Global Warming in Bangladesh
Bangladesh, Global Warming and Islamic Extremism - 11/14/07
Bangladesh could be ground zero for the geo-strategic fallout from global warming, if some of the nation's best national security minds have it right. And that makes Cyclone Sidr a big glaring warning signal. Shockingly, it's a warning signal that the major U.S. media is ignoring.
The frequency and intensity of hurricanes has not been definitively linked to global warming; there's robust scientific debate on that point. The certainty of sea level rise, however, is undisputed; it's just the degree to which, and speed with which, the waters will rise that is debated.
Even if storms don't get stronger, the storms that do hit Bangladesh and any other coastal areas will cause greater destruction. Simply, there will be more water, closer to people and any storm surge rearing up will go higher and farther, and do more damage.
When it comes to global warming impacts, Bangladesh is often a focal point because it is a nation of 142 million people living in low-lying, flood-prone river deltas and because it's a predominantly Muslim nation in a volatile, fast-growing neighborhood. Bangladesh is expected to grow in population by a staggering 100 million people in the coming decades the same time frame during which those storms that make landfall will be more destructive.
Saving Bangladesh from Global Warming - 7/31/07
When it comes to climate change, Bangladesh--with 140 million mostly poor residents and low-lying coastal geography--is among the most vulnerable nations on Earth. As part of the country's effort to prepare and adapt, Bangladesh government agencies are attempting to take global projections of climate change and turn them into highly local predictions.
Typically, global climate models show projected temperature and precipitation changes at a very coarse scale that isn't very helpful at a local level. Climate models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have a grid scale--think of it as pixel-size--of 200 kilometers by 200 kilometers.
Already, some preliminary maps have been made that show areas where droughts, for example, are expected to get worse in Bangladesh. Even a marginal increase in sea level, hurricane strength, storm surge height, or drought extent could have a staggering human toll.
Bangladesh is one of 48 countries on a United Nations list of least developed countries. The UN provided $200,000 for each of these nations to, first, perform a high-level assessment of how climate change will affect them, and then draw up a list of priority projects. Now the nations are competing for about $115 million to implement adaptation measures over the next three to five years.
Some work is already under way in Bangladesh. In certain areas, coasts are being planted with mangrove trees and other species that could help stanch erosion and provide a bulwark against storms.
Global Warming Gains Foothold in Bangladesh - 2/25/07
Global warming has a taste in this village. It is the taste of salt. Only a few years ago, water from the local pond was fresh and sweet on Samit Biswas's tongue. It quenched his family's thirst and cleansed their bodies.
The change, international scientists say, is the result of intensified flooding caused by shifting climate patterns. Warmer weather and rising oceans are sending seawater surging up Bangladesh's rivers in greater volume and frequency than ever before, specialists say, overflowing and seeping into the soil and the water supplies of thousands of people.
Heavier-than-usual floods have wiped out homes and paddies . They have increased the salinity of the water, which is contaminating wells, killing trees, and slowly poisoning the mighty mangrove jungle that forms a natural barrier against the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh, a densely crowded and painfully poor nation, contributes only a minuscule amount to the greenhouse gases slowly smothering the planet. But a combination of geography and demography puts it among the countries that specialists predict will be hardest hit as the earth heats up.
Other Countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom.
