7 Stunning Spots in Bangladesh, South Asia’s Most Verdant Country

March 19, 2021

Known for its lush greenery and fascinating sites, Bangladesh offers many exciting opportunities to travelers.

The Sundarbans in Bangladesh. USAID Biodiversity and Forestry. CC BY-ND 2.0

Bangladesh is a South Asian country that borders India and Myanmar. Originally referred to as East Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947, Bangladesh eventually gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. Although the country is not on many visitors’ radars, Bangladesh boasts both spectacular natural beauty and a rich culture. Here are seven destinations that travelers should check out when visiting Bangladesh.

1. Sundarbans Mangrove Forest

A Bengal tiger in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans mangrove. Anindya Majumder. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

If one could only visit only a single attraction in Bangladesh, this would have to be it. The Sundarbans mangrove forest is located where the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers meet the Bay of Bengal. It is the largest mangrove forest in the world and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The forest is well-known for its variety of flora and fauna, most notably the endangered Bengal tiger. Other animal sightings that travelers can look forward to on their visit include spotted deer, rhesus macaque monkeys and a variety of waterbird species, including egrets and herons.

2. Dhaka

Travelers are likely to spend some time in Dhaka, as it is Bangladesh’s capital, largest city and travel hub. The city is a densely populated metropolis with some of the worst traffic in the world. Beyond the hectic rickshaw-filled streets, there are many exciting activities in the Bangladeshi capital, including watching boats dock at the Sadarghat river port, paying a visit to the Ahsan Manzil palace and museum, and touring the Baitul Mukarram Mosque, one of the largest in the world. Dhaka is also a wonderful place to explore traditional markets and sample Bangladeshi cuisine.

3. Cox’s Bazar Beach

A beach sunset in Bangladesh. Lonely explorer. CC BY 3.0

This is one of Bangladesh’s most beautiful beaches. Stretching over 75 miles, Cox’s Bazar is the longest uninterrupted sea beach in the world. The beach becomes less crowded the farther south one travels down its banks. Off the coast of Cox’s Bazar Beach is Maheshkhali Island, a pilgrimage point for Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists alike. Another nearby location is St. Martin’s Island, the only coral island in Bangladesh. Located at the southernmost tip of the country, St. Martin’s Island provides wonderful swimming and snorkeling opportunities.

4. Panam Nagar

The ghost town of Panam Nagar. Nurul Amin Russel. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Located 18 miles southeast of Dhaka, this town was well known for its textile production and Hindu merchant community. Panam Nagar was destroyed in a fire and the town remains deserted to this day. Although the exact dates and cause of the fire are still unknown, the large number of textiles stored in the town’s buildings could likely have caused it.

5. Paharpur

The Somapura Mahavihara monastery in Paharpur, Bangladesh. Stefan Krasowski. CC BY 2.0

Paharpur is one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bangladesh and was added to the list in 1985. Located in the northern part of the country, Paharpur contains the most important archaeological site in Bangladesh, an ancient Buddhist monastery called Somapura Mahavihara. The monastery is the second-largest structure of its kind south of the Himalayas and contains 177 monastic cells with a large shrine located in the middle. The monastery was a center of learning where the practice of Mahayana Buddhism flourished from the seventh to 12th centuries. It was further known for influencing Buddhist architecture in other parts of Asia, including Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple. Paharpur is also one of the best examples of pre-Islamic architecture in Bangladesh.

6. Srimangal

A woman picking tea in Bangladesh. Mariusz Kluzniak. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Srimangal is a small town located in the northeast of Bangladesh. Well known throughout the country for its tea production, a visit to Srimangal makes an excellent opportunity to learn about one of Bangladesh’s largest industries. Travelers can explore some of the 163 tea plantations that dot Srimangal’s hilly landscape and enjoy local brews straight from the source.

7. Bagerhat

The Shait Gumbad Mosque with 77 domes in Bagerhat. Joe Coyle. CC BY-NC 2.0

The Bagerhat district in the southwestern part of Bangladesh is home to the ancient city of Khalifatabad, which was founded by Turkic general Ulugh Khan Jahan in the 15th century. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city contains excellent examples of an early Islamic architectural style known as Khan-e-Jahan. The site includes 360 buildings such as mosques, public buildings, mausoleums, bridges and more. Unfortunately, the city’s location at sea level makes it vulnerable to rising seas, making cultural preservation a huge priority.

From its beautiful beaches to a fascinating history, Bangladesh makes a wonderful destination for travelers ready to visit a less-discovered piece of South Asia.

Countries Transition to More Renewable Energy, Post COVID-19

May 30, 2020

In the face of a global economic crisis brought on by COVID-19, many countries are turning greener, and they are calling upon the international community to follow their lead. Several regions have used this time to complete renewable energy projects, and others are just beginning. The world is preparing itself for many transformations, with less reliance on coal and fossil fuels being a part of that. Of course, there have been setbacks and slowdowns in terms of creating the infrastructure for greener energy due to the virus, and it will take a large change in consumer attitudes to implement progress. As the oil market plummets and coal prices shift unpredictably, renewable solutions are emerging to sustain economies weakened by the virus.

Progress in Europe and The United States

Many countries have been preparing to transition to more renewable energy for some time now. The economic crisis revolving around crude oil markets and the increasing cost of coal has furthered the motivation to do so. In Europe, much of the EU has been on track to reduce their use of both coal and gas. Following Belgium’s lead, Sweden and Austria closed their very last coal plants two years ahead of schedule. Seven more countries are preparing themselves to move on from coal by 2025, including France (2022), Slovakia (2023), Portugal (2023), the UK (2024), Ireland (2025) and Italy (2025), as noted by EURACTIV.

Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, Essen, Germany. Kai Pilger. Unsplash License.

