The Bangladesh government is drafting guidelines to tackle the rising incidence of fires in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, as intensifying human activity raises the risk of burning in the region. “We have already decided to formulate an SOP [standard operating procedure] which will act as a guideline for
Author: Abu Siddique
100-day program to address critical environmental issues in Bangladesh
Saber Hossain Chowdhury was appointed Bangladesh’s new minister of environment, forest and climate change on Jan. 11, 2024. Part of the new government that will hold office for the next five years, he’s already made radical decisions on national environmental policy. Chief among these is the “100-day program” approach to
Country still has no reliable preventive measures against lightning strikes
Over several decades, Bangladesh has seen an increase in the frequency of lightnings and, consequently, an increase in fatalities resulting from lightning strikes. Researchers have linked the increased frequency of lightning with climate change. As for the increased death toll, they blame the country’s inadequate early warning systems and big tree
Bangladesh moves toward alternative bricks to save topsoil & reduce pollution
With rising demand for infrastructure development in Bangladesh, both private and public, the demand for bricks has increased over the decades. To meet the demand, production has also risen. The entire process damages the country’s environment in two ways: Increased air pollution and decreased soil fertility, as the current brickmaking
Overfishing leads to decline in Bangladesh marine fish stocks
Despite enacting different laws and regulations, both old and new, Bangladesh has faced a decline in marine fish stocks and diversity over the years, thanks to the rampant use of industrial trawlers and unauthorized fishing gear in permitted fishing zones. A study suggests that 475 species of marine fish were present
Groups respond with seeds & information as salinity harms Bangladesh agriculture
Salinity intrusion triggered by different factors, including sea-level rise, commercial shrimp cultivation, and decreased upstream transboundary water flow, have directly affected agriculture in Bangladesh’s southern coastal districts in Bangladesh, some of which are also major producers of rice, the national staple. Bangladesh is the fourth-highest rice-producing country in the world, producing
Bangladesh to produce lithium batteries, electric vehicles to cut emissions
In order to fulfill its promise of cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of the country’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, Bangladesh is on the way to setting up a lithium battery production plant with an annual capacity of 1 gigawatt. Simultaneously, several electric vehicle manufacturing
Extreme temperatures and erratic weather affect famous Rajshahi silk industry
Bangladesh’s famous Rajshahi silk industry has been struggling in recent years for many reasons, including the excessive dependency on imported low-cost yarn. The recent erratic weather has been worsening the situation, as the local mulberry and silkworm producers are now experiencing different bacterial and viral diseases, which eventually reduce the
In north Bangladesh, human-elephant conflicts signal need for greater protection
For the last couple of decades, Bangladesh has been taking on several projects with an aim to protect the wild Asian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus), which is critically endangered in the country. However, the conflict between humans and the wild pachyderms, consisting of both migratory and resident population, is yet
Climate change, human pressures push Bangladesh’s national fish into decline
Considering the importance of hilsa fish in the country’s dietary needs, economy, and the livelihood of fishermen, Bangladesh has long made several conservation attempts to increase the population of the fish. Most of these attempts have been a success. However, in recent years, fishermen are experiencing smaller catch on their usual