Tuesday | 14 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Tuesday | 14 January 2025 | Epaper
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Natural disasters are marking 2025 as a ‘Scary Year’

Published : Tuesday, 14 January, 2025 at 12:00 AM  Count : 338
MIR MOSHARREF HOSSAIN PAKBIR
As the calendar flips to 2025, the relentless power of nature has already made itself known. The Himalayan earthquake in Tibet - shaking five countries including Bangladesh, devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, unprecedented floods in the Middle East, and extreme snowfall across the Western Hemisphere are stark reminders of the ferocity of natural disasters. It has become increasingly clear that our planet is undergoing significant environmental turmoil. These catastrophes underscore not only nature's might but also humanity's vulnerability as well as responsibility. They are not isolated events but part of a worsening pattern that demands urgent attention to their causes and the broader implications of human activity on the planet.

Before delving into 2025, it is imperative to reflect on 2024, a year marked by an alarming surge in natural disasters. The numbers paint a grim picture - over 400 significant natural disasters were recorded globally, resulting in the loss of more than 250,000 lives and displacing millions. Economic damages exceeded $300 billion, crippling economies and disproportionately impacting developing nations. From catastrophic hurricanes along the Atlantic coast to droughts in sub-Saharan Africa, the climate crisis manifested in diverse yet interconnected ways. Wildfires consumed vast stretches of forest in Canada. Australia and the Amazon while typhoons wreaked havoc in Southeast Asia. With melting glaciers, rising sea levels continued to submerge coastal areas, rendering some island nations almost uninhabitable.

While 2024 had been really scary, 2025 seems to be much scarier with several large disasters taking place at the very beginning of the year. On 7 January 7, 2025, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Tibet, sending tremors across the Himalayan region. The quake flattened villages, buried ancient monasteries, and claimed thousands of lives. The earthquake was felt in Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh also. The quake resulted in the loss of at least 126 lives and left 337 people injured.

Simultaneously, since 7 January, 2025, in Los Angeles, towering infernos razed neighborhoods, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. The fires have caused significant air and water quality issues. Fueled by record-breaking heatwaves as well as prolonged drought, these fires not only obliterated homes and infrastructure but also destroyed wildlife habitats. These fires, exacerbated by severe Santa Ana winds and drought conditions, have led to the evacuation of nearly 180,000 residents, took at least 24 lives away and have destroyed over 13,000 structures in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, torrential rains in the Middle East caused unprecedented flooding. Countries like Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia experienced weeks of relentless downpours. As this region usually experience little rain, their infrastructure is not well-equipped to face strong floods. But during the last few years, the serious climate change has caused this region to experience severe rain causing floods. 2025 also maintained the trend and brought severe floods at different countries of Middle East. Adding to the chaos, the Western Hemisphere was paralyzed by record-breaking snowfall. The 'Polar Express' brought intense cold and snowfall as cities like New York and Chicago came to a standstill and flight schedules were devastated in the UK. Several countries of the West are feeling a fierce picture of their most beloved season.

The causes of these natural disasters are multifaceted and interlinked. While some may attribute them to the whims of nature, a deeper analysis reveals a disturbing truth: human activity has exacerbated their frequency and intensity.

The warming of the planet due to greenhouse gas emissions has amplified the severity of weather events. Rising global temperatures have disrupted atmospheric and oceanic patterns, leading to more intense storms, prolonged droughts, and erratic rainfall. Uncontrolled logging, hybrid agricultural expansion, and urbanization have stripped the earth of its natural defenses. Forests, which act as carbon sinks and regulate water cycles, are vanishing at an alarming rate, making regions more susceptible to floods and wildfires. Rapid urban expansion, often without consideration for environmental sustainability, has compounded disaster risks. Conflict-ridden regions often lack the infrastructure and governance needed to mitigate disaster impacts.

