Sea Level Rise in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, a nation crisscrossed by rivers and bounded by the Bay of Bengal, stands as a poignant example of the profound impacts of climate change on a nation's local economy. Now we will embark on an exploration of the multifaceted challenges confronting Bangladesh as it grapples with the inexorable rise of sea levels, predicted to take away a shocking 17% of the nation's land and displace 20 million people (Marcin, 2018). From the green expanses of agricultural lands to the bustling urban centers, every aspect of Bangladeshi life is intertwined with the encroaching waters. As the sea levels rise, vast swaths of arable land are flooded, causing a crisis for farmers and disrupting agricultural productivity. Also, the intrusion of soil salinity makes these floods long term burdens by rendering once-fertile fields sterile and unproductive. At the same time, the threat of displacement looms large, pushing people away from their homes and into already crowded urban centers. Along with this, the resurgence of diseases catalyzed by climatic shifts and flooding adds another layer of complexity to Bangladesh's struggle for resilience. Through examination of farmland loss, soil salinity, displacement, and disease dynamics, we can see the intricate nexus between climate change and the socioeconomic state of Bangladesh, a nation that is severely threatened by climate change. 

The struggles that farmers face in Bangladesh amidst months of relentless flooding show profound challenges posed by climate change to the nation's agricultural sector and local economy. With entire villages and crops decimated by inundation, farmers find themselves ensnared in a cycle of debt from which escape seems increasingly elusive. Approximately 4.2 million individuals were affected by flooding in 2016, marking the most severe inundations since the infamous "mega-floods" of 2007, with projections indicating a worsening situation as the monsoon season persists. The repercussions of this crisis are dire, with over 162,000 people needing food aid, a demand that was significantly underfunded (Ahmed, 2016).

Despite short-term relief efforts by the government, including distribution of rice, dry food, and cash, the underlying issue of mounting debt persists for farmers like Lal Chan Mia, whose entire rice crop was obliterated by flooding in Manikganj District (Ahmed, 2016). In addition, the long-term viability of farming communities is uncertain, as insufficient government support and absence of debt relief programs exacerbate the financial burdens imposed by recurrent natural disasters. As climate change intensifies, the future remains uncertain for Bangladesh's agricultural landscape, with predictions of rising sea levels and increased frequency of extreme weather events further undermining food security and economic stability. The resilience of farmers, which is deeply ingrained in Bangladesh's history of adapting to seasonal floods and shifting waterways, faces unprecedented challenges as the severity and frequency of disasters escalate. This highlights the urgent need for comprehensive measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change and safeguard the livelihoods of vulnerable communities, however, Bangladeshi farmers are not giving up.  

Soil salinity in Bangladesh is critical to agricultural dynamics, exerting diverse impacts on crop revenue, livelihood strategies, and migration trends. There is a noteworthy negative effect on total annual crop revenue due to soil salinity increase from flooding that translates to a reduction of approximately 3,500 Bangladeshi Taka for those farmers that experience a soil salinity increase of 1 standard deviation. This is a significant impact for many Bangladeshi farmers since the average farm revenue is only about 37,000 Taka per year (Chen, 2018). Nevertheless, soil salinity's effects extend beyond economic impacts, influencing migration patterns within the country. Notably, internal migration rates have increased in response to increasing soil salinity, meaning that people are moving more often in hopes of finding more fertile farmland (Chen, 2018).  

Cholera remains a significant public health concern in Bangladesh, with around 100,000 cases and 4,500 deaths reported annually. The disease is endemic in certain areas, particularly during biannual peaks, often coinciding with floods and droughts which are becoming more common due to climate change and sea level rise (Islam, 2018). In addition to cholera and other waterborne diseases, malnutrition is a major health problem in Bangladesh that is exacerbated by sea level rise and climate change. Although malnutrition rates overall in Bangladesh are decreasing, many individuals experience malnutrition as a result of sea level rise as farmlands are destroyed and families are unable to feed their children. Bangladesh currently experiences some of the highest rates of malnutrition in the Asian region and about one in three preschool aged children have stunted growth due to malnutrition (Das, 2022). 

Displacement in Bangladesh causes significant economic and social stress for people who must worry about having to move for one of many factors. Bangladeshis have dealt with the threat of occasional flooding and losing homes for centuries, however, climate change has made displacement much more common and thousands of Bangladeshis have had to move in recent years due to flooding and increased soil salinity. Also many future Bangladeshis face the threat of displacement by direct loss of cropland due to sea level rise. Flooding forces many people to leave their homes every year in Bangladesh, however, resilient residents mitigate the negative effects of the consistent flooding by adopting a lifestyle of seasonal migration, allowing many Bangladeshis who would be permanently displaced to instead pack up their most important things for a few months until their home is safe again (Petrova, 2021). However, these floods still hurt many Bangladeshis in the long run, especially in costal areas, as soil becomes increasingly salty due to salt water brought in from the ocean during these floods. This has forced thousands of people each year to find a new home as their old one becomes unsuitable for farming (Chen, 2018). While soil salinity harms thousands of Bangladeshis now, the threat of sea level rise over the coming decades dwarfs the threat of soil salinity. If sea levels were to rise just one meter, a reasonable estimate over the next fifty years, 15 million Bangladeshis would have to find a new home and those who were once in much more stable places far from the coastline would no longer be in a safe haven (World Bank, 2011).

In conclusion, Bangladesh stands as a poignant example of the profound impacts of climate change on a nation's local economy, particularly evident in the multifaceted challenges posed by rising sea levels. From the fertile agricultural lands to bustling urban centers, every aspect of Bangladeshi life is intertwined with the encroaching waters. The inundation of arable land disrupts agricultural productivity, exacerbating the plight of farmers already ensnared in cycles of debt due to recurrent flooding. Soil salinity intrusion further compounds these challenges, rendering once-fertile fields barren and prompting internal migration in search of more viable farmland. Moreover, the resurgence of diseases, such as cholera, catalyzed by climatic shifts and flooding, adds another layer of complexity to Bangladesh's struggle for resilience. As sea levels continue to rise, projected to take away 17% of land by 2050 (Marcin, 2018) and extreme weather events become more frequent, the future remains uncertain for Bangladesh's agricultural landscape and vulnerable communities. Urgent action is needed to mitigate the impacts of climate change, safeguard livelihoods, and ensure the resilience of Bangladesh in the face of mounting environmental challenges.

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