This study is a quantitative endeavor to measure the general public's knowledge, perceptions, and attitude toward climate change in Bangladesh. The bulk of participants were in their twenties and have a rudimentary degree of formal education. They possess extensive knowledge and comprehension of the occurrence, causes, and consequences of climate change. Additionally, they have a strong understanding of climate change and the affiliated diversity in severe weather events, temperature, rainfall, salinity, and sea level, along with the impact of these changes on human health and agriculture, as well as the occurrence of ecological crises and the spread of infectious diseases. Knowledge, perception, and attitude study had been previously conducted among university students and CDC health professionals in Philippines and China, respectively[7, 8]. In Bangladesh, Knowledge and perception study about climate change among university students and Knowledge and perception study about climate change and its impact on human health has been conducted in past[5, 9]. In this study, the authors followed a somewhat identical method, but the sample size was bigger, more representative, and included more diversified population from Bangladesh. Over 95 percent of the 800 participants were aware of 'climate change,' which is a very promising indicator. They were also aware of the detrimental consequences of climate change. According to this study, the majority of people who were aware of climate change cited mass media like television, newspapers, and teachers as their sources. Very few persons reported hearing about climate change via non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, family members/relatives, and others. This demonstrates the importance of mass media and discussions with teachers in educational institutions. Service providers, such as NGO workers and elder members of families, require improved access to resources that provide knowledge of climate change such as television, internet etc. There appears to be a sectoral divergence in the government system's dealing with environmental concerns. In general, the analysis demonstrates that mass media coverage, particularly newspaper and television coverage, and opinion leaders, particularly teachers, are the primary sources of knowledge regarding climate change at the moment.
The majority of the participants thought that the climate change had occurred in the decade before the survey. This notion is borne out by statistics collected at the national level on Bangladesh's climate. According to data from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), any 10-year period between 1951 and 2011 had greater temperatures and unpredictable rainfall than the prior ten years[10]. Additionally, a sizable proportion of respondents cited deforestation, rapid urbanization and lifestyle change, and excessive carbon emissions as the primary causes of climate change, along with mentioning carbon di-oxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and ozone as the primary suspects of the greenhouse effect. The participants' other less scientific explanations, such as black smoke from automobiles, may be explained by their poor education levels and limited exposure to scientific truths. In summary, this implies that they are aware of how anthropogenic actions in their immediate environment contribute to climate change and have expressed an interest in learning more about it.
The general public's perceptions of climate change are likewise aligned with the findings at the national scale. Over Bangladesh, the annual maximum temperature is growing by 0.09°C, while the annual minimum temperature is rising by 0.10°C. The yearly lowest temperature increases at a faster rate than the annual maximum temperature[11]. Over 95% of respondents reported noticing changes in rainfall patterns throughout the previous decade, which is corroborated by the fact that annual average rainfall over Bangladesh is rising by around 10.6 millimeters per decade, whereas monsoonal rainfall is falling by 7.6 mm per decade. The frequency of severe rainfall in June, July, and August has grown during the previous few decades[12]. Additionally, participants believed that extreme weather phenomena such as cyclones, sea waves, and droughts had risen in frequency during the previous decade. Cyclone frequency has been growing in each and every decade since the 1970s, according to the BMD database[13]. Another evidence-based study corroborates our participants' perceptions of salt intrusion, increased water salinity, and lack of fresh water as a result of this[14]. Participants unanimously agreed that agricultural food crop productivity had decreased over the previous decade and that climate change had had a detrimental effect on population health. Additionally, they concurred that climate change is to blame for an increase in the threat of infectious illnesses and the onset of natural ecological disasters. These discoveries have far-reaching consequences for food security and livelihoods. Concerning sea level rise, the participants' perceptions are backed up by past records on sea level rise in 3 coastal districts. The results indicate that the mean annual water level has increased by 4.5 millimeters per year in about 20% of the overall area of these three districts, which is ascribed to global sea level rise caused by human activity[15].
When it comes to attitude towards climate change, the majority of participants feel that human actions (rather than natural processes) are the primary cause. This is one of the study's most significant findings because it demonstrates that they are aware of how manmade activities in their nearby territory contribute to climate change. They believe that while the harm caused by climate change cannot be reversed, climate change may still be mitigated by effort. Additionally, they stated that both developed and developing nations must work cooperatively to combat climate change. LDCs such as Bangladesh are not entirely self-sufficient in terms of mitigating the harmful effects of climate change. Thus, in light of present circumstances, this appears to be the most sensible strategy to addressing climate change. On a more positive note, a sizable proportion of participants shown a strong readiness to forego some personal gain in order to fix current environmental issues. However, when it came to everyday actions, the data revealed a different picture, as the majority of respondents claimed that they paid little attention to environmental factors prior to making a purchase. This clearly demonstrates the need of increasing public knowledge about environmentally friendly products and the building of a green economy in Bangladesh. This discovery is especially beneficial for policy making and government planning. Additionally, the majority of participants stated that they had never had the opportunity to participate in any environmental protection activities connected to climate change, which might be a result of the general public's lack of access to and enthusiasm for environmental conservation activities. This demonstrates a clear sectoral divide in the way the government system addresses environmental concerns, as unmistakably, environmental protection activities require increased promotion to reach out to and engage the majority of Bangladesh's population, in order for these initiatives to be successful in mitigating the damage caused by climate change. In this study, young individuals (aged 16–25) on undergraduate level of education were more likely to have a stronger understanding of climate change than others. Additionally, other research found that respondents' understanding of climate change was highly dependent on their degree of education[8, 9]. As a result of our study, it can be concluded saying that education and educational institutions are critical for improving awareness of climate change and associated adaptation concerns.
The research offers a number of strengths. Participants in the study were drawn from a wide range of climate change-prone regions. Climate-vulnerable places in Bangladesh might benefit from the findings of this study. Using these insights, researchers can devise new methods for changing people's and communities' behavior to better adapt to climate change and reduce the environmental problems it causes. A future cohort research might use these data as a starting point. The research also has a few drawbacks. In the first place, because the research was cross-sectional, causality cannot be established, and findings may not be extrapolated to other time periods. A longitudinal study is essential here. In addition, the study relied on online self-reporting, which is prone to social acceptance bias as well as memory bias. Last but not least, the study adopted snowball sampling approach that might be responsible for selection bias. As a result, a random sampling method should be used to conduct additional inquiry.