Environmental disaster
It is generally agreed that the world is facing a serious environmental problem due to global warming. Because of this, extreme events, for instance cyclone, tornado, flood, draught, sea-level rise, vector-borne diseases and other natural calamities are appearing recurrently. Anyhow, at the end of the year 2007, there was a terrifying cyclone 'Sidr' in Bangladesh, which was one of the serious consequences of global climate change. We can still remember the fateful night of November 15; 220 km per hour windstorm accompanied by a 30-foot high tidal-bore that hit Manikkhali under Burirchar union of Borguna upazila and Talatali of Amtali upazila.
Continuous deforestation and extensive fossil fuel exploitation and natural sources contribute carbon dioxide (Co2) in atmosphere dramatically in higher rate since massive industrialization and it is rising relentlessly.
In fact, developed countries have less control on carbon emission reduction, while the third world countries like Bangladesh are suffering due to the consequences of such pollution.
The 4th assessment report of the 'Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change' (IPCC) demonstrates that the global mean concentration of carbon dioxide in 2005 was 379ppm. The growth rate of Co2 in the atmosphere was 1.9ppm yearly and this is the largest change inferred for any decade in at least the last 200 years. Furthermore, developed countries, with less than 20 percent of the world's population, are responsible for 80% of the atmospheric Co2 accumulation since 1751 and the least developed countries, with 800 million people, have contributed less than 1%, yet they are the most vulnerable to climate change.
Generally speaking, Bangladesh as a developing country by itself may not be able to take significant steps to face the great threat of global warming. Therefore, in this case, as in many other cases, our national policy-makers should think globally and act locally, where we can make our policy concerning management, technologies and strategies based on global framework with the help of global partnership and co-operation and have to implement those at local level.
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