While it might sound an obvious enough finding, climate change has been identified as a one of the contributing factors behind the frequent and increasingly intense heatwaves around the world which in turn imparts a severe impact on the quality of air in the World Meteorological Organization’s newest Air Quality and Climate Bulletin.
Bangladesh, as we all know, is one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world, and the brunt of the damage dealt to our planet’s climate can be attributed squarely to nations which began industrializing at a breakneck speed early on and never stopped accelerating. The rest of the world cannot wait for these nations to realize the magnitude of their impact on the environment, which is where the idea of loss and damage comes in.
The current climate crisis that is wreaking havoc upon millions of people across the world, particularly developing and least developed nations -- it’s time to hold developed nations accountable for their inaction, which continues to wreak havoc on our planet.
But more than that it is high time that governments the world over began considering climate change at a policy level. While Bangladesh is indeed a climate victim, much of the reason why our cities are veritable smokestacks of air pollution is still the result of a lack of regulation when it comes to certain industries -- brickfields are a very good example as the kilns bellow pollutants which have a direct impact on the air quality in our capital city.
It is simply not enough to just have people protect themselves from the consequences and after effects of widespread pollution. It is high time that polluting factors be held accountable.
The world cannot bury its head in the sand any longer. Climate change is as real as air itself -- just because you can’t see it, does not mean it’s not there.