Written By: Mateen U Rahman Sabzoi Nips QAU
Assistant Research Officer: Mohammad Rokanuzaman, Uttara University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
10 Steps to Fight Against Climate Change, Bangladesh is a densely populated country where more than 160 million people live in a small area of 1,47,570 sq. km. Once upon a time, Bangladesh was the most attractive and comfortable place for leading a better life and living. Almost all visitors from all over enjoy this country for enjoying its natural beauty, but it is a grebeen greatlyat this beauty has been greatly destroyed by our unlawful or inhuman activities.
The main causes are burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil, and gasoline increases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is one of the major contributors to global warming. Over the last century, it has been measured that the level of Carbon Dioxide in the air has drastically increased by 25 percent, the level of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) by 19 percent, and the level of Methane by 100 percent. These three major gases are considered the main culprits for global warming.
According to an estimation, over the last hundred years, the Earth’s surface temperature has increased by around 0.74°C on average, with the warming greater over land regions than over the oceans. According to a record taken recently, the late 1990s and the early 21st century are considered the warmest years. Additionally, it is expected that about 0.2°C temperature may increase each of the next two decades.
According to climatologists, at present, the world needs to decrease the emission of the related global warming gases, such as Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, and Methane, by 50 to 70 percent just to stabilize the level of gases already in the atmosphere. However, the emission of these above-mentioned three gases is projected to continue rising in the coming decades. As a result, Bangladesh is now starting to face the worst climatic situation.
However, Bangladeshi people are serious victims of global warming as well as climate change. A majority of Bangladeshi people, the economy, and the ecology have already been suffering a lot because of global warming. In this respect, the developed countries are greatly responsible for climate change. Precisely speaking, the impacts of climate change have already added significant stress to our physical and environmental resources, our human ability, and economic activities. Impacts of climate change have been observed among the following categories:
- Water resources
- Coastal resources
- Agriculture
- Health
- Livelihoods
- Food security
- Habitat or settlement security
10 Steps to Fight Against Climate Change
Global warming has been one of the major concerns among climatologists, scientists, and the related others which directly or indirectly affects all people in the world. It has no geographical boundary. Specifically, the world’s poorest countries are the real victims of global warming. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the United Nations, said that in the long run, no one, rich or poor, could remain immune from the dangers brought by climate change. He also added that we are already beginning to see these catastrophes unfold. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global watchdog on climate change, the South Asian countries are the most vulnerable area in the world in terms of climate change.
IPCC also predicts that Bangladesh will be the worst sufferer because it is probably going to lose 17% of its land and 30% of its food production by 2050 because of climate change. Being geographically flat and in tropical areas, Bangladesh is considered the most vulnerable country in terms of natural disasters. Bangladesh has already started to realize the effects of climate change. Floods, cyclones, tornadoes, and droughts have become common phenomena in Bangladesh. These are the early signs of global warming effects. Rising sea levels in the coming decades will create over 25 million climate refugees all around the world, including Bangladesh.
The mitigation of climate change or global warming, to some extent, is not very easy. We can only help reduce the amount of global warming. Over the last few years, Bangladesh has slowly but steadily been able to achieve its reputation in the context of climate change, being one of the most vulnerable countries to become one of the most adaptive countries in the world. There are a lot of steps that may be taken to reduce global warming to some great extent. According to climatologist Larry West, the top ten steps should be taken to reduce global warming, which are mentioned below:
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Everybody should choose and use reusable products instead of disposables. We will have to be aware enough in buying products with actual packaging, which will certainly help reduce the amount of waste. And we have to learn about how to recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass, and aluminum cans. So, at least one recycling plant has to be established in each area. If we can recycle half of our everyday household waste, at least 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide can be saved annually.
2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning
Adding insulation to our walls and attic and installing weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows can lower our heating costs more than 25 percent by reducing the amount of energy we need to heat and cool our home. Turn down the heat while we sleep at night or when we’re away during the day and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting our thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
3. Change a Light Bulb
Change a Light Bulb. Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat. If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.
4. Drive Less and Drive Smart
Drive Less and Drive Smart. Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore our community mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school. When we drive, we make sure that our car is running efficiently. For example, keeping our tires properly inflated can improve our gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas we save not only helps our budget, but it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products
When it’s time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact fluorescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs. Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can’t be recycled. If we reduce our household garbage by 10 percent, we can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
6. Use Less Hot Water
Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households. Use the energy-saving settings on our dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
7. Use the “Off” Switch
Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when we leave a room and using only as much light as we need. And remember to turn off our television, video player, stereo, and computer when we are not using them. It’s also a good idea to turn off the water when we are not using it. While brushing teeth, shampooing, and washing our car, we turn off the water until we actually need it for rinsing. We will reduce our water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.
8. Plant a Tree
Plant a Tree. If we have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing, and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.
9. Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company
Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company. Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.
10. Encourage Others to preserve
Share information about recycling and energy conservation with our friends, neighbors, and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.
These 10 steps may be taken to help reduce global warming, which may lead us a long way towards saving energy and our monthly budget. And using energy properly means less dependence on the fossil fuels which are greatly responsible to create greenhouse gases and help contribute to intensify the warming in the atmosphere globally.
In addition, this is not only the closing part of the impacts, but it could also have impacts on the basic needs of the people of Bangladesh. Rising sea levels may cause huge destruction of infrastructure, including educational institutes, hospitals, bazaars, madrashas, community centers, and other infrastructure located near the coastal areas. These types of problems may lead to other socio-political complexities, which may be a threat to the national security of Bangladesh.
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