Pictures tell a thousand words on global warming..
More in Treehugger. Image courtesy of Environment 360.
Dragonfly
Image by Rezwan
The World Cup Goal-E Project
This street in Bangladesh has a colorful world cup celebration
New Chum Hill Ruins
Remnants of Kiandra gold mine at New Chum Hill, #nsw #australia
Showing posts with label Global Warming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Global Warming. Show all posts
July 17, 2010
Global Warming: Melting Of Himalayan Glaciers
Pictures tell a thousand words on global warming..
More in Treehugger. Image courtesy of Environment 360.
January 09, 2010
The Day After Tomorrow
Many regions in the world seems to be tackling a cold wave in the recent history. You can see the amazing pictures here, even in unusual places liek UAE and Saudi Arabia. For countries like Bangladesh Temperature dropping to close to 10 degrees is a disaster for many rural people as their homes or their clothes are not equipped to withstand this cold.
This reminds me of a Hollywood science fiction movie I watched recently "The Day After Tomorrow". The movie showed that due to global warming, melting of the polar ice had begun disrupting the North Atlantic current. It triggered violent weather across the world causing mass destruction. A hurricane like superstorm developed which had an eye where temperature dropped below -150 degree freezing everything in its path and leading to taking half of the world towards ice age. The developments may look like fantasy, but the theory has some merit as we can see from the affects of the recent weather.
I hope we will get some realistic explanation from the scientists.
This reminds me of a Hollywood science fiction movie I watched recently "The Day After Tomorrow". The movie showed that due to global warming, melting of the polar ice had begun disrupting the North Atlantic current. It triggered violent weather across the world causing mass destruction. A hurricane like superstorm developed which had an eye where temperature dropped below -150 degree freezing everything in its path and leading to taking half of the world towards ice age. The developments may look like fantasy, but the theory has some merit as we can see from the affects of the recent weather.
I hope we will get some realistic explanation from the scientists.
November 19, 2009
November 18, 2009
Wake Up! The Clock Is Ticking
Imagine you lived in a world of water. Your home is two-feet under. You wade through it, cook on it, and sleep above it. This is the reality for hundreds of thousands of people around the world, coastal populations on the front lines of climate change.
The latest PBS documentary called "water world" shows the effects of climate change in Bangladesh and how it threatens the world.
The situation has become so alarming that Dr. Atiq Rahman says that 'climate change', 'global warming' - these are soft words. We should be referring to this phenomenon as 'catastrophic climate destabilization'.
Dr. Atiq also talks about the climate refugees and the plea to the world to take them. Bangladesh wants $10 billion to fight climate change. But I think the climate refugees issue should be brought forward and plans should be made for their shelters and livelihood.
This video by Shahjahan Siraj of Machizo shows the victims of climate change:
May 05, 2008
The blame game
US President George Bush has joined his top diplomat Condoleezza Rice in suggesting that the growing prosperity of India's large middle class is contributing to rising food prices around the world (More in Economic Times).
While RediffNews quotes FAO's data to blame US for the global food crisis.
Indian blogger Aparna Ray coins her protest in a limerick:
"Prez George Bush, it has come to pass,
Has laid blame on our Middle Class.
It seems we have hurled,
The rest of the world,
Into crisis by not chewing grass!"
While RediffNews quotes FAO's data to blame US for the global food crisis.
Indian blogger Aparna Ray coins her protest in a limerick:
"Prez George Bush, it has come to pass,
Has laid blame on our Middle Class.
It seems we have hurled,
The rest of the world,
Into crisis by not chewing grass!"
April 01, 2008
Is Any body Listening?
The above is is the title of a brilliant website of Drishtipat which addresses climate change issues in the context of South Asia especially Bangladesh. According to Drishtipat:
The threat of 1/3 of Bangladesh getting wiped away and creating 125 million climate refugees are very real. As expatriate Bangladeshis, it is our collective responsibility, to highlight the injustice of the whole issue where Bangladesh will pay the price of Western excesses that is destroying our planet.Please bookmark: Is Any Body Listening?
