Bangladesh is one of the most victimized countries of the world due to the Climate Change. Northern
part of Bangladesh is gradually going to be desert with continued drought. At the same time southern
part of Bangladesh destroyed by cyclone and high tidal wave sinks in the saline water of the sea
permanently. Six seasons of Bangladesh now turns three seasons- Summer, Rainy and Winter. But
those three does not continue to function with as usual rules - during summer it is so hot, during
winter it is unbearable cold. Cold is regularly breaking old record and making new records. There is
possibility that people of Bangladesh will see snowing soon. There trend of long duration of the cold
in winter and too warm in summer season. But rain is coming in undue time and most of the time it
lasts for short time. All peoples know that last year rain came one and half month later. As a results;
peasants start Amon paddy plant so late.

America, Australia, Europe, China-Japan with other industrialist countries are emitting greenhouse
gases but victimizing developing countries like Bangladesh. In this regard Bangladesh Krishok
Federation and Bangladesh Kishani Sabha organized 31 workshops in different parts of Bangladesh
from 17^th December 2009 to 27^th January 2010. Those workshops were organized to asses the impact
of climate change, and it’s future consequences as well as the social responsibility in this regard.
Teacher of the RMIT University, Australia, Cathryn Kriewaldt was facilitator.

Venues of the Climate workshops

31 Climate Change workshops took place in 22 Sub-Districts under the 11 Districts. More than one
workshop took place in some sub-districts. The Venues and one picture of the each sub-district are
below:-

(a) Kurigram District Hedquarter, (b) Rajarhat, (c) Nageshwary, (d) Bhurungamari, (e) Fulbari

02. Dinajpur District

(a) Dinajpur District Hedquarter, (b) Birol, (c) Hakimpur

03. Rongpur District

(a) Rongpur District Hedquarter

04. Bogura District

(a) Bogura District Hedquarter

05. Narayongonj District

(a) Rupgonj

06. Sariotpur District

(a) Palong

07. Sathkhira District

(a) Sathkhira District Hedquarter, (b) Kaligonj, (c) Shamnagor

08. Khulna District

(a) Dumuria, (b) Batiaghata

09. Barguna District

(a) Barguna District Hedquarter, (b) Pathorghata

10. Patuakhali District

(a) Patuakhali District Hedquarter

We have priorities to select the area for organizing workshop in northern droughtfull area and in
southern cyclone prone and high tidal wave affected area.

Participants in the Climate workshops

Most of the participants of the workshops were grassroots leaders of BKF and BKS. Expert peasants,
women peasants and workers were most appreciated to attend the workshops. We also ensured the
participation from different classes and professional peoples of respective areas. The participation of
women was 60% to 80%. Total participation was limited to 30 to 80 delegates in one workshop.

Method of the workshops

At first, delegates of workshops were split into some groups and each group consisted of 5 to 10
people. Each group got some climate change related photos. Before distribution of photos facilitator
described the idea of the workshop to respective groups. The idea was: each group has two works after
getting photos. (1) Look the photos and tries to understand the changes of climate in their respective
area. All understandable changes will be discussed in each group. Each group could swap photos to
other groups and could discuss in the own group. (2) Participants discussed in the groups what type of
changes of weather they have seen in their lives out of the photos.

At the end of discussion on two topics participants will start to expresses their opinions and results
of group discussions. Each group expresses their understanding on changes of weather in the picture
first and then they discussed their experiences of the life and other changes of the weather which they
realize in their long time of the life. Facilitator was careful to the fact that opinions, experiences and
advices of the participants can be discussed duely.

Then, there started the second part of the workshop. In this part facilitator express her own idea about
climate change. But she respectively narrated the opinions of each groups in her speech and also
compared the expert opinions and groups opinions. For that reason all participants feel moved that
their opinion and knowledge will be enriched with scientific idea.

Participants selected all far reaching changes of climate from their experiences, complains, advices
and discussed about their problems. They never missed to follow any kind of changes of weather.

Opinion from participants

There were countable differences of the climate change from the southern Bangladesh and northern
Bangladesh. That was-

Northern Bangladesh

(i) Hot is increasing. The duration of summer. Previously there was 2/3 months summer time but now
summer duration is 5/6 months. For this reasons fertile land is going to become drought land and
plants are burning.

(ii) Gradually all rivers are going to dry. For this reason total north of Bangladesh could be desert
gradually. Underground water is the only resource for the irrigation in summer. Irrigation is expensive
resulting in the cost of production of all crops.

(iii) Water level is going down day by day. Previously one pipe (20’) for a tube-well was enough to
pick up underground water but now is not enough. Besides, there are increasing arsenic and iron in
water.

(iv) Cold is increasing. Cold are destroying so many vegetables and other seasonal crops.

(v) Fog is rising. Dense fogs are destroying Mango, Litchi and other seasonal crops.

