Nabil (not his real name) grew up in a small village on the southern coast of Sandwip. His grandfather and uncles were all farmers. Their family lived off rice, jute, and seasonal vegetables. His childhood passed by the fields among the chirping of birds and the salty breeze. But now, that connection to his land feels like a story from a distant past.
“Before, we could grow many crops twice a year on our 10–15 bighas of land. Now nothing grows because of salt,” says Nabil. Their fertile land was destroyed long ago by saline water brought in by cyclones and tidal surges. Gradually, the soil hardened and lost its fertility. His father was forced to move to Dhaka and take a job at a private company. “When I was in college, I realised that there was no future left in this village depending on this land,” Nabil recalls.
Nabil’s story reflects the lives of thousands of families living along Bangladesh’s southern coast. Once, people considered rivers, fields, and monsoon rains to be blessings. Now those same elements have become symbols of uncertainty in their lives. Because of the impacts of climate change, agriculture, occupations, culture, and even permanent settlements are changing. Yet Bangladesh, or Nabil’s family, bears almost none of the responsibility for this transformation.
According to the Global Carbon Atlas (2024), Bangladesh contributes only 0.3% of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, China alone accounts for about 30%, the United States 11%, India 7%, and the European Union collectively about 6%. In other words, Bangladesh’s contribution to global warming is almost invisible. But, the burden of loss it bears is among the heaviest.
Environmentalists call this disparity “Climate Injustice.” It is a kind of global inequality, where one country causes the damage, and another suffers the consequences. An article titled “Anticipated Climate Justice” published in the international scientific journal Nature Climate Change states, “Climate justice is not only about compensation; it is about recognising the historical inequalities that gave power to some, while leaving others vulnerable.”
But the question remains, if Bangladesh’s carbon emission is so small, why does it suffer so much?
First, because Bangladesh is a low-lying delta formed by the sediment of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers. According to a report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations, the global sea level is rising by about 3 millimeters per year, and by 2050, about 20% of Bangladesh’s coastal area may be submerged. Nearly 20 million people could become climate refugees as a result.
Second, there are economic limitations. While developed countries can spend vast amounts of money on adaptation projects, Bangladesh cannot. The World Bank’s Bangladesh Climate Risk Profile 2023 reports that climate-related disasters cause an annual loss of about 1.3% of the country’s GDP. A figure that could rise to 3% by 2030. Agricultural production may drop by 17%, and around 13% of coastal people may lose their livelihoods.
This transformation is not only economic but also social. Migration from rural areas to cities is increasing rapidly. A survey by the Bangladesh Environment Development Association shows that about 43% of families in Satkhira and Khulna districts have relocated at least once in the past decade due to climate-related reasons.
But is Bangladesh’s ecological crisis caused only by climate change?
Or is human mismanagement making it even worse?
According to the International Journal of Multifaceted Research (IJFMR, 2024), population growth, agricultural expansion, deforestation, and unplanned infrastructure development are severely disturbing the country’s natural balance. The report notes that excessive population pressure and land use have exceeded Bangladesh’s environmental capacity, destroying the balance of its ecosystems.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has also expressed similar concerns. Its report states that as tree cover decreases, atmospheric moisture is dropping causing irregular rainfall and increasing local temperatures. In addition, deforestation is destroying about one-third of the world’s terrestrial animal habitats, which has already affected the biodiversity of Bangladesh’s Sundarbans and coastal regions.
On the other hand, as rural people change their livelihoods and move to cities, urbanisation and air pollution are rising rapidly. The journal Urban Environmental Studies notes that forests and farmlands are being taken over in the name of development and infrastructure expansion, severely damaging local water bodies and biodiversity.
As a result, Bangladesh’s ecology now faces a complex, multi-layered crisis. One that stems both from global climate change and from local human mismanagement. Together, these forces have gravely disrupted the natural balance.
Because of this, people like Nabil are losing their rural roots, agriculture is losing fertility, forests are losing biodiversity, and rivers are losing their flow. This overall transformation has deepened Bangladesh’s environmental crisis, leaving nature with almost no time for self-recovery.
