This is something we are going to have to deal with all the time in the future,” he says. “We cannot just patch things up every time someone’s house is destroyed and just wring our hands every time people die. We have to have a long-term permanent plan for dealing with climate change and we have that opportunity at Copenhagen

As one of the countries most seriously affected by climate change and natural disasters, Bangladesh has been forced to be resourceful and resilient. Without outside help, however, the country of 160 million will not have the capacity to address climate-related environmental changes as their severity and frequency increase. The United States should augment its focus on adaptation measures when providing the South Asian nation with aid.
In October, Bangladesh, Denmark, and the World Bank agreed to a plan that will make COP15, the UN’s December 2009 climate change conference, completely climate neutral. Denmark, aiming to offset the emissions generated by the international conference, will distribute approximately 1 million dollars to Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city. In recognition of Bangladesh’s tremendous vulnerability to climate change, Denmark has allocated this money to replace the country’s brick factories, which emit thousands of tons of carbon dioxide every year. Cleaner, more efficient factories will take their place.
A Disaster-Prone Nation: Although the efforts of the Danish government will have a positive affect on Bangladesh’s environment, they are just one small step toward minimizing the disastrous effects of global warming on the developing nation. Bangladesh cannot take on the larger task itself. It has no choice but to look to the international community for assistance. With both humanitarian obligations and security interests in Bangladesh, the United States must help provide it with the resources and support needed to combat climate change, especially as the frequency and severity of natural disasters in the country increase.
The frequent occurrence of natural disasters in Bangladesh is not a new phenomenon. Floods, cyclones, and earthquakes have been realities of life for the people of this low-lying, impoverished county since its formation. In fact, the 1970 cyclone played a major role in the creation of the Bangladeshi state, as frustrated West Bengalis—still citizens of Pakistan—lashed out against the Pakistani government after its slow and ineffective response to the disaster. In 1991 Cyclone Gorky killed more than 130,000 Bangladeshis and left some 10 million homeless. In addition to occasional cyclones that ravage the country, monsoon rains regularly inundate 2060 percent of Bangladesh every year. These natural calamities seem to have an ever-present role in Bangladeshi life.
The Unique Threat: The resilient Bangladeshi people have always coped with the effects of extreme weather patterns and environmental conditions not related to climate change. Arsenic-contaminated groundwater, for example, is a serious problem that is exacerbated by climate change. Bangladesh’s proximity to sea level is another natural condition that increases its vulnerability to the effects of global warming. The frequency and severity of these natural disasters, however, are rapidly escalating because of climate change. Because Bangladesh is both low-lying and densely populated, the impacts of climate change on the country will be particularly intense. Minor environmental changes will have major consequences.
A recent World Bank report lists Bangladesh as one of the 12 countries most at risk for climate-related problems. It is seriously at risk for all of the five main climate threats: drought, floods, storms, sea-level rise, and agricultural crop loss. A one-meter rise in sea level as the result of the melting of the Himalayan glaciers and Greenland ice sheet could flood one-third of the country and displace as many as 40 million people. In other areas of Bangladesh, climate change may contribute to salinity intrusion and increase the likelihood of winter drought. In both of these scenarios, a shortfall in crop production would ensue, threatening the food security of a society that is highly dependent on agriculture.
The repercussions of global warming on Bangladesh are diverse and wide-reaching. The environmental changes that are occurring directly affect all aspects of society. Human health, food security, industry and energy security, infrastructure, and economic development are all threatened by climate change. According to the World Bank, 40 percent of foreign aid to Bangladesh is vulnerable to climate-related factors. In a country as densely populated as Bangladesh, even small-scale shifts in ecological systems have a profound humanitarian impact.
As the effects of climate change continue to intensify, the potential for social, economic, and humanitarian disaster is rapidly increasing. One of the most serious impacts of climate change is on human migration. As sea levels rise and a vast proportion of Bangladesh becomes inundated, many will have no choice but to flee their homes. Bangladeshi “land squatters” have for decades settled on vulnerable islands of silt known as chars. already vulnerable during monsoons, this rootless population is sure to increase. With higher sea levels and stronger storms, the chars are quickly eroding under their inhabitants’ feet. Farmers who can no longer cultivate their land, inhabitants of coastal areas that have been submerged in sea water, and other impoverished Bangladeshis who are forced to leave their homes to escape from climate change will become environmental refugees. They will spill over into Bangladesh’s neighboring countries and may end up in the already crowded slums of cities like Calcutta, Delhi, and Mumbai. © The Center for Strategic & International Studies

Tags: GLobal Warming

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