January 03, 2008
October 30, 2007
Bangladesh Boat Diary: Social Networking used in Media
According to BBC:
Its interesting to see how the media uses these social networking sites. Earlier Greenpeace's 'Project Thin Ice" used Google Earth Technology to report the progress of the expedition to north pole. But twitter is appropriate in Bangladesh's context where there is a great deal of progress in telecommunication which has a sound network even in the remote areas of the country and they offer even fast internet connection (Edge & GPRS) via mobile. Check Mezba's post for details on this pehonomenon.
(Graphics credit BBC)
Update: Nokia and Reuters announced a collaboration to bring a new mobile journalism application that will enable reporters to file and publish articles, audio, photo and video content directly from handheld devices.
BBC World Service is traveling along the rivers of Bangladesh as part of a major project to track and debate climate change.Here is the website for this project. The interesting thing is that you can follow the project via Twitter, a growing social networking site that allows updating your status via sms (mobile) and web (IM) and you can also informed about your peers status via web (IM) or sms to your mobile. Check the 'Bangladesh Boat' updates via twitter.
Officially entitled Nodi Pothe Bangladesh - Bangladesh By The River - this is one of the most ambitious projects the BBC World Service has undertaken.
Over the course of the month, staff from 17 different World Service language services will visit the MV Aboshor, and each Friday and Saturday a total of 48 people will cram onto the small boat.The launch began with a press conference on board the boat. "Why are you coming and scaremongering?" a journalist asked. "Why do you want to present Bangladesh in a negative light?"
Does he have a point? Perhaps in the next four weeks you can judge for yourself.
Its interesting to see how the media uses these social networking sites. Earlier Greenpeace's 'Project Thin Ice" used Google Earth Technology to report the progress of the expedition to north pole. But twitter is appropriate in Bangladesh's context where there is a great deal of progress in telecommunication which has a sound network even in the remote areas of the country and they offer even fast internet connection (Edge & GPRS) via mobile. Check Mezba's post for details on this pehonomenon.
(Graphics credit BBC)
Update: Nokia and Reuters announced a collaboration to bring a new mobile journalism application that will enable reporters to file and publish articles, audio, photo and video content directly from handheld devices.
October 17, 2007
Blog Action Day: Bangladesh and Environment
(First published in E-Bangladesh)
Yesterday was the Blog action day, a day when bloggers around the web were unite to emphasize the important issue 'the environment' that people tend to ignore. The campaign asked every blogger around the world to post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own local or international topic.
Why is the Blog day important? Kevin Stirtz writes in the American Chronicle:
Almost 2000 Blogs:
19,974 Blogs have registered to be part of this campaign. You can get the list of the participants from here. Google Blog search lists around 13000 of the blog posts on Blog Action Day.
Here is a list of Environmental Blogs furthering the cause. Global Voices Online, Green Options, and Shouting Match have posted roundups on Blog Action day posts.
Bangladesh and Environment:
Most of the Bangladeshi Blogs were almost silent about this campaign. Probably because people in Bangladesh are battered with lot of issues like poverty, political instability and natural disaster, 'the environment' is one issue that seldom gets priority.
We have seen Bangladesh being subject to many environmental constraints which led to augmentation of natural disasters and diseases in mass scale.
The Farakka Barrage in India and the unilateral withdrawal of Ganges water during dry season by India resulted serious adverse effects on environment, agriculture, industries, fisheries, navigation, river regime, salinity contamination in the surface and ground water in the southwestern and western areas of Bangladesh covering almost 20% of its area.
Clean water source has been a perennial problem of Bangladesh. Starting in the 1970s aid agencies such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had built shallow wells throughout the country to help provide a safe source of drinking water to Bangladesh's population. However in the 1990s it was discovered that many of these wells were contaminated by arsenic, a poison that accumulates naturally in Bangladesh's alluvial soils. According to a World Bank estimate 25 percent of the country's 4 million wells may be contaminated by arsenic. Without a way to filter the water from arsenic these wells have become a nightmare for Bangladeshi villagers.(Source)
After the great flood of 1988 developments of a damn built around greater Dhaka city is protecting the capital but the rest of the country is still prone to floods which destroy millions of dollars worth infrastructure each year. Many unfortunates have to start again after each flood as their tangible belongings are destroyed.
