Bangladesh Studies Class VI 1st Monthly Examination

Impact of climate change in Bangladesh

Developing countries of the world already started suffering due to global warming and climate
change. Natural disaster has already started in Bangladesh. In the near future the intensity will
increase. According to UN forecasting, in the next 50 years if the sea level rises 3 feet a large
part of the coastal area of Bangladesh will go under water which will be around 17 percent of the
land surface. Approximately 3 crore people will lose their cropping land and home and become a
climate refugee.

According to the information of International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by 2030 the river
flow will drastically reduce, which will result in water scarcity by 2050 and 100 crore people
will be affected. Due to high temperature frequent floods, storms, drought and sea level rise,
Bangladesh is experiencing some of the weather disturbances now and the intensity will rise in
future.

According to ADB (Asian Development Bank) report, if the present trend of global warming
continues till 2050 crop production in South Asian countries will drastically reduce. Impact of
climate change will directly affect more than 150 crore people of South Asia of food and water.
It has been predicted that due to global warming at the end of this century farming in the world
will decrease between 20%-40%. According to the research of the economists of MIT
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the global warming will increase the gap between rich
and poor countries.

In 2009 the World Bank has pointed out 5 risky areas for global warming. These are:
desertification, flood, storm, sea level rise and uncertainty in the agriculture sector. According to
The World Bank there are 12 countries in the world which have the possibility of all hazards and
Bangladesh is one of them. (Table 2).

Table 2: List of 12 countries in 5 category of global warming risk

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Bangladesh Studies Class VI 1st Monthly Examination

In 1992, one of the organizations of United Nations named UNFCCC (United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change) decided to organize a conference of the world
leaders on world climate every year. Its main aim is to resolve the problems of the change of
world climate. This conference is precisely called as COP (Conference of the Parties).

A three page Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was recognized as a note in the world
climate conference of the United Nations in 2009 in Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark. It
was decided in that MOU to limit the rise of temperature within 2° Celsius at the end of this
century, in order to face the situation out of climate change and a fund of three thousand dollar
for the years 2010-2012 was also mentioned. The money of climate fund would be spending for
a forestation, handover of technology and achieving sustainability. As a result, developing
countries like China, India, Brazil and other than poor countries should get the money from this
fund. The United Nations has mentioned this as political understanding.

Contemporary population of Bangladesh problems and solutions

Bangladesh is one of the densely populated country. According to Bangladesh Bureau of

Statistics (BBS), 2019, total population of Bangladesh is 16 crore 55 lacs 70 thousand. Density
of population is 1,116 persons per square kilometres. If the present growth rate continues density
of population will increase in future. Population characteristics of Bangladesh are given below:

Population characteristics of Bangladesh

• Population is increasing but growth rate decreased.
• Population is high in comparison to land area.
• Number of Male/Female is same.
• Half of the population is dependent.
• Death rate declined more than birth rate.
• Majority of the population live in rural areas.
• Average longevity is less than developed countries.

Population growth rate: Population of Bangladesh is increasing rapidly. In 1991 population

growth rate was 2.17 percent, in 2001 1.48 percent and in 2011 it was 1.37 percent. A graph
showing the growth rate of population is given below:

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Bangladesh Studies Class VI 1st Monthly Examination

Population distribution according to age group

Population characteristic of Bangladesh is greater youthful population. Census records in

different years show that the number of dependent population is high i.e., children, adolescent
and aged population. Population structure of 2005 shows that in the aged population group
between 60-90 years is less than 1.5 million and number of females is higher than males. Using
the structure complete the task below:

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Bangladesh Studies Class VI 1st Monthly Examination

Population problem of Bangladesh

In any country, land and natural resource is limited. Population of Bangladesh is increasing
rapidly. However, directly and indirectly population pressure is acting on land and resources.

• Fragmentation of land = Decrease Production

• Demand for housing, increasing use of land = Decrease of agricultural land
• Decrease of per capita income = Low standard of living
• Rapid population increase, less food production = Food shortage
• High population = Poor health care facilities
• Population increase = Health care facilities is less
• Deforestation, Hill cutting, Slum increase = Environmental pollution
• Low per capita income = low savings, low investment leads to unemployment =
Unemployment increase
• Increase of food import = Decrease of foreign exchange
• Degradation of social values, increase of stealing, mugging for survival = Loss of security in
social life
• Too many students in classes due to fewer schools, admission problem, harmful educational
environment = low literacy rate

Solution of population problem of Bangladesh may lead to economic development.

Modernization of agriculture, industrialization, development of transport and communication can
speed up the economic development of the country. Population can be moved from high density
area to low density area to solve the population problem. Extension of education and family
planning can decrease the population growth.

Even distribution of national income may increase the standard of living. Skilled manpower
development may decrease population growth. Agriculture, industry, business development may
increase the per capita income which may reduce the population to some extent but solving
population problem is not easy.

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Bangladesh Studies Class VI 1st Monthly Examination

Measures taken to control population in Bangladesh

Population is one of the major problems of Bangladesh. Government has taken many family
planning programmes. Non-Government organizations are also trying to increase the awareness
of the bad effects of too much population. A joint effort may lead the population from burden to
human resource. Some of the measures to control population are:

* Increase the age of marriage of the girls/women.

* Build awareness in the population to keep the family size small for better future.
* Create more jobs for women and encourage education of women.
* Provide social security benefit during old age.
* To apply family planning programmes to limit number of children.
* Make recreational facilities for the citizens of the country.
* Removing fanaticism, dependency on son, and the linkage of the family.