Climate change is a very real phenomenon that has cast a long and dark shadow over the future of mankind. While the world is slowly, collectively starting to recognize the impacts it has already made on the planet, recent reports make an even damning assessment for what lies ahead.
A new report by UNICEF shows that one billion children are at extreme risk due to the hazards of climate change. This is especially alarming for a country like Bangladesh, as we are one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world.
A large portion of the population live in coastal areas and slums, both of which are at-risk locales when it comes to the effects of climate change, and given that a significant amount of this population comprises of children, we really need to take any such reports into cognizance and ensure that the appropriate measures are taken to avoid any catastrophes.
Bangladesh has been seeing rapid industrialization for a while now, the unplanned nature of which has damaged both our waterways and our air -- to the point Dhaka is ranked as one of the worst places to live in regards to its quality of air. More importantly, our nation is a victim of the unchecked industrialization of developed countries, and is part of a group of countries that are paying the price of the CO2 emissions of these countries.
We might be graduating from LDC status soon, but the damage that has been done still needs to be repaired. And when it comes to the harm of climate change, our own efforts will perhaps never be enough, by virtue of our current place within the global economy.
Aside from the government taking steps and developing programs aimed particularly at the children, foreign countries have to step in and provide us with aid. They also have to provide technical and structural support so that fail safe measures can be taken particularly for the children.
The battle against climate change is a battle for the future, but the future won't even matter if we lose our children. Let's make sure that is not the case.
