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On-going heatwaves hitting productivity

Published : Monday, 29 April, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 189
Rasel Hossen Shakib
Under the current climate conditions, hundreds to millions of people are facing intolerable heat that is becoming life-threatening in the coming days. Climate change has always remained one of the focal points of discussion for world leaders because it creates a complex web of challenges in various sectors and grapples with multiple burdens. This sweltering heat wave makes peoples lives troublesome and minimizes the overall productivity of the nation. The rising level of temperature underscores the interconnectedness of climate change, vulnerability for needy people, and resilience within society.

The climate phenomenon nowadays comes into sharp focus for all classes of people in Bangladesh. The ongoing heat wave underlines intricate layers of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation within the fabric of society. Today we will try to explore what sectors the heatwave can affect most, including productivity, environmental challenges, socioeconomic outcomes, migration patterns, and the manufacturing sector, and the ways of navigating the challenges while building a sustainable and resilient society for all.
 
 The heatwave adversely impacts productivity, giving workers less work capability and creating a state of intolerable conditions without adequate protection. When the heat wave increases at an increasing rate, construction, manufacturing, and outdoor labour work reduces at a decreasing rate. Reduced productivity in the sectors of health, service, transportation, and many more leads to a low level of productivity. Absenteeism and health-related costs contribute to economic strain for both businesses and households. Heat waves lead people to discomfort, fatigue, and health issues that ultimately reduce cognitive function.
 
There are a number of heat wave parameters related to the environment, including water scarcity, increased energy demand, wildfires, melting ice caps, and glaciers. When heat waves happen, the melting of ice caps and glaciers leads to sea-level rise, which ultimately changes oceanic circular patterns. It can easily worsen air quality by promoting the formation of ground-level ozone and other pollutants and exacerbate drought conditions. These problems generally create a myriad of anxieties, lawlessness, and boredom.
 
Heat waves can amplify existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities and disparities, highlighting the importance of proactive measures to address climate change, enhance resilience, and protect vulnerable populations. One of the components of climate change is heat waves. It can also exacerbate existing socioeconomic inequalities, increase financial vulnerability, and impede progress towards sustainable development goals. This problem doesn only place a financial burden on individuals and healthcare systems but also creates pressure on governments.

When heat waves happen, peoples environmental displacement, seeking cooler climates, pushes them, bringing about economic migration as well. It can influence migration patterns by exacerbating existing vulnerabilities, prompting people to seek safer, more habitable, and economically viable environments. Power outages, water shortages, and transportation disruptions can happen when people migrate from one place to another, which causes infrastructure failure.

 Tourism can be badly deterred by heatwaves, reducing tourist arrivals and leading to revenue losses and job insecurity for tourism-dependent communities.High temperatures can lead to heat-related illnesses, injuries, and decreased productivity, jeopardizing the livelihoods of outdoor workers and their families and causing them to be severely deterred by heatwaves, reducing tourist arrivals, and leading to revenue losses and job insecurity for tourism-dependent communities. leads to a low level of production. Agriculture, livestock farming, and aquaculture can also be threatened by the influx of heat waves.
 
Additionally, the relentless rise in temperature exacerbated by climate change has far-reaching implications that extend beyond meteorological statistics to impact livelihoods, migration patterns, and social dynamics across the nation. a disproportionate burden on vulnerable populations and marginalized communities, who live in low-level facilitated areas, grapples with many problems, especially for the urban poor and informal settlements, by burning the brunt of extreme heat conditions. The limited access to cooling conditions, shortage of non-stopping electricity, and lack of resources cause health-related illness, dehydration, and even heatstroke.
 
While the high class of people have the opportunity to access air conditioning, which leaves them mostly unconscious about the practical impact of heat waves, especially at the highest temperatures, rural and low-income communities, coupled with a great deal of problems, often lack such amenities. This leaves those marginalized people in the most adverse situation during the heatwave, underscoring a room for improvement for the betterment of the most vulnerable people. In the heat wave, heat-related illness is the prime reason to suffer, coupled with limited capacity and infrastructural challenges.
 
Heat waves in Bangladesh, like in many other regions in the world, can be attributed to a combination of factors, including climate change, geographical location, and urbanization. Climate change leads to rising global temperatures, which increases the frequency and intensity of heat waves. Bangladeshs geographical location in the tropics also contributes to its susceptibility to heat waves. Additionally, factors such as deforestation and urbanization can exacerbate heat by reducing green spaces and increasing the urban heat effect.
 
Its very important to say that we should follow some precautions related to heat waves. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day, even if you don feel thirsty, is necessary due to dehydration and is able to save you from a state of anxiety. People with a lack of air-conditioning facilities should use fans, take cool showers, or use damp towels to cool down. During the heatwave, there is an influx of illness and many problems for the most vulnerable people, so the government should ensure all diseased people have access to healthcare. Planting trees is necessary to curb the increase in temperature. Bangladesh, with people-oriented activities, can better protect its citizens, reduce the impact of heatwaves on public health and safety, and build resilience to extreme heat events in the face of climate change.

Finally, when people in villages and towns have been experiencing scorching heat, forcing them to remain in their respective homes, its important to take numerous measures from the relevant authorities in terms of curbing common peoples miseries by no means. With unanimously effective steps from policymakers, civil society, organizations, and stakeholders, such a heatwave can be addressed for both immediate needs and long-term resilience strategies. Campaigns of awareness, heat safety guidelines, and social support programs may make people aware. By taking helpful measures for the protection of vulnerable people, Bangladesh can navigate the challenges of the heat wave and ramp up a more resilient and sustainable future for all.

The writer is an undergraduate student, Department of Economics, University of Chittagong


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