Bangladesh

Environmental impacts

The IPCC and other intergovernmental agencies have conducted research on major climate change related problems and how they affect Bangladesh.  These problems include increased coastal storms (cyclones), reduced fresh water availability, increased flooding, and sea level rise.

Satellite image of Bangladesh in October 2001

Source: NASA, http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=2250. Author: NASA. Permission: NASA.

Cyclones: Bangladesh currently has extreme vulnerability to cyclones because of its unique location and topography. Cyclones originate deep in the Indian Ocean and track through the Bay of Bengal where the shallow waters contribute to huge tidal surges when cyclones make landfall.  The intense precipitation that usually accompanies these cyclone adds to the damage through inland and river flooding (Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers). ³

Reduced fresh water availability: Low river flows and increased evapotranspiration in the dry period will reduce the amount of fresh water that is available. In the coastal zone there is the additional effect of saline water intrusion into the estuaries and into the groundwater as a result of low river flow, sea level rise and local over-extraction. ⁴

Flooding: Flooding in Bangladesh is already a regular occurrence and has numerous adverse effects, including loss of life through drowning, increased prevalence of disease, and destruction of property. Flooding is frequent in the country because much of the Bangladesh is located on a floodplain of three major rivers and their numerous tributaries. ⁵  Currently, an estimated 10 million people are at risk from flooding ⁶

Sea level rise: Experts have predicted up to a 43 cm rise in sea level by 2050. Further rising of levels is expected beyond 2050. A rise of one meter would put a third of the country country's coastline underwater, causing human displacement and loss of land. ⁷

Human and economic impacts

The impacts of climate change on Bangladesh, particularly along its coast region, could be severe.  A one meter rise in sea level would inundate 30,000 km², displacing 20 million people--equivalent to the population of Australia. ^{8 9}  Higher sea levels would also make more people vulnerable to cyclonic surges, and inland freshwater lakes, ponds and aquifers would be at risk of being affected by saline and brackish-water intrusion. The increased salinity in surface and ground water could threaten drinking and irrigation water. ¹⁰

Increased salinization, inundation, and land loss, along with less predictable seasonable patterns, could have significant agricultural impacts, such as decreased yield and unemployment.  Coastal aquaculture and tourism could also be impacted as fisheries are endangered and sandy beaches erode.  The socioeconomic impacts from these losses could be enormous. ¹¹

Climate change strategy and action plan

The government of Bangladesh launched the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) in September 2008. The BCCSAP has six priority thematic areas: (1) food security, social protection and health; (2) comprehensive disaster management; (3) infrastructure development; (4) research and knowledge management; (5) mitigation and low-carbon development; and (6) capacity building and institutional strengthening. The BCCSAP details actions to be taken in Bangladesh over the next ten years (2009-2018) and is expected to build the capacity of the country to respond to climate change impacts for the next 20-25 years. The cost of the BCCSAP is estimated at $5 billion for the first 5 years. Immediate needs include the following: strengthening disaster management; research and knowledge management; capacity building and public awareness programs and urgent investment in cyclone shelters are immediate priorities with investment requirements of $500 million.¹²

The government of Bangladesh has pledged forward 25 million pounds per year to being the program. The Government of the United Kingdom has committed to donate $130 million to help Bangladesh to finance its climate change plan. ¹³

Footnotes

¹: Rob Koudstaal, Saskia E. Werners, Dr. Atiq Rahman, Dr. Saleemul Huq, Dr. Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, Considering Adaptation to Climate Change Towards a Sustainable Development of Bangladesh,prepared for World Bank, Oct 1999, 1.

²M. Asaduzzaman (BIDS), AhsanAhmed (BUP), An Overview of Bangladesh’ Vulnerability to Climate Change and National Adaptation Programme for Action , NAPA Inception Workshop (8-21 Sep, 2002), 11.

^{3 4 5}: Shardul Agrawala, Tomoko Ota, Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, Joel Smith and Maarten van Aalst, Development and Climate Change in Bangladesh: Focus on Coastal Flooding and Sundarbans, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2003.

^{6 7 8}: Masud Karim, Bangladesh faces climate change refugee nightmare, Reuters, Apr 14, 2008.

^{9 10 11}: IPCC, Special Report on The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: Tropical Asia, 11.3.6. Coastal Zones, 1997.

^{12 13} Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. "Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2008." http://www.sdnbd.org/moef.pdf