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Not long ago, Tuvalu, a tiny archipelago of nine islands of only 10 square miles located
halfway between Hawaii and Australia in the southwest Pacific Ocean and home to over
11,000 people, contained a number of beautiful islets, but it is sad to say that many of these
are now going under water due to sea level rise -- the obvious consequence of global
warming. The threat of sea level rise may bring complete disaster to the low-lying coral atolls
within few decades.

Warm water takes up more space than cold water does. This simple fact of physics, utterly
inexorable, is one of the two or three most important pieces of information humans will have
to grapple with in this century. And the people who get to grapple with it first are in places
extremely vulnerable low-lying deltas like Bangladesh, where suddenly the high tides are
intruding across its southern cost, eroding foundations and salt-poisoning crops. Other low-
lying countries are also at risk, such as the Netherlands and tiny islands in the South Pacific
that could eventually be swallowed by the expanding oceans. But the population of these
countries is only a fraction of that of Bangladesh. A little increase in temperature, a little
climate change, has a magnified impact here. That's what makes the population here so
vulnerable.

The global warming and consequent threat of sea level rise may bring disaster to the
inhabitants of Bangladesh. The long-term threat from climate change and sea-level rise may
make many parts of the country uninhabitable. The increasing intensity of tropical weather,
the increase in ocean temperatures, and rising sea level ±all documented results of a warming
atmosphere -- are making trouble for the region. Recent country-wide heavy rainfall and huge
death tolls due to land sliding in Chittagong are prior signal of alarming catastrophe. Tropical
storms have also long frightened the islanders. Bangladesh fears it will be crushed by storms,
rising ocean levels and there will be disruptions to marine life caused by global climate
change.

Millions of people face the possibility of being among the first climate refugees, although
they never use that term. Already a million people a year are displaced by loss of land along
rivers, and indications are increasing. The one meter sea level rise generally predicted if no
action is taken about global warming, will inundate more than 15 percent of Bangladesh,
displacing more than 13 million people and cutting down the crucial rice crop production.
Intruding water will damage the Sundarbans mangrove forest, a world heritage site.

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Global warming is invisible. Just as a frog in a slowly warming frying pan cannot sense his
impending doom, so, are humans unaware of the disaster that is descending upon them.
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and
oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) concluded in Paris, on February 2nd, 2007 that warming of the
climate system is unequivocal. Global mean surface temperature has increased by 0.74 ± 0.18
°C (1.3 ± 0.32 °F) over the last 100 years likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic
greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, which leads to warming of the surface and lower
atmosphere by increasing the greenhouse effect.
Natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes have probably had a
small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950, but a small cooling effect since 1950.
An increase in global temperatures can in turn cause severe environmental changes, including
sea level rise, and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation as well as fluctuations in
weather patterns never seen before. There may also be increases in the frequency and
intensity of extreme weather events, though it is difficult to connect specific events to global
warming.

Other effects may include changes in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduced summer
stream flows, species extinction and increase in the ranges of disease vectors. Farmlands may
experience droughts, while deserts could become vast stretches of oases. Food crop reduction
is a possibility and the salivation of groundwater is very likely. Vicious storms will become
more frequent and hot climates could see a drastic rise in their mean temperatures. Ice caps
will melt, entire countries will report much unpredicted weather patterns, and many islands as
well as coastal low land deltas like Bangladesh may totally or partially disappear.
Sea level rise can be a product of global warming through two main processes: expansion of
sea water as the oceans warm, and melting of ice over land. Sea level has risen around 130
meters (400 feet) since the peak of the last ice age about 18,000 years ago. Most of the rise
occurred before 6,000 years ago. From 3,000 years ago to the start of the 19th century sea
level was almost constant, rising at 0.1 to 0.2 mm/yr. Observations since 1961 show that the
average temperature of the global ocean has increased to depths of at least 3000 m and that
the ocean has been absorbing more than 80 percent of the heat added to the climate system.
Such warming causes seawater to expand, contributing to sea level rise. Mountain glaciers
and snow cover have declined on average in both hemispheres. Widespread decreases in
glaciers and ice caps have contributed to sea level rise. Global average sea level rose at an
average rate of 1.8 (1.3 to 2.3) mm per year over 1961 to 2003. The rate was faster over 1993
to 2003, about 3.1 (2.4 to 3.8) mm per year. Whether the faster rate for 1993 to 2003 reflects
decadal variability or an increase in the longer-term trend is unclear. There is high confidence
that the rate of observed sea level rise increased from the 19th to the 20th century. The total
20th century rise is estimated to be 0.17 (0.12 to 0.22) m.

