Measuring true losses of climate change

Each year, the coastal regions of our country are affected by different types of natural disasters triggering huge losses. This is not a new phenomenon.

The media often highlights the economic loss that people and the country have to endure because of them. However, there are other damages that are sometimes difficult to estimate in terms of their economic value. For example, a fisherman displaced due to a cyclone has not only lost his property, but also his identity as a fisherman.

After having to move into slums in big cities such as Dhaka or Chittagong, those who are affected by such disasters are forced to change their professions, losing their traditional identities. This type of loss cannot be ascribed a monetary value, nor measured as such.

The media should highlight these aspects and losses that arise from climate change as we prepare ourselves to deal with the problem of climate change.

SM Saify Iqbal, Dhaka