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!
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