Rain on a foggy winter morning. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But it is not as good as it sounds as the reason for this unusual phenomenon in Bangladesh is climate change.
Climate refers to the average weather pattern of a particular region over 30-40 years. Bangladesh has a tropical climate. As it is a coastal nation and has a monsoon season, neither winter nor summer is as severe as in other countries. Generally, summers in Bangladesh are hot and rainy, while winters are dry. However, the recent winters have seen rains over Dhaka and other parts of the country.
Ideally, the weather should be windy and dry, but the Bangladesh Meteorological Department recently observed a tropical depression developing over the Bay of Bengal. In winter the pressure in the ocean almost always causes precipitation. During winter, a center of high pressure forms over Northeast India, close to Bangladesh.
When a fast-moving area of cold air moves into an area of warm air, it forces its way under the warm air, which is pushed upward. As it rises, the air pressure drops. This rising air can lead to a low pressure system or depression.
When a depression forms and passes over the Bay of Bengal, it causes rainfall. Later the depression may intensify, and result in a cyclone that hits the coast or may die under the sea. Cyclones can cause massive damage in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. But why do these depressions occur in such extreme weather?
This is due to climate change, which is caused by human activities. As a result of this activity, temperatures are rising around the world. This activity means that we also have to deal with the effects of greenhouse gases.
Any climate change in Bangladesh is part of climate change around the world. It is commonly claimed that the Earth’s temperature has increased since the beginning of the 20th century. This phenomenon, called global warming, is attributed to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) due to the burning of fossil fuels. This temperature rise is melting icebergs in colder regions and causing meltwater to drip into the oceans.
According to some analysts, the effects of increased temperatures will have both destructive and beneficial consequences, being destructive for some regions but helpful for others. Due to global warming the polar ice caps and the Himalayan ice caps will melt at a slower rate. As a result, it is predicted that by 2050 the sea level will rise by 2-3 metres. In that case, all low-lying coastal plains and delta regions around the world, including significant parts of Bangladesh, would be submerged, reducing fertile agricultural land and, thus, food production. This will lead to global food shortages, hunger, poverty and an increase in human misery.
If this prediction comes true, a significant portion of the southern half of Bangladesh would be submerged in the Bay of Bengal. However, there is another side to the argument as well. Climate change on a global scale does not happen overnight; In fact, it occurs on time scales of thousands of years.
I strongly feel that we need to stop this kind of change to save the world. We need to fight the causes of global warming to reduce and stop the emission of greenhouse gases. There should be extreme restrictions on burning fossil fuels, and we should learn to rely on solar and other forms of green energy.