Serious action is needed to mitigate the climate emergency and minimise associated health risks, write Rubhana Raqib and Mohammad Sirajul Islam
If global warming continues at present rates, the earth’s average temperature will increase by 2.6°C to 4.8°C by 2100.1 In Bangladesh, the projected average temperature rise will be 1°, 1.4°, and 2.4°C by the year 2030, 2050, and 2100, respectively.2 A rise in sea levels will inundate coastal areas with saline water. The unregulated expansion of saltwater reserves for commercial shrimp farms in coastal belts is also accelerating the intrusion of salt water into drinking and irrigation water. This saline intrusion is already affecting 53% of coastal land in Bangladesh.34 Consequently, about 20 million people from coastal areas are forced to use unsafe, contaminated surface water from ponds and rivers, leading to various waterborne infectious diseases such as cholera.5
Saline intrusion in agricultural and pastoral lands results in a loss of food grains, vegetables, and habitat for livestock and fish. Agricultural production is additionally hampered by excessive heat, drought, torrential rains, and flooding. An estimated 40% of Bangladesh’s agricultural land will be destroyed by rising sea levels.6 …