Topic vocabulary: environment and climate

Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that are released into the atmosphere and trap heat, causing global temperatures to rise.

গ্রিনহাউস গ্যাস নির্গমন

Burning coal to generate electricity is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, formed underground over millions of years from the remains of plants and animals. They release carbon dioxide when burned.

জীবাশ্ম জ্বালানি

Bangladesh still generates most of its electricity from fossil fuels, especially natural gas.

Energy from sources that are naturally replaced and will not run out, such as sunlight, wind and moving water.

নবায়নযোগ্য জ্বালানি

Millions of rural households in Bangladesh now use solar panels, the most visible form of renewable energy in the country.

The total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by a person, an organisation or an activity.

কার্বন ফুটপ্রিন্ট; কোনো ব্যক্তি বা প্রতিষ্ঠানের মোট কার্বন নিঃসরণ

A single long-haul flight can add more to a person’s carbon footprint than a whole year of commuting by bus.

The cutting down or burning of large areas of forest, usually to make space for farming, housing or industry. Opposite: reforestation.

বন উজাড়; বনভূমি ধ্বংস

Deforestation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts has increased the risk of deadly landslides during the monsoon.

To make something harmful less serious or less severe. In climate policy, mitigation means reducing the causes of warming, mainly by cutting emissions. Noun: mitigation.

প্রশমিত করা; ক্ষতির তীব্রতা কমানো

Replacing coal power stations with solar and wind farms is one of the most effective ways to mitigate climate change.

To stop using or producing something gradually, in planned stages over a period of time. Noun: a phase-out.

ধাপে ধাপে বন্ধ করা বা বাতিল করা

Many governments have pledged to phase out coal-fired power stations over the next two decades.

Not adding to the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, because any emissions produced are balanced by removing or saving the same amount. Hyphenated before a noun: a carbon-neutral campus.

কার্বন-নিরপেক্ষ

The university aims to become carbon neutral by 2035 by installing solar panels and restoring nearby wetlands.

The process of changing from one state or system to another. In environment essays it usually means the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy.

রূপান্তর; উত্তরণ

A rapid transition to renewable energy would also reduce the country’s dependence on expensive fuel imports.

Never having happened before, or never having been so great, extreme or fast.

নজিরবিহীন; অভূতপূর্ব

Climate scientists warn that the planet is now warming at an unprecedented rate.

Close to sea level, or lower than the surrounding land, and therefore easily flooded.

নিচু; নিম্নভূমির

About two-thirds of Bangladesh lies less than five metres above sea level, which makes it one of the most low-lying countries in the world.

The gradual increase in the average height of the sea, caused mainly by melting ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.

সমুদ্রপৃষ্ঠের উচ্চতা বৃদ্ধি

Rising sea levels threaten to swallow farmland and homes along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

The amount of salt in water or soil. When seawater moves into rivers and farmland, salinity rises and many crops struggle to grow.

লবণাক্ততা

Increasing soil salinity in Satkhira and Khulna has pushed many farmers to switch from rice to shrimp farming.

A violent tropical storm with very strong winds that spin around a calm centre. The same kind of storm is called a hurricane in the Atlantic and a typhoon in the western Pacific.

ঘূর্ণিঝড়

When Cyclone Sidr struck in 2007, early warnings and cyclone shelters saved many thousands of lives.

A sudden rise in sea level caused by the strong winds of a cyclone, which pushes a wall of seawater onto the land. It is often the deadliest part of a cyclone.

জলোচ্ছ্বাস

Most of the deaths in the 1970 cyclone were caused not by the wind but by a storm surge several metres high.

A sudden, violent flood that happens after very heavy rain, often with little or no warning.

আকস্মিক বন্যা; পাহাড়ি ঢল

Extreme rainfall in the hills of north-east India triggered flash floods that submerged large parts of Sylhet in 2022.

The gradual wearing away of land along a river by moving water, which can destroy fields, homes and roads. Verb: erode.

নদীভাঙন

Every year riverbank erosion along the Jamuna and the Padma leaves thousands of families homeless.

