal geography, is one of the most vulnerable nations in the world which is at maximum risk of climate change which is one of the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh. Climate change is attributed to this region for one main reason- the region comprises of 230 rivers which swells during the rainy season, combined with river water from the melting glaciers from the Himalaya in north and an encroaching Bay of Bengal in south which makes the region prone to severe flooding. The main unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh which can be seen are increasing sea level, temperature and evaporation, scarce of fresh drinking water, higher intensity of flooding and other such disaster.

Top Left- Rise in water level in the villages surrounding Sunderbans ; Top Right- Sunderbans Mangroves under water; Bottom Center- A map showing water percolating inside the villages.

Unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh is causing ecological imbalances

The situation has worsened in the last few years due to unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh, which have affected food output of Bangladesh and in turn the lives of poor farmers like Jahangir whose only source of income is harvesting rice. The rising soil salinity has affected the quality of rice grown in the affected rice paddies. The rice is of poor quality which does not sell much. To boost the declining income, farmers are now turning towards home based shrimp farming. Shrimp farming is in turn hampering the balance of the ecosystem which is adding to the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh.

The unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh is not only restricted to the paddy fields. It has adversely affected the lives of the flora and fauna of the gigantic Sundarbans thus affecting ecotourism to a large extend. Declining mangroves in the Sundarbans are mainly affecting lives of tigers. A projected sea-level rise of 11 inches (28 centimeters) above 2000 levels along coastal Bangladesh by 2070 may cause the remaining tiger habitat in the Sundarbans to decline by 96 percent.

Steps taken to fight against the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh

Many NGOs like BRAC and Yunus centre are working intensely to fight against the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh. These NGOs are not only educating and reforming the people of Bangladesh but also they are doing their best to save lives of people.

United Nations has also extended their hand to help Bangladesh fight against the unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh. UN has provided $200,000 to Bangladesh for implementing strict measures to overcome the unconventional effect of global warming on Bangladesh.

Various works towards saving the environment have already started in many parts of Bangladesh. In certain areas, mangroves and some other flora species are being planted along the coastline that could help reduce the erosion and provide a protection against storms and cyclones. But the scale of such activities in progress is not enough when compared to the scale of the existing problem.

To sum up, unconventional effects of global warming on Bangladesh can lead to excessive rainfall, massive floods, great cyclones and arid droughts. Proper developmental measures and sustainable strategies to conserve the environment will definitely protect the earth and will particularly save low lying coastal nations like Bangladesh from the unconventional effects and catastrophe caused by global warming.