The people of Bangladesh are feeling the heat, both literally and figuratively. The temperature has become erratic, with unusual heat and very little natural cover, leaving city dwellers facing excruciating exhaustion.

With the dual pressures of exorbitant inflation and indomitable corruption, people felt hapless, and now this inclement weather is pushing them to the brink. Despite this situation, many are accusing the victims rather than searching for the root cause.

Over the last few decades, Bangladesh has been a victim of aggressive development. The Awami League regime adopted the mantra of development as their motto and neglected all other issues. This regime followed a destructive path of development, thereby compromising nature among other things.

The worst part is that this development did not improve the life and livelihood of the poor. The issue of development is critical in third-world countries where poverty reduction is paramount, and at the same time, the West is the main perpetrator of climate destruction. Thus, this destructive style of development should not be permitted.

However, what this regime has done is suicidal. The development they pursued was driven by opportunities for corruption, with only a handful of people siphoning off large amounts of funds, leaving the country not only in environmental peril but also burdened with huge debt.

Needless to say, many of the infrastructural and urban developments were unnecessary; their sole purpose was to allocate funds so that political cronies could benefit. The result is catastrophic.

We have seen the cities become barren, but even more dangerous are the natural calamities that have occurred in the coastal areas. Many reports suggest that people from these areas have had to emigrate and the losses are huge—far greater than what the aggressive development yields.

Yet, many people are prescribing short-term solutions like planting trees and avoiding air conditioners. These claims are either outright naive or dangerously cynical, suppressing the root cause.

Bangladesh needs democracy, and the agency of its people not only to resurrect the country’s economy but also to restore the natural environment.

The Boxer: The author is one of the indefatigable working-class Bangladeshis who have been trying to change the fate of the nation but were betrayed by the ruling elites and autocrats. The name is inspired by a character in George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm.