The curse of climate change

Well... as one would expect Bangladesh has become a major talking point around climate change.

But one would think that they would be more prepared for the problems that are expected to hit them in the coming few decades. Rather, I was fortunate enough to meet the Bangladesh head of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) - the worlds largest civil society movement against poverty and inequality which basically represents all the non UN and Govt organisations working towards the Millennium Development Goals. She was organising the South Asian Civil Society Consultation on Climate Change that was to be held in Dhaka on the 13/14th January 2007 and allowed me to come along to the conference as a non-participant.

What came clear from the conference was that Bangladesh, nor South Asia are ready to deal with climate change. With countries like Bangladesh, The Maldives and Nepal going to be most effected by these changes one would hope that this region can lead the campaign to get the rich countries to change their behaviour.

With the effects of climate change being so influential here, you hope that this region will be able to lead through example. The effects are best seen through the bangladesh case study:
Expected rise in sea levels over the next century: 50-89cm.
Percentage of Bangladesh landmass <89cm: 25%
Population living within this land mass: 18 million (equiv to the entire population of Australia)
Expected population living within this land mass at the end of the century: >30 million
Side effect of rising sea levels: Increased soil salinity throughout agricultural areas
Effect of Increased Salinity: Decrease in agricultural production
Effect of Decreased Ag Production: Decrease in food consumption per person (exasperated by an increase in population as well) - All of which ends up with a decrease in health quality and a backwards track to development.
Expected Sea level temps increase:1.1°C to 6.4°C over next century
Effects of such levels: Greater number of cyclones and wild storms (eg Cyclone SIDR Nov,2007) which will have even greater destruction.

As well as the rising sea levels, Bangladesh has to deal with being the drain of two of the biggest rivers in the world (Ganges and Brahmaputra) and an increase in the melting of the Himalayan Glaciers will lead to great flooding and erosion within Bangladesh. The problems are endless, basically if there is a problem caused by Climate Change, Bangladesh will be effected by that problem and the effects will be extreme.

For a country that pollutes so little, it is going to be effected so greatly... Bangladesh now needs to lead the Climate Change campaign for if it doesn't it will be effected most.

"The poorest Billion's carbon footprint is 3%, USA's carbon footprint is 25%"