During late Eighties and early Nineties we have seen many cyclone shelters were built up with the help of Saudi Arabian grants. But many of them are in shabby conditions today. We rarely see development budgets being used to repairs and maintenance of these shelters.
Bangladesh is located on a tectonically active plate and the potential for magnitude 8 or greater earthquakes on the nearby Himalayan front is very high. An earthquake in excess of 6.5 (Richter scale) will cause a disaster in the densely populated Dhaka city.
There is a widespread theory that:
I think Bangladesh is also lacking behind in planning a protection measure against this threat of Global Warming. This just shows that how relevant the issue is for Bangladesh. If the Netherlands can reclaim massive land from below sea level Bangladesh should also be able to take measures well in advance. However the Netherlands has also reasons to bother about it. Watch what Dr. Patrick Dixon has to say about it.
Bangladesh has also some achievements in protecting the environment. Its rural economy is still driven by agriculture. It has plenty of natural gas reserve which have been put to good use as fuels (CNG) for automobiles, cooking, electricity generating, industrial use etc. Use of polythene bags are banned in the country.
Although our main target is to reduce poverty and achieve a sustainable growth and development still there are lots of environmental issue we need to address.
Today starts another relevant campaign called stand up and speak out against poverty. I hope you will do your part as a responsible world citizen.
Yesterday was the Blog action day, a day when bloggers around the web were unite to emphasize the important issue 'the environment' that people tend to ignore. The campaign asked every blogger around the world to post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own local or international topic.
Why is the Blog day important? Kevin Stirtz writes in the American Chronicle:
Blog Action Day is important because it shows us the power, energy and diversity of many people to voluntarily propose ideas and start conversations about an important topic. It should add great value to the current conversations about how to protect our environment.
Almost 2000 Blogs:
19,974 Blogs have registered to be part of this campaign. You can get the list of the participants from here. Google Blog search lists around 13000 of the blog posts on Blog Action Day.
Here is a list of Environmental Blogs furthering the cause. Global Voices Online, Green Options, and Shouting Match have posted roundups on Blog Action day posts.
Bangladesh and Environment:
Most of the Bangladeshi Blogs were almost silent about this campaign. Probably because people in Bangladesh are battered with lot of issues like poverty, political instability and natural disaster, 'the environment' is one issue that seldom gets priority.
We have seen Bangladesh being subject to many environmental constraints which led to augmentation of natural disasters and diseases in mass scale.
The Farakka Barrage in India and the unilateral withdrawal of Ganges water during dry season by India resulted serious adverse effects on environment, agriculture, industries, fisheries, navigation, river regime, salinity contamination in the surface and ground water in the southwestern and western areas of Bangladesh covering almost 20% of its area.
Clean water source has been a perennial problem of Bangladesh. Starting in the 1970s aid agencies such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had built shallow wells throughout the country to help provide a safe source of drinking water to Bangladesh's population. However in the 1990s it was discovered that many of these wells were contaminated by arsenic, a poison that accumulates naturally in Bangladesh's alluvial soils. According to a World Bank estimate 25 percent of the country's 4 million wells may be contaminated by arsenic. Without a way to filter the water from arsenic these wells have become a nightmare for Bangladeshi villagers.(Source)
After the great flood of 1988 developments of a damn built around greater Dhaka city is protecting the capital but the rest of the country is still prone to floods which destroy millions of dollars worth infrastructure each year. Many unfortunates have to start again after each flood as their tangible belongings are destroyed.
During late Eighties and early Nineties we have seen many cyclone shelters were built up with the help of Saudi Arabian grants. But many of them are in shabby conditions today. We rarely see development budgets being used to repairs and maintenance of these shelters.
Bangladesh is located on a tectonically active plate and the potential for magnitude 8 or greater earthquakes on the nearby Himalayan front is very high. An earthquake in excess of 6.5 (Richter scale) will cause a disaster in the densely populated Dhaka city.
There is a widespread theory that:
If the sea rises by a metre — as some scientists say it will by 2100 — a quarter of Bangladesh will be submerged, forcing 30 to 40 million people from their homes.