A long period with little or no rain, during which crops fail and water becomes scarce.

খরা

While the south struggles with too much water, the north-west of Bangladesh, around Rajshahi, faces increasingly frequent droughts.

Easily harmed or badly affected by something, because of weakness or a lack of protection. Noun: vulnerability.

ঝুঁকিপূর্ণ; অরক্ষিত

Bangladesh is regularly ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, even though it produces only a tiny share of global emissions.

To force people to leave their homes, for example because of a disaster or a war. The people are ‘displaced’; the process is ‘displacement’.

বাস্তুচ্যুত করা

Some experts predict that climate change could displace millions of people from Bangladesh’s coastal districts by 2050.

Changes made to cope with the effects of climate change that are already happening or expected, such as building embankments or growing salt-tolerant crops. Verb: adapt (to).

অভিযোজন; পরিবর্তিত পরিস্থিতির সঙ্গে খাপ খাওয়ানো

Floating gardens and raised homesteads are examples of local adaptation to frequent flooding.

The ability of a person, community or system to cope with a shock such as a disaster and recover quickly. Adjective: resilient.

সহনশীলতা; বিপর্যয় কাটিয়ে ঘুরে দাঁড়ানোর সক্ষমতা

Raising houses on earth platforms has strengthened the resilience of communities living on the river islands, or chars, to annual flooding.

The variety of plants, animals and other living things in a particular place or in the world as a whole.

জীববৈচিত্র্য

The Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, supports remarkable biodiversity, from the Bengal tiger to the Irrawaddy dolphin.

All the living things in an area together with their physical environment, seen as a system in which each part depends on the others.

বাস্তুতন্ত্র

Overfishing in the Bay of Bengal can upset the balance of an entire marine ecosystem.

The natural home or environment of a particular plant or animal.

প্রাকৃতিক আবাসস্থল

As shrimp farms expand along the coast, mangrove habitats are being cleared at an alarming rate.

A type of animal or plant that is at serious risk of disappearing completely (becoming extinct). ‘Species’ is the same in the singular and plural.

বিপন্ন প্রজাতি

The Bengal tiger is an endangered species, and rising salinity in the Sundarbans is a further threat to its survival.

The protection of plants, animals and natural areas, or the careful use of resources such as energy and water so that they are not wasted. Verb: conserve.

সংরক্ষণ

Community-based conservation, in which local people are paid to protect the forest, has helped to reduce illegal logging.

The ability to continue an activity or way of life for a long time without damaging the environment or using up natural resources. Adjective: sustainable.

টেকসইতা; পরিবেশের ক্ষতি না করে দীর্ঘমেয়াদে চালিয়ে যাওয়ার সক্ষমতা

Global fashion brands are under pressure to prove the sustainability of their supply chains, from cotton fields to garment factories in Bangladesh.

The collection, transport, recycling and safe disposal of rubbish.

বর্জ্য ব্যবস্থাপনা

Poor waste management means that much of Dhaka’s plastic rubbish ends up blocking drains and canals, which makes urban flooding worse.

A large area where rubbish is buried under the ground; also this method of getting rid of waste.

ময়লার ভাগাড়; ল্যান্ডফিল

Dhaka’s two main landfill sites, at Matuail and Amin Bazar, are rapidly running out of space.

Plastic items such as bags, straws, cups and packaging that are designed to be used once and then thrown away.

একবার ব্যবহারযোগ্য প্লাস্টিক

Bangladesh was one of the first countries in the world to ban thin plastic bags, in 2002, but enforcing the ban has proved difficult.

Able to be broken down naturally by bacteria into harmless substances, so that it does not pollute the environment for long.

পচনশীল; প্রাকৃতিকভাবে মাটিতে মিশে যায় এমন

Jute bags are a biodegradable alternative to polythene and could help revive one of Bangladesh’s traditional industries.

Impossible to change back to how it was before.

অপরিবর্তনীয়; আর ফেরানো যায় না এমন

Once a species becomes extinct, the loss is irreversible.