Global warming is predicted to cause significant rises in sea level over the course of the
twenty-first century. Scientists constructed thirty-five scenarios to explain the intricacies and
possibilities involved in the many factors affecting global average sea level changes. Taking
all 35 SRES scenarios into consideration, the scientists projected a sea level rise of 9 cm to 88
cm for 1990 to 2100, with a central value of 48 cm. The central value gives an average rate of
2.2 to 4.4 times the rate over the 20th century. It can be expected that by 2100 many regions
currently experiencing relative sea level fall will instead have a rising relative sea level.
Extreme high water levels will occur with increasing frequency as a result of mean sea level
rise.

Their frequency may be further increased if storms become more frequent or severe as a
result of climate change

Before the end of this century, (without particular emission reduction policies) global
temperature is likely to increase By 1.1 to 2.9°C (2 to 5.2°F) if we follow the emission
scenario B1, or 2.4 to 6.4°C (4.3 to 11.5°F) if we follow the fossil intensive scenario
A1FI.Thus, a total range of 1.1 to 6.4°C (2 to 11.5°F). The corresponding range for sea level
increase is 18 to 59 cm (7 to 23 inches), but that is an underestimate because it does not take
into account certain glacial processes. In the long term (centuries), the Greenland ice sheet
might contribute up to 7 meters (23 feet) to sea level, and this without the contribution from
Antarctica. Heavy precipitation events are likely to increase (with the accompanying risks of
floods). Heat waves such as the one which killed between 40 and 70 thousand persons in
Europe in 2003 are very likely to become more frequent. Intense tropical cyclone activity is
likely to increase.

A mean annual warming of 2 degrees Celsius or higher by the 2050s and 3 degrees Celsius
for the 2080s is projected. Modest declines in annual precipitation in the Pacific Ocean region
are also expected along with heavier rainfall intensity. Given emissions of greenhouse gases
up to 1995, a 5.12 cm rise in sea-level is inevitable. However, even if all countries met their
Kyoto Protocol commitments, and if all emissions of greenhouse gases ceased after 2020, a
sea-level rise of 14-32 cm is very likely.

Carbon dioxide is the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas. The global atmospheric
concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 ppm
to 379 ppm in 2005. The present atmospheric concentration of CO2 is about 383 parts per
million (ppm) by volume. Future CO2 levels are expected to rise due to ongoing burning of
fossil fuels and land-use change. The IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios gives a
wide range of future CO2 scenarios, ranging from 541 to 970 ppm by the year 2100. Fossil
fuel reserves are sufficient to reach this level and continue emissions past 2100, if coal, tar
sands or methane catharses are extensively used.

Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming
and induce many changes in the global climate system during the 21st century that would
very likely be larger than those observed during the 20thcentury. For the next two decades, a
warming of about 0.2°C per decade is projected for a range of SRES emission scenarios.
According to a recent report of IPCC, on an average global average surface air temperature
will increase from1.8°C to 4.0°C while sea level will increase by 18 cm to 59 cm by the end
of the 21st century. If it happens, some of the projected impacts include:

By mid-century, annual average river runoff and water availability are projected to increase
by 10-40percent at high latitudes and in some wet tropical areas, and decrease by 10- 30
percent over some dry regions at mid-latitudes and in the dry tropics, some of which are
presently water stressed areas. Heavy precipitation events, which are very likely to increase
in frequency, will augment flood risk. Drought affected areas will likely increase in extent. In
Africa alone, by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to an
increase of water stress due to climate change. Water security problems are also projected to
intensify by 2030 in southern and eastern Australia.

