Bangladesh case study Flashcards
Where is Bangladesh
Situated at the head of the Bay of Bengal in Southern Asia.
Limitations to adaptation / mitigation
Bangladesh is and LIDC and they therefore have very little money ready to combat climate change.
Risk for flooding.
High risk of flooding as average elevation is 4-5 meters and 10% is just 1 meter above sea level. 70% of the country already floods each year.
Risk from cyclones.
In 25 years, 60% of worldwide tropical cyclone deaths have been in Bangladesh. The country is only now recovering from cyclones in 2007 and 2009. Sea levels and more intense cyclone will only worsen the situation.
Risk from flooding to land and people.
20 million people live on land 1m above sea level or less. By the end of the century 1/6th of land could be lost to the sea.
Effect of rising sea levels on agriculture.
By 2100, 600,000ha of agricultural land could be lost due to the land being too salinised for cultivation.
Problems with mangroves.
At the moment they are natural sea defence but human deforestation for fishing and agriculture is reducing this.
Problems with poverty.
The people most at risk from flooding are often the poorest meaning they can’t move. The world bank estimates that there are 60 million people living in poverty.
Problems with sanitation.
Higher rates of flooding mean that there will likely be higher rates of water borne diseases due to poor sanitation. The water will also increase the breading grounds for inset vector such as mosquitoes.
Problems with money.
Bangladesh has very little ability to adapt. GDP per capita is jus US$2364 and it is 142nd on the UN HDI.
What are the main focus of Bangladesh’s climate change strategy and why is this?
The main focus is adaptation as the government believes mitigation should be the focus of ACs who caused the problem.
2 major strands of adaptation towards climate change in Bangladesh.
Investment in large scale engineering projects and increased community based action.
Flood embankment project facts. (Cost and distance)
US$2 billion aimed at strengthening some of the 3500km worth of dykes.
2 methods to reduce the effect of flooding.
Upgrading the flood warming systems and protecting mangrove forests.
