1. Department of
Department of Environmental Science
State University of Bangladesh
Masters in Environmental Science
Program
ES 520: Environmental Policy and
Planning
Lecture 4:
Climate Change Effect and Strategic
Initiatives of Bangladesh

2. Lecture Outline:
 Climate Change? The Process of Greenhouse effect
 Major Causes and Effects of Global Warming
 Climate Change Vulnerabilities in different Regions of
Bangladesh
 Government Policies and Strategic Initiatives in
Bangladesh

3. Climate Change?
 Climate is usually defined as the "average weather" that
includes patterns of temperature, precipitation (rain or
snow), humidity, wind and seasons. Climate takes
hundreds or even millions of years to change.
 Climate change is a change in the usual weather found in a
place. This could be a change in how much rain a place
usually gets in a year. Or it could be a change in a place's
usual temperature for a month or season.
 Climate change is also refers to a large-scale, long-term
shift in the Earth’s weather patterns or average
temperatures.
Climate change is defined as an average weather condition of
an
area characterized by its own internal dynamics and by

4. The Process of Greenhouse Effect…

5. Greenhouse Gases:
Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which makes
the Earth warmer.
Source: EPA's Climate Change Indicators (2012).Source: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, 2007.

6. Major Causes of Global Warming…
1. Carbon dioxide emissions from
fossil fuel burning power plants
2. Carbon dioxide emissions from
burning gasoline for transportation
Reference: The scientific data show that the
concentration of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere has increased from about 320
parts per million in 1960 to nearly 360 parts
per million today.

7. Continuation…
3. Methane emissions from animals,
agriculture such as rice paddies, and from
Arctic seabeds
4. Deforestation, especially tropical forests
for wood, pulp, and farmland
5. Increase in usage of chemical fertilizers
on croplands

8. Effect of Global Warming…Climate
Change
1. Rise in Sea levels
worldwide
2. More killer
storms/cyclone
Bangladesh:
• 1998 floods- inundated over 2/3
parts of the county
• Loss of GDP 4% - 8% (US$ 2
billion)
• 2007 Cyclone Sidr- 2.60% damage

9. Continuation..
3. Massive crop failures --- threaten food
production, hinder economic
development and damage ecosystems.
Ref: Guardian reported: Global warming
causes 300,000 deaths a year.
4. Widespread extinction of species
Ref: By 2050, rising temperatures could lead
to the extinction of more than a million
species.
5. Disappearance of coral reefs
6. Emergence of Health Hazards
WHO – Despite economic growth and
advancement in health care, the world will still
face 2.5 lac additional deaths per year by 2030.

10. Climate Change Vulnerabilities in
different Regions of Bangladesh
Types of Geographical Areas
with Dominant Ecosystem
Climate Change Vulnerability Context and
Characteristics
 Flood Plain (fresh water
aquatic ecosystem,
fisheries, Transplanted
Aman)
 Changes in Flooding Characteristics
 Coverage of inundated area in monsoon
season increase (more flood vulnerable
area)
 Changes in depth and duration of
inundation
 Changes in recession period of flood
water (water logging)
 Changes in flood frequency (more
frequent and intense flooding)
 Drought Prone (Dryness,
moisture stressed
condition)
 Changes in Drought Characteristics
 Changes in Drought intensity
 Changes the Drought Prone areas
(expansion of area)

11. Continuation…
 Coastal Basin  Changes in Coastal Characteristics
 Expansion of Salinized areas (Saline
Intrusion)
 Increase intensity of salinity
 Changes in Coastal morphology
 Increase of Cyclone and Storm surges
 Haor Basin  Changes in Haor basin characteristics
 Changes in timing if Flash flood
 Changes in Recession period
 Hilly Region  Changes in Rainfall and intensity
 Changes in erosion of top soil
 Increase possibility of landslide
Source: Climate Change and DRR screening, Draft Inception
Report, 2008

12. Continuation…
Bangladesh sea level rise trend:
 per year rise : 6 – 20 mm.
 Water level rises by at least 5.6 mm a year at Hiron point, 1.4 mm
at Cox's Bazar and 2.9 mm at Khepupara, which was citied 2008
data from Bangladesh Water Development Board (ANN, 2010).
 4 corer people under climate risks in 19 coastal districts
 More than 259 extreme natural events hit Bangladesh during the
period 1991 to 2009
 Since 1970, according to a statistics, about 39 million people
have been displaced by major natural calamities like flood and
cyclone in the country till 2009.
 The World Bank study reveals that a total of 20 million people
will be environmental refugees within next 100 years (Daily Star,
2011).

13. What is Required?
What is required?
 Develop Climate resilient & low carbon Development
pathway
 Deliver clean, non-polluting energy to the people
 Innovations of technology and its transformation
Potential Global Warming Reduction Strategy:
 Reducing the emission of GHGs
 Reducing wastes
 Reusing/Recycling
 Use of CFC (Compact fluorescent light)
 Drive less & walk more
 Save & conserve energy/water
 Plant more trees

14. Govt. Policies in Bangladesh
 Encouraging solar power
Example: 3 million households under solar home system
Solar
Wind
Hydro
Energy (Green & clean energy)
 Reducing dependence on polluting fossil fuels (coal,
petroleum, natural gas etc.)
o Will save environment
o Will save money required for import of fossil fuel

15. Strategic Initiatives of Bangladesh
Govt.
 Bangladesh Government signed and ratified the United Nations
Framework Convention on 9th June 1992 and 15 April 1994
accordingly.
 Bangladesh Govt. accepted the Kyoto Protocol on 22 Oct 2001 and
started to enforce on 16 Feb 2005.
 In 2005, Government launched National Adaptation Programme of
Action (NAPA).
 Established “Climate Change Cell” in DoE under the MoEF for
mainstreaming of climate change into National Development
Planning.
 Govt. Formed “Inter-Ministerial Disaster Management Coordination
Committee.
 The Bangladesh Climate Change strategy and Action Plan launched
in 2008 as a 10 year program (2009-2018).
 The government of Bangladesh has set up an annual climate
change trust fund of $100 million with its own resources.

16. Contract:
Shankor Paul
E-mail: shankor.paul@gmail.com
Cell: 01712009028;
FB ID & LinkedIn: Shankor Paul; Skype:
Shankor_Paul