Dhaka:Climate change continues to severely impact Bangladesh's health and economy, with heat exposure projected to cause a loss of $17.5 billion in potential earnings by 2025, as detailed in the 2026 Lancet Countdown Report on Health and Climate Change.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the report indicates a significant rise in heatwave exposure among infants and the elderly, more than doubling compared to the period between 1986 and 2005. Additionally, human-caused fine particulate air pollution was responsible for an estimated 239,000 deaths in 2023.
The report underscores the increasing threats to health and livelihoods in Bangladesh, urging for climate change to be recognized as a global health emergency. It calls for governments to prioritize health within climate decisions, including emissions reduction targets and funding allocations.
The findings were presented at a national launch event at BRAC Centre Inn in Dhaka, organized by the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER) at BRAC University. Shouro Dasgupta, an environmental economist, delivered the keynote presentation, highlighting that Bangladesh lost over 26 billion potential labor hours annually from 2016 to 2025 due to heat exposure, a 71% increase from the 1990s.
The report also highlights the urgent need for cleaner energy, noting that deaths linked to human-caused PM2.5 air pollution rose by 40% between 2016 and 2023. During this period, household air pollution was associated with 77,500 deaths in 2023, down from 90,700 in 2016. The monetized value of premature mortality due to air pollution reached $77.6 billion, equivalent to 16.4% of GDP.
The Lancet Countdown 2026 report provides important evidence on climate-related health risks, particularly for vulnerable communities, as noted by Md. Ziaul Haque, Additional Director General of the Department of Environment. The report highlights the urgent need to reduce pollution and fossil fuel use.
The national meteorological and hydrological services in Bangladesh are providing climate information to the health sector to aid in preparedness for climate-related risks. However, finance and human resources remain significant barriers to implementing Health National Adaptation Plans, with a global adaptation need of $3.3 billion annually, yet only $1.1 billion was committed in 2024.
Dr. Ainun Nishat emphasized the importance of implementing the Health National Adaptation Plan with a focus on food security, nutrition, and vector-borne diseases. The report calls for reducing fossil fuel consumption and expanding renewable energy to curb pollution and address climate change impacts effectively.