I think Bangladesh is also lacking behind in planning a protection measure against this threat of Global Warming. This just shows that how relevant the issue is for Bangladesh. If the Netherlands can reclaim massive land from below sea level Bangladesh should also be able to take measures well in advance. However the Netherlands has also reasons to bother about it. Watch what Dr. Patrick Dixon has to say about it.
Bangladesh has also some achievements in protecting the environment. Its rural economy is still driven by agriculture. It has plenty of natural gas reserve which have been put to good use as fuels (CNG) for automobiles, cooking, electricity generating, industrial use etc. Use of polythene bags are banned in the country.
Although our main target is to reduce poverty and achieve a sustainable growth and development still there are lots of environmental issue we need to address.
Today starts another relevant campaign called stand up and speak out against poverty. I hope you will do your part as a responsible world citizen.
August 02, 2007
Flood in South Asia
As I type now nearly 20 million people in South Asia are stranded due to massive floods. The main reason is the incessant rain across the region since mid-June had caused the snows in Himalaya region melt and the river banks were inundated with excess water. By now more than 1000 people have died in this region alone. Click here for pictures of floods in Asia.
Now it seems that this year flood will really take its toll in Bangladesh. Although suffering from water-log Dhaka city is surviving because of the circular dam built after the great 1988 flood. But it is surrounded by water and the flood water is looking for a breakthrough to cause larger disaster. Nearly five million people in more than 30 districts are effected by this flood. Al Jazeera says that half of the country has been submerged. (Picture courtesy the New Nation)
The main concern for this year's flood is the relief operation. This has been undertaken single handedly by the caretaker government which has put all of its resources including the army. But time and again we have seen that non governmental and political organizations efforts do make a lot of difference as they reach to masses. Its not about will its about lack of resources and shortage of manpower in governmental institutions. But as the politics is banned, there are no such initiatives in sight. And the NGOs seem in two minds about what to do.
Till today World Vision has joined Bangladesh Government in their relief efforts. United Kingdom is providing 2.5 million USD aid for Bangladesh flood victims. DFID's own chars livelihoods program will provide additional 1 million USD flood relief efforts in their operation areas in five districts in the northern region.
But we are getting reports that millions of affected people in remote areas are yet to received any relief. Simply biscuits and water are not enough. As the clean water sources are effected there is a dire need of water cleaning tablets to keep people away from waterborne diseases. There should be medical teams, make-shift shelters. There are a lot to be done to prevent an epidemic. Shada Kalo Blog terms it the Cartaker government's Katrina syndrome. The Daily Star says in an editorial:
Update: Change Bangladesh has started a fund raising effort. Please donate if you can.
Related articles:
* No flood-relief work by Bangladeshi politicians this time.
* Is Dhaka prepared for the flood?
Now it seems that this year flood will really take its toll in Bangladesh. Although suffering from water-log Dhaka city is surviving because of the circular dam built after the great 1988 flood. But it is surrounded by water and the flood water is looking for a breakthrough to cause larger disaster. Nearly five million people in more than 30 districts are effected by this flood. Al Jazeera says that half of the country has been submerged. (Picture courtesy the New Nation)The main concern for this year's flood is the relief operation. This has been undertaken single handedly by the caretaker government which has put all of its resources including the army. But time and again we have seen that non governmental and political organizations efforts do make a lot of difference as they reach to masses. Its not about will its about lack of resources and shortage of manpower in governmental institutions. But as the politics is banned, there are no such initiatives in sight. And the NGOs seem in two minds about what to do.
Till today World Vision has joined Bangladesh Government in their relief efforts. United Kingdom is providing 2.5 million USD aid for Bangladesh flood victims. DFID's own chars livelihoods program will provide additional 1 million USD flood relief efforts in their operation areas in five districts in the northern region.
