Climate
change is just one of
the destructive forces to blight south-western Bangladesh. Naturally occurring events (which are
independent of climate change), and poor governance, are also weighing heavily on this troubled region. In
order to effectively combat the destructive processes that combine to shape
this corner of South Asia it is crucial that we gain a proper understanding of
the issues at hand. We can begin by acting to distinguish between the causes of
the impacts we see, and not settling for the use of ‘climate change’ as a
one-size-fits-all explanation. The southwest corner of Bangladesh is not an
easy place to live in. If you speak with villagers in districts like Satkhira
(who count the Bengal tiger as
a neighbour) you quickly realise you are talking with some of the most
resilient people on the planet. The scale of problems they face can be
difficult to comprehend: extreme poverty pervades the lives of many, the
seasons are changing and rains are coming later, agricultural yields are
decreasing, flooding and water-logging is decimating livelihoods, freshwater is
becoming scarce as salinity increases
and powerful cyclones demolish homes and erase lives. People don’t cite
Bangladesh as the frontline
of climate change for nothing. By the year 2050 sea levels here are expected to
rise by up to 40 centimetres. Average temperatures, which have risen 0.74°C in
the past 60 years, are predicted to jump up to a further 4°C by the close of
the century. There is little doubt that climate change will have a profound
effect in Bangladesh. Experts
anticipate further decreases in food
security and the availability
of freshwater and increased flooding. One model predicts that by the year 2100
climate change will displace a staggering 16-20 million people in Bangladesh; a
group roughly twice the current population of the Dhaka city!
0 comments:
Post a Comment