Bangladesh suffered a significant economic blow in 2024, losing $24 billion in productivity due to extreme heat, according to a recent report.
The Lancet Countdown 2025 report, presented at the national launch on Thursday at the BRAC Centre in Dhaka, also highlighted alarming health risks, showing a 90% increase in dengue transmission potential from 1951-1960 to 2015-2024.
The report was jointly organized by the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER) of BRAC University and The Lancet Countdown, with support from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s Climate Change and Health Promotion Unit.
Dr Shouro Dasgupta, Environmental Economist and Senior Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute of the London School of Economics, presented the keynote paper.
The Lancet Countdown 2025 report tracks more than 50 global indicators, including heat exposure, air pollution, drought, disease outbreaks, and economic losses across labour and agricultural sectors.
It painted a worrying picture for Bangladesh, a country already grappling with the growing impacts of climate change.
At the launch event, Prof. Ainun Nishat, Emeritus Professor at BRAC University, warned that extreme weather events, such as cyclones, floods, and water scarcity, are worsening in Bangladesh. He stressed that public health is increasingly threatened by these climatic changes.
He also highlighted that while health is not a separate sector in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), it features prominently, with 14 climate hazards identified, including heat stress and water insecurity, directly affecting people’s well-being.
The report revealed that in 2024, Bangladesh experienced an average of 28.8 heatwave days, with 13.2 of those days directly attributable to human-induced climate change.
This heat exposure led to the loss of 29 billion potential work hours, valued at $24 billion, or approximately 5% of the country’s GDP. Agricultural workers, in particular, suffered the most from these extreme conditions.
The report also noted that air pollution remains a major health concern in Bangladesh, responsible for 225,000 deaths in 2022, a 38% increase since 2010. Fossil fuel combustion was identified as the leading contributor to these fatalities, accounting for over 90,000 deaths.
The report further showed that carbon emissions increased by 30% between 2016 and 2022, while renewables provided less than 1% of the country’s power supply.
Mirza Shawkat Ali, Director of the Department of Environment, outlined steps being taken to address these issues, including efforts to regulate air quality, ban brick burning in Savar, and promote the use of electric cookstoves.
He also mentioned that Bangladesh aims to generate 25% of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.
Experts also raised concerns about rising sea levels, with an estimated 14 million people living within one metre of the sea, further exacerbating the climate crisis. Additionally, the report warned of a 90% increase in dengue transmission potential since the 1950s, adding to the growing public health challenges.
Farzana Misha, associate professor at BRAC University, urged that health be integrated as a core pillar of climate adaptation, particularly in the lead-up to COP30.
Nayoka Martinez Bäckström of the Swedish Embassy emphasised the importance of localized, community-based health solutions to address these challenges effectively.
The Lancet Countdown report concluded that climate change is no longer a distant threat for Bangladesh; it is a present health and economic crisis, demanding urgent national action and global support to mitigate its effects.