But we are getting reports that millions of affected people in remote areas are yet to received any relief. Simply biscuits and water are not enough. As the clean water sources are effected there is a dire need of water cleaning tablets to keep people away from waterborne diseases. There should be medical teams, make-shift shelters. There are a lot to be done to prevent an epidemic. Shada Kalo Blog terms it the Cartaker government's Katrina syndrome. The Daily Star says in an editorial:
While the government machinery has been trying to handle the situation, it is fairly obvious that the involvement of the wider community has now become necessary in order for succor to reach as many people as possible in the flood-hit areas.Bangladesh has survived many great floods. Its stubborn people have lost everything and started again from the scratch (Tanvir portrays one of such characters). In this moment of truth let us all help these people survive. We know how to do it. Just we have do do it all together, in concert.
Update: Change Bangladesh has started a fund raising effort. Please donate if you can.
Related articles:
* No flood-relief work by Bangladeshi politicians this time.
* Is Dhaka prepared for the flood?
May 07, 2007
Putting Bangladesh on the frontline of climate change
"About 150 million people are crammed into this overcrowded country, making for a density of 1,000 people for every square kilometer. The country is only 40 percent the size of Germany." - reports Matthias Gebauer, a German consultant. He writes a series on the dangers of the effects of the Global warming in Bangladesh in Der Spiegel Online.
However if you read his reports (link below) minutely you will see that it tells about rampant poverty in the Char areas, new found floodplain sediment islands in river deltas. These are located in an active river basin and are subject to erosion and accretion. They are the shelter of some of the country's poorest people, who cannot afford to live elsewhere and try to fight for their lives here.
And the truth if anyone can get:
Yes poverty is written all over the articles. Netherlands can build proper flood protections having a lot of its surface areas under see level. Why Bangladesh cannot provide a lot of protection to its oversized population is because of poverty.
According to Matthias:
Climate change is of course a vital issue. But poverty reduction is a far more greater issue in Bangladesh. And I think the world should also put that in perspective.
There are many international organizations engaged in Char development projects (1, 2, 3). I don't know about the successes of the projects. But I met one consultant working on one such project who commented "If these NGOs/IOs could just distribute the millions of dollars funds directly to the poor people rather than spending on consultants, researches and ineffective strategies, there could be a significant reduction in poverty."
Related reading:
1) On the Front Lines of Climate Change.
2) The Salty Taste of Global Warming.
However if you read his reports (link below) minutely you will see that it tells about rampant poverty in the Char areas, new found floodplain sediment islands in river deltas. These are located in an active river basin and are subject to erosion and accretion. They are the shelter of some of the country's poorest people, who cannot afford to live elsewhere and try to fight for their lives here.
"The island has no electricity, and Shahidul has only heard of the existence of telephones."This is a sharp contrast to the countries record cellphone growth. The infrastructure like roads and electricity are bestowed upon after a long time when these lands have sufficient inhabitants and settles down.
And the truth if anyone can get:
"Subject to nature's whims, the farmers have just been able to feed their families on the hard-earned returns of their work. It is enough for a daily bowl of dal -- a yellowish porridge of lentils -- onions and a little rice. A piece of meat or fish is added once a week. In the evenings, the exhausted farmer gets one or two packages of paan, a mixture of nutmeg and lime rolled up in a green leaf. This local drug is relaxing and has turned Shahidul's teeth blood red. Besides, he says, you forget your problems; as if on cue, his friends grin and show their own sets of red teeth."Well Paan is rather a digestive than a drug and you don't always need a drug to find happiness amongst extremest poverty.
Yes poverty is written all over the articles. Netherlands can build proper flood protections having a lot of its surface areas under see level. Why Bangladesh cannot provide a lot of protection to its oversized population is because of poverty.
According to Matthias:
"The average Bangladeshi produces just 178 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year -- a mere drop in the bucket compared to the 21 tons per capita released annually by Americans."Still they will be the first ones to face the adverse effects of the Global warming mainly because they don't have enough means to protect them.
Climate change is of course a vital issue. But poverty reduction is a far more greater issue in Bangladesh. And I think the world should also put that in perspective.
There are many international organizations engaged in Char development projects (1, 2, 3). I don't know about the successes of the projects. But I met one consultant working on one such project who commented "If these NGOs/IOs could just distribute the millions of dollars funds directly to the poor people rather than spending on consultants, researches and ineffective strategies, there could be a significant reduction in poverty."
Related reading:
1) On the Front Lines of Climate Change.
2) The Salty Taste of Global Warming.
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