Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate extremes. The nation’s topography lays its citizens bare to cyclones, flash floods, erosion and drought – not to mention the significant socio-economic impact these bring.
Agricultural economist GM Monirul Alam showed, in a 2017 study, that with more than 230 tidally active rivers and waterways, 20 of the country’s 64 districts are extremely vulnerable to river-bank erosion. Every year, a total of 8,700 hectares of land is lost, with river channels shifting by as much as 300 meters, displacing 200,000 people as a result.
In 2018, a report for the World Bank estimated that if appropriate mitigation measures are not taken to prepare for climate extremes, as many as 13.3 million people could face displacement within Bangladesh by 2050. With the population expected to reach 220 million by then, that would equate to 6% being made homeless.
