After a powerful storm in 2009, “land dissolved and fell into the Ganges.” Bangladesh is still recovering from the storm. Families have been separated, houses are made out of vulnerable material like bamboo. Even though people know the storm could come again at any time, they still build their “temporary homes” near the ocean because of how densely populated the nation is.
According to Dr. Atiq Rahman, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies and Bangladesh's leading climate scientist, “climate scientists and politicians have come to agree that by 2050, rising sea levels will inundate some 17 percent of the land and displace about 18 million people.” Making it unsustainable for people to live on their homeland.
I agree with Dr Rahman, when he urges that rising sea levels is a “matter of global justice,” more economically developed countries (MEDCs) need to take responsibility for their actions. Possibly by increasing carbon tax or making it mandatory for all nations to abide the carbon trade and carbon tax to decrease the amount of sea levels rising since it’s impossible to stop the fact the levels are currently rising.
People have already started migrating to South East Asia claiming they’re moving because of the increase in urbanization, leading to more job opportunities. But the rising sea levels are also a large factor. Dr Rahman’s survey estimates, “1.5 million of the five million slum inhabitants in Dhaka, the capital, moved from villages near the Bay of Bengal.” The increase in migration mirrors the danger of storms in Bangladesh, people fearing they’ll lose their livelihood again. With the increased migration, there is also an imbalance in populations living specific areas.
Soil has has become useless for agriculture since the flood left it toxic with salt. According to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, salinization affects the soil-water balance, thus negatively impacting hydrology, climate, irrigation, drainage, plant cover and rooting characteristics, and farming practices.
According to Justin Gillis, writer for the environmental section of the New York Times states, “An international panel of scientists has found ... human activity is the cause of most of the temperature increases of recent decades, and warns that sea levels could conceivably rise by more than three feet by the end of the century...” A widespread of nations burning fossil fuels have increased the global temperature by two degrees celsius per year. It may not sound like a lot but it could mean nations near the equator become inhabitable by humans because it’s too hot or their is not enough land to live off for the population. Asa result, there will be an increase in climate refugees as the carrying capacity for some nations are exceeded due to projected growing population trends and shrinking land mass.
Bangladesh isn’t the only vulnerable nation facing the issue of land mass loss. Nations along the River deltas are vulnerable to the effects of rising seas. Even wealthy cities like London, Venice and New Orleans are face uncertain futures. However, it’s the less economically developed countries (LEDCs) that will be hit the hardest because they are more densely populated as well as lack the funding to withstand the rising water.
As sea levels rise, Bangladesh’s cities are sinking, increasing the risks of flooding. Their poorly constructed seawalls are contributing to the problem. At this point, it’s a matter of who is going to help and where people are going to go if they can’t afford to migrate for themselves. Will they be left to sink with their city?
By: Juliet Jones.
Your blog post informed me of a natural disaster that I was previously unaware of. You mentioned that more economically developed countries need to take responsibility for their actions- how did they negatively contribute to the rising sea levels in Bangladesh? Was it only by emitting fossil fuels into the air and contributing to climate change? This made me think of Strömberg's article and how he communicated how geographic proximity and distance determine how much relief and aid nations receive. Are the economically developed countries that are contributing to the escalation of land mass loss in Bangladesh geographically near Bangladesh? If they aren't, then maybe geographic distance or lack of colonial ties and the absence of a shared language explain why adequate aid and relief are not being provided. Should the issue of land mass loss be approached with a long-term or temporary framework or vision? Which will be more beneficial, especially with the imminent sense of urgency and limited time we have to reverse the impacts of disasters occurring around the world? What is the United States's role and responsibility, as a great power and leader, in this situation?
ReplyDeleteI really like how you related this back to the Stromberg article. I think it is especially interesting to look at colonial ties when addressing why certain countries assist others. Is there a sense of guilt that accompanies this choice to send aid or is all international assistance purely self oriented in terms of maintaining ally ship and future economic gains?
DeleteI find the subject of climate change refugees to be especially interesting and a helpful subject for the near future as encroaching global warming will lead to a greater refugee and identity crises for the developing world than ever before.
ReplyDeleteUpon having mentioned the widespread vulnerability of land loss, taking into account the differentiation between the losses suffered by high- and low-income countries reminded me of Stromberg's extensive analyses regarding similar differentiation. It could be argued that disasters show no mercy despite GDP per capita, the matter of fact remains that the current crisis is specific to low-income countries and will continue to face the blunt of climate change. My greatest concern, moreover, is how do governments in low-income countries deal with a subsequent loss of identity as a result of land loss and mass displacement? We currently see this threatening various Pacific Islander nations as rising sea levels may prompt the disappearance of the islands.