Glacier melting in the Himalayas is projected to increase flooding, rock avalanches from
destabilized slopes, and affect water resources within the next two to three decades. This will
be followed by decreased river flows as the glaciers recede. Climate change is projected to
impinge on sustainable development of most developing countries of Asia as it compounds
the pressures on natural resources and the environment associated with rapid urbanization,
industrialization, and economic development.

In the course of the century, supplies of water stored in glaciers and snow cover are projected
to decline, reducing water availability in regions supplied by melt water from major mountain
ranges (such as the Himalayas in Asia or the Andes in Latin America). In North America, the
decreased snowpack in western mountains is projected to cause more winter flooding, and
reduced summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources

Freshwater availability in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia, particularly in large river
basins, is projected to decrease due to climate change, which could, in combination with
other factors adversely affect more than a billion people by the 2050s.

In Southern Europe, climate change is projected to worsen extreme heat and drought in a
region already vulnerable to climate variability, reducing water supplies, hydropower
potential, summer tourism, and crop productivity

Coasts are projected to be exposed to increasing risks, including coastal erosion, due climate
change and sea-level rise. Many million more people are projected to be flooded every year
due to seal level rise by the 2080s. The numbers affected will be largest in the mega deltas of
Asia and Africa while small islands are especially vulnerable. Coastal areas, especially
heavily-populated mega-delta regions in South, East and Southeast Asia, will be at greatest
risk due to increased flooding from the sea and in some mega-deltas flooding from the rivers.

Corals are threatened with increased bleaching and mortality due to rising sea surface
temperatures. Coastal wetland ecosystems, such as salt marshes and mangroves, are
especially threatened where they are sediment-starved or constrained on their landward
margin. Degradation of coastal ecosystems, especially wetlands and coral reefs, has serious
implications for the well-being of society independent on the coastal ecosystems for goods
and services.

After the 21st century, very large sea-level rises (estimated to 4-6 meters or more, that is 13
to 20 feet or more) that would result from widespread deglaciation of Greenland and West
Antarctic ice sheets imply major changes in coastlines and ecosystems, and inundation of
low-lying areas, with greatest effects in river deltas. Relocating populations, economic
activity, and infrastructure would be costly and challenging.

Impacts of climate change will vary regionally but are very likely to impose net annual costs
which will increase overtime as global temperatures increase. In general, the net annual costs
of the impacts of climate change are projected to increase over time as global temperatures
increase. For example, while developing countries are expected to experience larger
percentage losses, global mean losses due to climate change could be 1 to 5 percent GDP for
4°C (7°F) of warming.
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The impacts of global warming and climate change are worldwide. For Bangladesh they are
most critical as large part of the population is chronically exposed and vulnerable to a range
of natural hazards. Already, the human suffering and cost to development is massive to this
country and its people who are victims of human induced global warming. Between 1991 and
2000, 93 major disasters were recorded in Bangladesh, resulting in nearly 200,000 deaths and
causing US $ 5.9 billion in damages with high losses in agriculture and infrastructure. Since
then, the country is experiencing recurring floods frequently. The monsoon floods of this year
are part of what the World Meteorological Organization sees as a global pattern of record
extreme weather conditions. Climatic hazards, including extremes like floods, cyclones,
tornado, storm surge, tidal bore, etc are not new to Bangladesh and the country has a scarred
history claiming many lives and resulting in losses of assets, belongings. Some of the worst
disasters terms of mortality have taken place on this land. In Bangladesh during the past few
decades, the effects of global warming have been evidenced in climate variability, change
and extremes. More adverse impacts are projected for the coming decades, particularly for
low lying coastline and floodplain ecosystems which characterize Bangladesh.

