CLIMATE CHANGE : EFFECTS ON PUBLIC HEALTH IN BANGLADESH: ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION
Keywords:
CLIMATE CHANGE, PUBLIC HEALTH IN BANGLADESHAbstract
There is now widespread agreement that the earth is warming, due to emissions
of greenhouse gases caused by human activities. It is also clear that current
trends in energy use, development and population growth will lead to continuous
and more severe climate change and as such it is a serious global concern.
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to Climate Change mainly
due to its geographical location, high population density and poverty.
Various climate change related events like heat waves, cold waves, flood,
drought, Sea Level Rise, salinity intrusion, cyclone etc have direct and indirect
adverse impacts on human health. The changing climate also affects the basic
requirements for maintaining health e.g. air, water food etc. A warmer and
more variable climate threatens to lead to higher levels of some air pollutants,
increase transmission of diseases through unsafe water and contaminated food,
compromise agricultural production and increase the hazards of extreme weather.
Climate change also brings new challenges to the control of infectious diseases
as many of the major killers are highly climate sensitive. The diseases include
cholera and the diarrhoeal diseases, malaria, dengue, kala-azar, filariasis
and other infections carried by vectors. All populations will be affected by a
changing climate, but the initial health risks vary greatly, depending on where
and how people live. Health effects are expected to be more severe for elderly
people and people with infirmities or pre-existing medical conditions. This study
is empirical and analytical in nature. The study tries to find out the impacts of
Climate Change on human health of Bangladesh in a comprehensive manner.
At the end of the study some recommendations have been put forward with the
expectation of facilitating policy makers/planners to formulate viable adaptation
policies/strategies and action plan.
Downloads
References
Books
Agarwal Dr S. K., Global Warming and Climate Change, A. P. H. Publishing
Corporation, New Delhi, 2004.
Campbell-Lendrum D, Woodruff R. Climate Change :quantifying the health
impact at national and local levels. World Health Organization, Geneva,
Chowdhury Jafar Ahmed, Essays on Environment, Botomul Publishers,
Dhaka, 2007.
Glantz H.Michael, Currents of Change:Impacts of El Nino and La Nina on
Climate and Society, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Huq S. (eds.) Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change for
Bangladesh, London, 1999.
Kafiluddin A.K.M, Human Health, Diseases and the Environmet
(Dissemination of Research Findings) and Emerging re-emerging disease
–Update, Part 1&2, 1stedition, Padma Printers & Color Ltd, Dhaka, 2005.
Kafiluddin A.K.M, Population Research, Environmental Conservation and
Economic Development, 1st edition, Padma Printers & Color Ltd, Dhaka,
K.Park, Park’s Text Book of Preventive and Social Medicine, 20tedition, M/s
Banarsidas Bhanot, Jabalpur, India, 2009.
Trivedi P.R., Encyclopaedia of World Environment, Vol. 2 & 4, A.P.H
Publishing Corporation, New Delhi, 2002.
Trivedi P. R., Global Environmental Issues, Commonwealth Publishers,
New Delhi, 1995.
Sinha .A.K. et al. Human Health and Environment, Vol. 2, A.P.H. Publishing
Corporation, New Delhi, India,1997
Journals/Reports
Adger, N.et al Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability:
Working Group II Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change: Summary for Policymakers, IPCC Secretariat : Geneva, Switzerland.
Ahmed AU, Bangladesh Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability: A
Synthesis, Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment, Dhaka, July
Alley, R.B et al, Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Summary for
Policymakers, IPCC Secretariat : Geneva, Switzerland. 2007.
Ali Anwar, Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Assessment in
Bangladesh, Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation Climate
Research Paper, Volume 12, August 1999.
Bangladesh Capacity Development Action Plan for Sustainable
Environmental Governance, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Dhaka,
December 2007.
Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2009, Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Dhaka, September 2009.
Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2008, Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Dhaka, September 2008.
Barnett Jon, Security and Climate Change, Tyndall Centre for Climate
Change Research Working Paper 7, October 2001.
Climate Change Cell ‘Climate Change and Bangladesh,’ Climate Change
Cell, Department of Environment,Government of the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh, August 2009.
Climate Change Cell, Climate Change and Health Impacts in Bangladesh,
Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment, Government of the
People’s Republic of Bangladesh, June 2009.
Climate Change Cell, Climate Change and its Impact on transmission of
Cholera. Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment, Government
of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, June 2009.
Climate Change Cell, Climate Change, Gender and Vulnerable groups in
Bangladesh, Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment, Government
of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, June 2009.
Climate Change Cell, Impact Assessment of Climate Change and Sea Level
rise on Monsoon flooding, Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment,
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, June, 2009.
Climate Change Cell, Characterizing Climate Change and Bangladesh
long –term Changes of Bangladesh Climate in context of agriculture and
Irrigation, Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment, Government
of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, June 2009.
Climate Change Cell, Climate Change &Vulnerability of Bangladesh,
Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment, Government of the
People’s Republic of Bangladesh, 2009.
Climate Change Cell, Climate Change & Agriculture, Climate Change
Cell, Department of Environment, Government of the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh, 2009.
Climate Change Cell, Role of Government Officials in Climate Change &
Disaster Management, Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment,
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, 2009.
Directorate General of Health Services, MoH&FW, Government of the
People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Global Climate Change: Health Impacts
on Bangladesh, Pocket Book 2009.(available at www.dghs.bd.bd)
Patwary Obaydul Hoque,The Security Dimensions of Climate Change ,Peace
and Security Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2nd Quarter, 2009.
Pender, J.S. ‘What is Climate Change? And How it may affect Bangladesh’.
Briefing Paper, Dhaka, Bangladesh: Church of Bangladesh Social
Development Programme, 2008.
Rahman Atiq, Climate Change and its Impact on Health in Bangladesh,
Regional Health Forum-Volume12, November, 2008.
Rahman Atiq, Bangladesh Erosion and Flood, by Pressure works, published
September 2006.
World Bank Report, Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Migration
and Conflict
GTZ Report on Climate Change and Security, International Peace Academy
World Health Organization ‘Climate Change & Human Health –Risks and
Responses (Summary), Geneva, Switzerland 2003.
World Health Organization ‘Protecting Health from Climate Change :
Connecting science, Policy and People’, Geneva, Switzerland, 2009.
World Health Organization ‘Protecting Health from Climate Change,
FactSheet- 2, Regional Office South-East Asia, 2008.
Articles
Dhaka Courier, Climate Change to Unleash Various Diseases Bangladesh,
December, 2010.
Dhaka Courier, Climate Catastrophe in Bangladesh: A Burning Political
Issue, 09 April, 2010.
India Today, Climate Change: Copenhagen, 21 December 2009.
Probe, Passing on the Buriganga Buck, 05-11 February 2010.
The Daily Star, Paul B K, Climate Refugees: The Bangladesh Case, 06
March 2010.
The Daily Star, Biodiversity for Life and Livelihood, 12 June, 2010.
The Daily Star, Saving Biodiversity, Managing Ecosystems, 12 June, 2010.
The Economist, Briefing The Science of Climate Change, 20 March 2010.
Websites
Centre of Global Change and Health : http//www.cgch.lshtm.ac.uk/
Climate Action Network: http//www.climatenetwork.org
Climate Change Cell: http://www.climatechangecell-bd.org/
Directorate General of Health Services: http//www.dghsgob.bd
GTZ, Climate Change and Security, http://www.gtz.de/
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) :http://ipcc.ch
World Health Organization (WHO):
http//www.who.int/globalchange/climate/en/index.html
WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia: http//www.searo.who.int
+88 02 8031111 Ext. 3299
