Dangers in Bangladesh: On the Front Lines of Climate Change

With low-lying land nestled among a network of rivers, subject to the heavy storms and the floods of monsoon season, Bangladesh is most vulnerable to climate change. A centimeter rise in the sea level, considered inevitable by climate scientists, will wipe out the Char Bangla island of farmer Shahidul Mullah, writes Matthias Gebauer in “Der Spiegel.” Amid emerging reports that the pace of climate change is proceeding faster than predicted, researchers point out that Bangladeshis can anticipate a decrease in rainfall, food supplies and potable water, along with more displaced people and disease as seawater rises. But with immense poverty and a literacy rate of 60 percent, ordinary Bangladeshis do not have access to state-of-the-art weather forecasts or research on climate change. Information on climate is still largely regarded as “rumors,” writes Gebauer. But Mullah has noticed his fields, engulfed by water and shrinking in size over the years. Disruption and conflict will emerge along coastal areas, as seawaters rise and millions of people around the globe seek new homes. – YaleGlobal