Extreme weather events like floods, droughts, storms and heatwaves force Bangladesh to count a cost worth nearly US$3.0 billion annually besides inflicting human misery on over 6.3 million people.
These findings on cost of cyclic climatic calamities of recent times form a distinct part of 'The Climate Risk Index 2025' report released Thursday by Germanwatch.
The Bonn-based nonprofit focuses on disproportionate impact of global climate change on Global-South countries.
Between 1993 and 2022, more than 9,400 extreme weather events worldwide had caused nearly 0.8 million deaths and $4.2 trillion in economic losses.
Dominica, China, and Honduras were the most-affected countries, while Bangladesh ranked 31st.
The report mentions that a devastating heatwave from March to May 2022, which reached 49.5°C in Pakistan and extended to India and Bangladesh, caused over 90 deaths.
A study by the World Weather Attribution project found that climate change made this heatwave 30 times more likely, underscoring the growing threat of compounding climatic calamities.
"Despite its vulnerability, Bangladesh has become a global leader in disaster-risk reduction," the climate watcher notes and shows how.
Cyclone-related deaths have dropped more than 100fold over the past 40 years-from 0.5 million in 1970 to 4,234 in 2007-following improved early-warning systems and community preparedness.
The report also says China, India, and the Philippines face recurring extreme weather, while Dominica, Honduras, Myanmar, and Vanuatu are most affected by exceptional disasters.
Italy, Spain, and Greece were among the top 10 most-affected countries globally, showing that even wealthy nations are not immune to nature's fury that greens blame on hedonist onslaughts on the environment around.
Laura Schaefer of Germanwatch warns that the climate crisis is becoming a global security risk, requiring urgent action.
Lina Adil from the same organisation has called for increased climate finance for vulnerable nations, particularly at the upcoming Brazil Climate Summit, to keep global warming near the set 1.5°C target.
However, cyclones are now taking place frequently over the Bay of Bengal under the impact of global climate change, causing colossal loss of life and property, crops, livestock, fisheries and infrastructure in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh witnessed five cyclones in-between May 2023 and May 2024 that claimed hundreds of lives, damaged crops, livestock, houses and other infrastructures.
Climatologists and meteorologists say cyclone has become random nowadays in the Bay compared to four decades back owing to the global climate change.
Former director of Bangladesh Meteorological Department Dr Sadequl Alam says it is clear as per data of last sixty-four years that cyclones have become random in the Bay in this millennium.
Bangladesh has witnessed above 49 cyclones since 1960, of which 20 happed since 2007.
"During the period, the country was swept by devastating cyclones like Sidr, Aila, Fani, Mahasen, Amphan and Remal," he recounts.
In-between 1970 and 1971, the country had faced three cyclones in a row. But the record of May 2023 to May 2024 had surpassed all records.
However, scanty rainfall in Bangladesh during this monsoon severely affects the farming of rice and other crops.
BMD data show the country had witnessed a drought between March and June in last three years.
The subtropical country witnessed lower rainfall by 66 per cent in April, 44 per cent in May, and 16 per cent in June in 2023.
Prof AKM Saiful Islam of Institute of Water and Flood Management at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology has told the FE that ocean temperatures have been rising amid the global warming.
"A cyclone is formed when the average temperature of a sea crosses 27 degrees Celsius," he said, adding that the Bay's temperature is 31 degrees Celsius of late.
He says the Indian Ocean has been warming faster than other oceanic systems, which is also another "bad message for Bangladesh".
Prof Islam says the average temperatures of land have increased by 1.1 degrees and the sea by 1.0 degree.
"Cyclone will be random now in the country which should adopt its financial and development policies," the engineering professor alerts.
As the global climate change is happening for the developed countries, Bangladesh has the right to get compensations from the global climate funds, he asserts.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, founder of Coast Foundation and a climate activist, says the United Nations adopted a loss-and-damage fund in the climate conference (COP28) in Dubai in 2023 which has also been enhanced in the COP29 in Azerbaijan in 2024.
"Bangladesh will have to develop its loss-and damage-measuring infrastructure to fetch its legal share in the global funds," he says.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
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