(vi) Huge amount of water comes from India causing flood sometime. Previously there was flood and
people knew time and nature but now flood is coming completely undue time and destroying standing
crops.

Southern part of Bangladesh

(i) The number of cyclone is on the increase. Simultaneously the strength of cyclone is also increasing.
Previous 2/3 years we faces some devastating cyclone like Sidr and Aila. People are facing seasonal
north-western cyclone every year, but now cyclone are coming now and then.

(ii) Increasing high tide wave. Spate and speed of flood are more than previous ones. Thousands of
people died, cattle died, crops destroyed by the saline water of the high tide sea wave on the Sidr and
Aila time.

(iii) Increasing salinity and duration of saline. Now duration of the saline water in the rivers is 5/6
months but it was 2/3 months previously. Slain water is most harmful for all crops.

(iv) Increasing water level on the high tide. Many places are sinking now in the high tide but
previously it was not flooded. There have possibilities to over-flood the southern part of Bangladesh if
the Government dose not increase their embankment level on the river side.

(v) Increasing heat. With increasing summer duration also. Gradually other seasons are disappearing
and mixing with the summer.

(vi) Increasing cold and density of fog. Cold and fog are destroying crops every year.

Speech of the facilitators

Facilitator of the climate change workshops, teacher of the RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
Cathryn Kriewaldt said- Bangladesh is not responsible for the climate change. Expensive life style
of the peoples of America, Australia, and Europe are the responsible for the climate change. They
are driving car all the time, using lots of electricity, lots of luxurious goods, making big industries.
All the industries are using coal and oil as a fuel. Those industries are the source of greenhouse
gas emission. Cathryn explained cause of climate change that industrialist countries are emitting
carbon, methane gas and all other kinds of green house gases so that climate is changing all over
the world. Green house gases are making another kind of layer like blanket on the atmosphere.

The sunlight can enter easily through this blanket of green house gases, but when sunlight comes in
this atmosphere and makes heat after variation, heat is can’t go out from this polluted greenhouse gas
layer. We can see easily the black smoke of industries but we can’t see the green house gases, because
it has no color. She also said, a plastic sheet is the best example of greenhouse gas blanket. If we make
a house of plastic sheets you will see that sunlight is coming normally in the house and making heat
on the house but heats have no scope to come out from the plastic sheets house. In this way heat is
increasing in our atmosphere everyday and changing climate of the globe. Due to heat increasing-
changing wind speeds, raising warm, increasing cold, reducing rain, changing season circle, even heats
changing current of sea. Heat is a power. This power is creating depression and making cyclone in the
sea now and then. So that, cyclone is increasing similarly like heat rising. Heat is also increasing speed
of cyclone. So every cyclone is getting more speed than previous one.

Recommendation of the climate workshops

Extra heat of atmosphere is also melting glaciers of North and South Pole and increasing the sea level.
As the results of sea level rising, low laying area of the earth is sinking by the saline sea water. People
of the low laying area are in risk of mass migration. Southern part of Bangladesh is in high risk to be
climate refugee.
Cathryn also explained about cause of navigability decrease of Bangladeshi rivers The Himalayan is
the only water resource of almost all rivers of Bangladesh. Affect of increase in glaciers of Himalayan
it is melting faster than to gather ice. So reducing ice from Himalaya’s day by day and not feeding
water enough to the rivers. If this heat rising continue, Himalayan’s will be out of ice soon and rivers
of Bangladesh will be barren desert only.

(i) Stop emission of the greenhouse gases caused by industrialist countries. Suffering countries should
be united to put pressure on rich countries.

(ii) Climate change suffering people should build strong movement against climate change.

(iii) We have to plant so many trees and have to take steps for saving trees from cut. Because trees are
not only receiving carbon, but they are also saving lives during flood and cyclone.

(iv) Government should take initiative to inform people of the country about devastating affect of
climate change. In order that the people can take preparation to save their life and livelihood from the
crazy behaviors of weather.

(v) Compel the industrialist countries to give compensation to the effected countries for their
deliberate climate change.

(vi) There have arrangement to buildup sufficient cyclone shelter in the risky area and make sufficient
storages of food, drinking water, medicine and other emergency goods to serve immediately for the
suffering people.

(vii) Increasing the water level of high tide and we have to raise height and strength of the natural
calamity, have to inform the people immediately, so that people will be careful and have preparation to
face.

(ix) There have to buildup sufficient arrangement to rescue of possible suffering peoples from natural
calamity. Government has to have initiative and buildup capacity to save life and people’s properties
before cyclone hit and high sea wave.

(x) Government has to plan to rehabilitate people immediately to their own place after natural
calamity. Government has to ensure compensation to suffering people to recover their damages.

(xi) Government has to take initiative to reduce the use of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and sterile
seeds in the name of hybrid seeds and ensure balance of diversity.

Workshop organized, conducted and reported by
Bangladesh Krishok Federation (BKF)
Bangladesh Kishani Sabha (BKS)
_www.krishok.org