Bangladesh I: Climate Change Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation in Developing Countries

Bangladesh is a beautiful nation. Sadly, it is facing multiple impacts of global warming. The most prominent issues are increased risks of drought, hurricanes, and cyclones; and salt intrusion due to sea level rise and storm surges. Adaptation is difficult and expensive. The Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius has already warned that an increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere could lead to worldwide temperature increases. Because of various development activities leading to greenhouse gas emissions, the world climate is changing rapidly. Climate change is found in both developing and developed countries, but many developing countries are more affected by climate change and can do less about it. Many poor tropical countries do not have the means to improve their resilience against the effects of climate change. Many island states in the Pacific present examples of this dilemma. Bangladesh is an example of a large country with a large and dense population and is recognized worldwide as being extremely vulnerable to the impacts of global warming and climate change. It is a large delta area vulnerable to sea level rise. Global climate change has already vastly impacted the climate of Bangladesh, as is described in this book. The climate of Bangladesh is heating up and is also changing rapidly because of developments in the rural and urban landscapes. It is unclear if and when this could lead to massive climate change–related migration because of failed crops and failed governance. The designs of embankments, roads, and drainage schemes have already been altered by the government and various agencies. But are these alterations enough in the light of the developments that have occurred rapidly within the last few years? Should not these adaptations be thoroughly evaluated in the light of these new developments? M. R. Rakib (*) · M. N. Islam · H. Parvin Department of Geography and Environment, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh A. van Amstel Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands