Rising temperatures, especially during the summer, has been a steady trend in Bangladesh over the past few decades. However, the effects can even be felt off-season now -- despite it being the month of November, the average temperatures in the capital Dhaka during the day time is still in the high 30s while at night it is still in the high 20s in degree Celsius.
According to the findings in the newest edition of the Lancet Countdown, the implications of rising temperatures are not confined to health, but the phenomenon also has severe ramifications when it comes to productivity as a direct result of reduced quality of life and indeed labour capacity, particularly regarding those who deal in hands-on work in agriculture -- on average, in 2023, around 26.5 billion “potential labour hours” were lost due to heat exposure.
However, by this point, it has been well established that Bangladesh is incredibly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and despite our current position as a least developed country, the many sustainable changes we have made to some of our most dominant industries and our commitment towards pivoting to clean energy in the near future, it is clear that wealthy, mostly Western nations are still predominantly responsible for the destruction of the environment.
We have long editorialized on the need for highly industrialized nations to ensure climate reparations for nations such as Bangladesh, who have had to endure the brunt of the damage they have caused. However, equally important, if not more so, is the fact that these so-called developed economies have to stop relying on fossil fuels to the extent that they do and reduce their disproportionately high carbon footprints lest they want to bring the entire planet to its knees.
Nothing can be more unfair than budding economies which are only getting their bearings to have to limit their own potential due to the early, and continued, greed of a handful of other nations. Climate justice has to be ensured.