Dealing with problem of extreme temperature

FE Team | Published: September 19, 2025 19:57:58

The high temperatures people have been experiencing in recent years have left harmful impacts on their health as well as work efficiency. Global temperature has been rising relentlessly due to burning of fossil fuels and destroying environmental balance through clearing of forests and filling up of wetlands in the name of so-called development. Deliberate and callous human actions are primarily responsive for the climate change. For Bangladesh, it has already passed through the tipping point so much so that, according to a recently released World Bank (WB) report, the country now ranks second in exposure to elevated temperatures. Notably, the WB report is based on the analysis of national temperature and humidity trends between 1976 and 2023. Also, the global development funder used findings from a survey of 16,000 people to arrive at its findings.
In this context, the capital city of Dhaka has been identified as a global hotspot for urban heat. But what does that mean when it comes to the day-to-day lives of the people exposed to such extreme heat? Again going by the same WB report, since 1980, the maximum temperature in Bangladesh has risen by 1.1 degrees Celsius. But subject to factors like humidity, air temperature, wind speed, etc., the actual feeling of heat, or what is called, 'feels-like-temperature' that people actually experience is as high as 4.5 degrees Celsius. So, when added to the outside air temperatures which often crosses 37 degrees Celsius, its impact on working age population through productivity loss is immense. The report further says that in 2024 alone, Bangladesh lost 250 million workdays to extreme temperatures, which resulted in economic losses that is projected to be between US$1.33 billion and US$1.78 billion. The amount is between 0.3 per cent and 0.4 per cent of the GDP of Bangladesh. At this rate, by 2030, Bangladesh stands to lose 4.9 per of its GDP due to loss of productivity, thanks to extreme temperatures. The loss to economy can be assessed through various yardsticks. But loss to physical and mental health due to illness like diarrhoea, persistent cough, other respiratory diseases plus exhaustion, heatstroke, depression and anxiety etc., is, in a word, immeasurable. It has been found that in summer, cases of diarrhoea and persistent cough double compared to winter. Similarly, depression and anxiety that increase with heat are more prevalent during summer.
Moreover, women have been found to be more vulnerable to heat-induced conditions like exhaustion and heatstroke. Like different genders, temperatures affect older men more than younger ones. For instance, depression increases with age, while anxiety peaks at around 50 to 60 age group. So, in summertime, more human productivity is lost than in winter. Understandably, the loss to human capital under such extreme conditions is important from economic considerations.
The situation calls for taking urgent measures so that people, their livelihoods and the economy could be protected against the rising heat risks. In that case, preparedness against the extreme heat has to be enhanced. In fact, the extremely high temperatures which may see further rise in the coming years have to be accepted as a fact of life and commensurate innovative measures have to be devised to deal with those conditions. National preparedness should involve a multisectoral approach to deal with heatwaves and equipping healthcare system so that it can address and cope with heat-related diseases. As part of measures to prevent as well as adapt to the rising temperature, green spaces must be created in a city like Dhaka, which has already been experiencing significant urban heat island (UHI) effect due to dense built-up surfaces, high population density and loss of green and water spaces.