Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka

Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka

Bangladesh is one of the countries that will be hardest hit by global warming and climate change. Scientists predict that around 20 percent of Bangladesh will be submerged underwater by 2020 thus displacing tens of millions of people, causing them to become refugees in their own countries or neighboring countries like India and China.

To think that so many people living in the low-lying areas of Bangladesh will become unemployed is a scary thought indeed. But if you go around exploring those areas that are most susceptible to climate change, you will be surprised to see that the people there are not concerned about it all. Bangladesh is a very poor country with a large percentage of people living below the poverty line and as anyone can expect the illiteracy rate is very high. However the fact that people there are so unaware of such a calamity that will change their lives is appalling. The people in those areas should be leading the fight against global warming but instead they lay ignorant. People in those areas must be aware and begin to stand up for themselves.

But then again the question arises that what can village folks from such a poor country like Bangladesh do to change the world? How can they solve such a huge problem that expands the globe? Well the answer is simple. They must be leaders. They must lead by example.

How can we ask countries such as China and the United States to become eco-friendly when we ourselves are not doing so? Ok: it can be argued that Bangladesh produces insignificant amounts of carbon emissions as the country does not possess many heavy industries. However, this is no excuse.

We must show that it’s in fact possible for people in poor countries like Bangladesh with weak economies and very limited resources to fight climate change, and become carbon neutral. It’s actually quite easy to do. It begins at home by not wasting energy and turning off the lights and fans when they are not being used; by using eco-friendly technology, energy saving light bulbs; using bicycles: and larger efforts such as protecting the rainforests, and taking action against logging and illegal deforestation as well as simply planting a lot more trees in neighborhoods.

Furthermore, developing countries like ours should encourage our scientists to research and develop eco-friendly technology, and we must help our entrepreneurs to endeavor in finding innovative green ways of doing stuff that would normally pollute the environment, as well as putting pressure on our governments to facilitate and often sponsor these activities. We must remember that any advancement or change we can bring, no matter how small, will be gladly appreciated and may go a long way in the fight against global warming.

Climate change is a huge problem and it is not a problem that is going to simply go away. A citizen observation of our Earth is a must as we must all understand the dire condition it is in: It needs to be made a global vision. We must all do our part by first of all living our lives in an eco-friendly way, and secondly raising awareness and teaching others the importance of doing so as well. Furthermore, we must make sure that this message reaches the ears of people who have the ability to really change the world who are living in countries like the United States and China. These people include industrialists, entrepreneurs, and scientists. They must be aware that there are people out there whose lives are being directly impacted by the decisions they take, and whether they choose to behave for the common good. We are all potential sufferers of global warming, and we have the duty of not destroying our environment for our children. We must act immediately. If we fail to let our voices be heard, then undoubtedly the future of the people of my country will be very bleak.