The United States has also made incredible strides. For the very first time in any month in the United States, renewables from solar, wind and hydropower generated more electricity than coal on every day in April 2019, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). They have instead focused their efforts on renewable sources, setting more records in the process. As cited by the EIA, the significant rise in renewable energy can be attributed to record generation from wind and near-record generation from solar. Wind and solar electricity generation has also increased as the capacity for implementing their infrastructure has expanded.

International Efforts

Among the success stories are countries still working toward progress. The continent of Africa is setting an incredible example for others as top officials encourage leaders to implement renewable energy in their communities. Agreeing to work closely together, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) are advocating for the advancement of renewable energy across the continent. In doing so, they hope that this will further their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. By providing more renewable energy resources, rural communities that make up large portions of the countries will now have the opportunity to provide health centers with cleaner water pumping systems and reliable power for critical medical services.

IRENA World Bank’s Noor III Solar Farm in Morocco. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). CC by BY-NC-ND 2.0

With the same motivations in mind, Asia-Pacific’s response to COVID-19 has also involved a push toward renewable energy. The IRENA has partnered with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to work toward the improvement of access to sustainable energy. Already pushing toward wind energy, Asian countries are working to install nearly 100 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, according to the Global Offshore Wind Report 2019 published earlier this year. Asia-Pacific is home to half the world’s population, and its current reliance on fossil fuels is not sustainable, especially under the strain of combating a widespread virus. While their budgets are also strained, a recent COVID-19 policy report for Asia and the Pacific shows that one of the main sectors for many stimulus packages throughout the region is renewable energy. The hope is that the investment in clean energy will not only improve the overall health of Asia-Pacific’s communities, but also provide the vital infrastructure needed to distribute lifesaving medical resources.

A Sustainable Solution

Many countries and regions that have relied on fossil fuels and coal are now facing an issue of widespread applicability of those energy practices and must turn to renewable solutions in order to save their communities from further strife. As money is being put toward green energy and other projects are completed, the way we use and consume energy is becoming much more sustainable. Despite all the anxieties and stresses caused by COVID-19, a cleaner world is coming.

Renee Richardson

is currently an English student at The University of Georgia. She lives in Ellijay, Georgia, a small mountain town in the middle of Appalachia. A passionate writer, she is inspired often by her hikes along the Appalachian trail and her efforts to fight for equality across all spectrums. She hopes to further her passion as a writer into a flourishing career that positively impacts others.

Students Across Europe Protest in Hopes of a Greener Future

February 27, 2019

After years of political gridlock surrounding climate change legislation, students emerge as a force for change.

Photo of a student protester. By Josh Barwick on Unsplash.

Thousands of students across Europe left school on Friday, February 15 to protest the lack of action on climate issues in their countries. In what the New York Times called a “coordinated walk out for action on climate issues,” elementary, middle, high school, and undergraduate students came together to demand a greener future. In London, protestors held signs reading “The ocean is rising and so are we” and “Act now or swim later.”

The student-led movement for climate action that is currently taking Europe by storm began with 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. In September, Thunberg started skipping class to stage sit-ins at the Swedish parliament, demanding that her government seriously address climate change. Thunberg’s action inspired teens worldwide, some of whom created the global movement Youth Strike 4 Climate and began organizing protests and walkouts, using social media to coordinate efforts. According to the New York Times, demonstrations have been held in Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland, among others.

The New York Times writes that the new organization gained even more energy in October of 2018 when a report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change disclosed that the world has only twelve years to change its climate policy before the consequences of inaction such as food shortages, rising sea levels, floods and forest fires manifest themselves.

Thunberg remains a notable voice in the movement she inspired, and went on to speak at the global climate-change conference in Poland last December. “You say you love your children above all else — and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes,” she told politicians at the conference. “Until you start focusing on what needs to be done rather than what is politically possible, there is no hope. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis.”

In British schools, protesters received mixed reactions from teachers and staff. While some encouraged students, others threatened to punish them for skipping class. “My school was not supportive at the start. They said I would get detention for unauthorized absence,” Anna Taylor, the seventeen-year-old co-founder of the UK Student Climate Network told the New York Times.

Sixteen-year-old Bonnie Morely, who was attending the strike with friends from school, told the New York Times that a head teacher had taken down posters advertising the strike in her school’s common areas. “They’re treating us like we are doing something really wrong,” Morley said. “The future of our planet is looking really bleak, and all the politicians are asleep at the wheel. We have to wake them up, and I think thousands of kids on the streets will do just that.”

Like the teachers, European politicians displayed mixed reactions, with some supporting the students and others going so far as to suggest that the strikes were the product of a secret governmental organization.

According to the New York Times, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May said that, “everybody wants young people to be engaged in the issues that affect them most so that we can build a brighter future for all of us. But it is important to emphasize that disruption increases teachers’ workloads and wastes lesson time that teachers have carefully prepared for.”

Thunberg tweeted in response: “British PM says that the children on school strike are ‘wasting lesson time.’ That may well be the case, but then again, political leaders have wasted 30 years of inaction. And that is slightly worse.”

“We don’t miss school because we’re lazy or because we don’t want to go to school,” Jakob Blasel, a high school student who assisted with the organization of an earlier protest in Berlin told the Washington Post. “We can’t go to school, because we have to strike. We have to deliver an uncomfortable message to our leaders that it can’t go on this way.”

Youth for climate is currently planning another round of protests and another global youth strike for March 15. The movement is growing and more students from nations across the world are expected to join.

Emma Bruce is an undergraduate student studying English and marketing at Emerson College in Boston. While not writing she explores the nearest museums, reads poetry, and takes classes at her local dance studio. She is passionate about sustainable travel and can't wait to see where life will take her.