Research Topics: Climate Change

The Relationship between Economic Growth and Climate Change in Bangladesh

Climate change is one of the hottest issues every country is facing today.  Although the effect of greenhouse gasses has been the subject of scientific  scrutiny for over decades, only in the recent years has it given attention due to drastic changes of weather behavior. Not only the government was alarmed by the adverse effect of climate change, but the public as well because they are the one who will suffer the most by such consequences.              The concerns received from the public over the effects of climate change may be rooted from the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) when national governments, organizations as well as private individuals worked together in figuring out the threats posed by the climate change. On the framework convention signed by participating countries at UNCED, it reflected the heightening concerns about the effects of climate change and the urgent call for action to prevent or at least reduce the exacerbation of the potential impacts, particularly to the vulnerable developing countries.              Bangladesh, as considered to be a developing country, is mostly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The widespread flood in 1988 which submerged two-thirds of the country and the April 1991 storm surge that killed nearly 140,000 coastal inhabitants are constant reminders how climate change should be taken seriously by the government and the people of Bangladesh. The flat and low-lying topography is risked even more by the rising sea levels.             However, not only the safety of countrymen are being watched by the adverse effects of climate change, but the economic growth as well facing a downturn as global warming hit the country massively.              Bangladesh is characterized by high temperatures, heavy rainfall and high humidity. But, if the projected climate change will take place, it will result in increased flooding associated with rising sea levels and increased glacial melt due to its lying within the Himalayan chain.  Normally, 30 to 70 percent of the country is being flooded each year. But, if the environmental stress will continue, the flooding rate will rise in terms of extent and frequency with the vulnerability of the country to cyclones and storm surges. The moisture of the land will be also affected having longer dry periods will result to drought. In this case, the agricultural sector will suffer greatly maimed to provide for export products and even for its own citizens.               Bangladesh is a traditional rice-growing society. But, the projected climate change impact will cause soil erosion and leaching that will lessen the farmlands and thus, the harvest. The solution being proposed for counter measures is modernization in evolving technologies that will change entirely the economical structures and existing social systems that will be devastated by the significant climate change and rising sea level. For example, the country will focus in providing outsource services for foreign countries rather than depend largely on agricultural sector that will receive the massive impact of climate change.  Enhancing the resource base such as improving the crop production will provide enough food supply.              On the other hand, migration will be one of the biggest problems when people will lose land and employment. Permanent movements are inevitable opportunities will be limited and the weather conditions are not favorable anymore for normal human living. High migration rates and brain drain will aggravate the potential adverse effect of climate change on socio-economic factors.              Interdisciplinary research is needed to develop an optimum strategy in reducing the vulnerability of climate change extremes. Setting priorities in countering the adverse effects of global warming will prepare the leaders as well as the citizens if the worst will arrive in the near future.  References: Dell, Melissa et. al., Does climate change affect economic growth?, June 2009, http://www.voxeu.org Tanuwidjaja, Gunawan, THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ECONOMY AND MICROECONOMIC POLICY FOR THE MITIGATION, March 2010, http://greenimpactindo.wordpress.com   Ayers, Jessica and Saleemul Huq, Climate Change Impacts and Responses in Bangladesh, January 2008 Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Relationship between Economic Growth and Climate Change in Bangladesh

Climate change is one of the hottest issues every country is facing today. Although the effect of greenhouse gasses h...

Critically Analyze The Measures And Challenges That Need To Be Addressed To Mitigate The Effects Of Climate Change On Public Health

Critically Analyze The Measures And Challenges That Need To Be Addressed To Mitigate The Effects Of Climate Change On Public Health   According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are about 150,000 deaths each can be attributed to the effects of climate. A growing number of studies present different evidence which show the impacts of observed climate change on vector-borne and other infectious disease. There is some evidence for changes in frequency of weather extremes over recent decades (McCarthy et al., 2001). Many health outcomes are sensitive and dependent on the isolated extreme events such as heavy rainfall and high temperatures. According to the analyses of 2003 heat wave in the European region concluded that it was a truly extreme event and the summer of 2003 was probably the hottest in Europe since 1500 (Luterbacher, et al., 2004). According to the climatologist, this is very likely that human impact on the global climate has at least doubled the risk of a heat wave which has been experienced in 2003 (Stott, Stone and Allen, 2004). Different researches has showed that possible causal role of climate change, particularly the warming of the surface temperature in the increasing intensity of tropical cyclones (Emanuel, 2005) even though a single event such as Hurricane Katrina cannot be definitely attributed to the issue of climate change. Different observations and data of the past showed that short-term variations and changes in climate or weather show that even small temperature increases and precipitation changes can result in measurable impacts on malaria, diarrhea episodes, injuries related to floods and malnutrition. Knowledge of these relationships allows approximate estimates of the health effects of past and future climate change to be made (Haines, et al., 2006). It has been known for a long time that climate has a wide ranging influence on health of the public. Increasing recognition of the process of climate change has led to a growing intensity by health researches in evaluating the possibility of mechanisms by which changes in climate can affect health. All of those health effects can be modulated by different factors which include socio-economic development and by the level to which effective adaptation measures are being implemented. Even though most studies have assess the possible influence of climate change in isolation of other important environmental changes, in reality, climate change will be experienced against a background of other global changes which include population growth, urbanization, land use changes and depletion of fresh water resources that themselves have implications for health and which could, in some instances connect with climate change in order to magnify the influences (Haines, et al., 2006). A large body of different researches and literatures connected to social response to climate change has focused on the need for reform at the public policy and institutional levels which follow the commitments by the government to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions A large body of research related to social response to climate change has focused on the need for reform at the public policy and institutional levels following commitments by governments to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and to develop measures to adapt to climate change under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Klein et al., 2007). At the other extreme, investigations into individual responses to climate change have explored knowledge and understanding, levels of concern, and perceptions of risk and responsibility for taking action (Leiserowitz, 2007). Of course, all levels of response are at least indirectly connected (Smit and Wandel, 2006), and attempts to understand the capacity for change in different contexts is crucial for responding to complex problems such as climate change. As observed by Tompkins and Adger (2005), “the capacity of an individual, group or institution (at any scale) to learn and modify its response to climate change is important in generating sustainable outcomes” (p. 563). The processes involved in enacting change across scales are less studied (Moser et al., 2008).   References   Emanuel, K. (2005). ‘Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years’. Nature. 436, 686 – 688.   Haines, A., Kovats, R. S., Campbell-Lendrum, D. and Corvalan, C. (2005). ‘Climate change and human health: impacts, vulnerability and public health’. Public Health. 120(7), 585 – 596.   Luterbacher, J., Dietrich, D., Xoplaki, E., Grosjean, M. and Wanner, H. (2004). ‘European seasonal and annual temperature variability, trends and extremes since 1500’. Science 303. 1503.   McCarthy, O., Canziani, O., Leary, N., Dokken, D. and White, K. (eds.). Climate change 2001: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press.   Stott, P.A., Stone, D.A. and Allen, M.R. (2004). ‘Human contribution to the European heatwave of 2003’. Nature. 432. 610 – 614.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Critically Analyze The Measures And Challenges That Need To Be Addressed To Mitigate The Effects Of Climate Change On Public Health

Critically Analyze The Measures And Challenges That Need To Be Addressed To Mitigate The Effects Of Climate Change On Public Health A...