World Habitat Day: Habitats not just for humanity, but for life

Through the choppy waters of the Bay of Bengal, our speedboat twisted and turned trying to reach Sonadia Island.

Providing permanent support to the people of Tanguar Haor

I always wanted to take two photographs of the same spot of Tanguar Haor—one in the driest month of the year and one in the wettest.

Save the environment, not posters

With the Dhaka City Corporation election ready to roll out next month, the capital is brimming with a palpable air of electoral mood.

Cyclone Bulbul: Views from the ground

At least a dozen people died and many more were injured due to the impact of the cyclonic storm Bulbul in Bangladesh.

National Adaptation Plan / Realigning our climate change goals

In climate change jargon, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects seeking to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities is defined as adaptation.

Saving Dhanmondi Lake

The Dhanmondi lake deserves some serious attention by the relevant authorities to save it from pollution.

Arguments for using AI to combat climate change

According to a report published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in 2018 the average global temperature was recorded to be the fourth highest on record.

Why saving the Sundarbans is so urgent

The severe cyclonic storm Bulbul originated from the Bay of Bengal advancing with a speed of 140 kph and started dwindling when the mouth of the storm crossed the Sundarbans and hit the mangrove forest at a speed of 70-80 km per hour.

How our rivers fared in 2019

The year 2019 saw both good and bad developments for our rivers. On the good side, the first thing to be mentioned is the High Court’s judgement of February 3, declaring rivers as a “legal entity,” having rights similar to a living person.

COP25: Another round of active inaction

The UN’s longest-ever climate negotiations, continuing non-stop for almost two extra days, drew to a close on December 15 with not much to celebrate. Nations on both sides—developed and developing—held hardline positions resulting in utter disappointment, so expressed grudgingly by the UN Secretary General himself. Countries failed to agree on many of the sought-after outcomes, including rules to set up a global carbon market, steps to mobilise dedicated funding for loss and damage (L&D) and mobilisation of long term finance (LTF) for the most vulnerable.

Perils of climate change: Time for action

The 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as the UN Climate Change

Where has all the green gone?

As I pass the planning commission office in Agargaon on a rickshaw, on a jam-packed road in the evening, I cannot help noticing the big advertisements

Solving the climate crisis is beyond governments

Throughout my 10 years working in international development and climate policy, I’ve mostly heard colleagues talk about the private sector as if it was this intangible,

Transboundary cooperation key to enforcing rivers’ legal rights in Bangladesh

In June 2019, the Bangladesh High Court granted its rivers the status and rights of a living entity, becoming the fourth country after New Zealand, India and Colombia to do so, and the first to extend the declaration to every river within its territory. The decision was welcomed by river rights groups, environmentalists, experts and the National River Conservation Commission of Bangladesh as an important move against the widespread encroachment and pollution, choking hundreds of rivers crisscrossing Bangladesh.

Alarming plastic pollution in the Bay of Bengal

Plastics play a vital role in our daily life. However, plastic debris in the marine environment has serious negative impacts on marine resources, fisheries as well as on the use of coastal areas for tourism. It is also a threat to our precious Blue Economy.

Despite global climate extremes, why is climate action so slow?

Over a hundred people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the first few weeks of the South Asian monsoon this year.