One of the less-discussed contributors to environmental degradation is the global arms trade. Developed nations, particularly the West, are the primary exporters of weapons, fueling conflicts worldwide. The production and use of weapons have far-reaching ecological impacts. The extraction of raw materials for weapon manufacturing-metals, rare earth elements, and fossil fuels-destroys ecosystems and contributes to pollution. Mining operations often devastate local environments and displace communities. Armed conflicts lead to deforestation, soil degradation, and water contamination. Bombings and chemical warfare leave toxic legacies, rendering lands uninhabitable for decades. Conflict-driven instability exacerbates vulnerability to natural disasters. For instance, displaced populations often settle in environmentally fragile areas, often disturbing the ecosystem.

The weapons not only destroy the nature and environment during the war but also the military exercises, weapons disposal and testing harms the nature to a great extent. Often small-scale nuclear weapons are tested by different countries and that causes severe harm to the nature as the residues are stored in air as well as land. Unfortunately, while we talk about different measures against the climate change, we do not discuss the viciousness of weapons trade, which directly destroys the ecosystem.

Heavy usage of technology is also destroying the nature to a great extent. For example; the mobile phones components require aluminum, cobalt, copper, gold, palladium, platinum, silver, tantalum, tin and tungsten - and let's not forget the lithium in its battery. Mining these materials burns huge quantities of fossil fuels, damages ecosystems, displaces people and wildlife and causes soil and water pollution. In 2022, smartphones generated 146 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, most of which from their manufacture, shipping, and first year of use, according to reports. Moreover, these devices continuously emit harmful rays while connecting through satellites, damaging the environment. Not only mobile phones but also many other technological inventions are damaging the environment.

In today's world, the developed nations, especially the West, are increasing their space program budgets. Though launching spaceships and satellites has revolutionized our understanding of the universe, but it comes at a cost. The propulsion systems used to launch these crafts release a range of pollutants, including chlorine and bromine, into the stratosphere. These chemicals are known to be harmful to the ozone layer, which protects life on Earth by blocking harmful ultraviolet radiation. Additionally, the combustion of rocket fuel can produce ozone-depleting substances that exacerbate the thinning of this vital layer. As the frequency of launches increases, the cumulative impact on the ozone layer becomes a growing concern, necessitating the development of more sustainable aerospace technologies.

The intersection of natural disasters and human activity necessitates a paradigm shift in global priorities. To address the escalating crisis, the international community must strengthen their climate actions. Implementing and exceeding the targets of the Paris Agreement is non-negotiable. Countries must transition to renewable energy, adopt sustainable agricultural practices, and invest in reforestation programs. The West, as a leading arms exporter, has a moral obligation to limit the proliferation of weapons. Stricter regulations and transparency in arms deals can reduce conflicts and their environmental toll. Redirecting military budgets toward climate resilience and disaster mitigation can yield significant benefits. Disasters know no borders, and neither should solutions. Strengthening global partnerships for disaster response, data sharing, and technological innovation is crucial. Wealthier nations must also support vulnerable countries through funding and capacity-building initiatives.

From the very beginning of 2025, Bangladesh is experiencing incidents of fire almost everyday. This is a continuation of fire incidents at the end of 2024. Unfortunately, as the summer will approach, fire incidents will increase in plenty in our country. Many other natural disasters are also expected to accompany. Hence, in whichever areas the government needs to focus to reduce the impact of such disasters, they should plan, invest and make people aware proactively to control the damage.

Historically, we have observed that, when inequality in the society increases, people are oppressed, societal bonds disappear and power is wrongly used, the Mother Nature takes her revenge using natural disasters. Many civilizations were wiped out by natural disasters after the evildoings of the people reached the peak. Unfortunately, we are finding the same societal pattern in today's world and hence, along with all the scientific reasons, we need to change ourselves to get saved from nature's rage. Otherwise, the history will repeat.

The ferocity of natural disasters in early 2025 is a wake-up call for humanity. By recognizing and addressing the multiple causes of natural disasters, including controlling arms sales, the global leaders can take meaningful steps towards a more sustainable and secure future. While nature's power is beyond our control, our actions or inactions determine the extent of its wrath. The time for complacency has long passed; now is the time for bold, collective action. Let 2025 be the year we choose responsibility over recklessness, cooperation over conflict, and sustainability over short-term gain.

The writer is Chief Editor at Mohammadi News Agency (MNA) and Editor at Kishore Bangla


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