To understand how global warming and climate change will impact Bangladesh in future,
influence its development aspirations and chart its roadmap for sustainable development,
three considerations are critical. The location of Bangladesh is in a deltaic plain of a major
river basin, making it susceptible to floods and cyclones. The country is extremely populated
in a small area, and one of the most densely populated in the world. The country is also very
poor and a majority live below subsistence level, making them already vulnerable. According
to the UNDP Human Development Report 2006, population living on income of less than one
US Dollar a day is 36 percent while 82.8 percent of the population is living on income below
two US Dollars a day.

Bangladesh scientists believe that because of sea level rise coastal Bangladesh has already
experienced the worst impacts especially in terms of coastal inundation and erosion, saline
intrusion, deforestation, loss of bio-diversity and agriculture, and large scale migration.
About 830,000 million hectares of arable land is affected by varying degrees of soil salinity.
During the period 1973±1987, about 2.18 million tons of rice was damaged due to drought
and 2.38 million
tons due to flood. Drought affects annually about 2.32 million hectares and 1.2 million
hectares of cropped land during the Kharif (summer) (November to June) and Rabi (winter)
(July to October) seasons respectively, while soil salinity, water logging and acidification
affect 3.05 million hectares, 0.7 million hectares and 0.6 million hectare of crop land,
respectively in the country. The temperature and rainfall projections for Bangladesh over the
next decades show significant temperature increases for both monsoon and winter period.
The projections for rainfall indicate more rains during monsoon and lesser during dry periods.
Very small changes in the temperature, rainfall or sea level rise can lead to severe
consequences for a country like Bangladesh already stressed environmentally, socially and
economically. Also, the variations can be quite significant when downscaled for a location. In
addition, there may be more than one impact at any given period which can lead to grave
circumstances. Further, climate change induced impacts may trigger a chain of consequences
due to non-climatic activities and their outcomes.
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IPCC (2007) forecasted that a mere 1 meter rise in sealevel wills inundate 20% of its
landmass and thus loss of much of our coastal regions permanently and thus affect the coastal
agriculture.

IPCC (2001) also projected an increase by 588 cm by the year 2100

Bangladesh will lose about 8% of its rice and 32% wheat production by the year 2050 (
IPCC]c2007)

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Bangladesh is most vulnerable to several natural disasters and every year natural calamities
upset people's lives in some parts of the country. The tropical location and geographical
setting of Bangladesh makes the country vulnerable to natural disasters. The mountains and
hills bordering almost three-fourths of the country, along with the funnel shaped Bay of
Bengal in the south, have made the country a meeting place of life-giving monsoon rains, but
also subjected it to the catastrophic ravages of natural disasters. It¶s physiographic and river
morphology where the mighty Brahmaputra, Ganges, Meghna and many rivers criss-cross to
form a vast delta of alluvial plains that is barely above the sea level, making it prone to
flooding from waterways swollen by rain, snowmelt from the Himalayas, and increased
infiltration by the ocean, largely contribute to recurring disasters.

Bangladesh, a densely crowded and developing small nation, contributes only a minuscule
amount to the greenhouse gases slowly smothering the planet. But the projected climate
change is likely to affect its millions of already vulnerable people. Nearly 150 million people,
the equivalent of about half the US population, live packed in an area slightly smaller than
the American State of Iowa and over 15 million of them are concentrated into the
overcrowded capital city of Dhaka. Many of them have abandoned their homes in the
countryside relocating to Dhaka to seek an elusive better life. Most are not successful in their
quest for improved living standards and a brighter future and live in low lying parts of the
city subject to flooding and diseases.

All of Dhaka and most of Bangladesh lies within a mostly flat alluvial plain and many areas
are just a few feet above sea level. Violent storms regularly sweep in from the Bay of Bengal
to wreck havoc upon the land and inhabitants. 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. Heat waves, floods, storms, cyclones, land-sliding, fires and droughts cause increased
deaths and harm to lives and properties. On an average, river erosion takes away about
19,000 acres of land and more than one million people are directly or indirectly affected by
river-bank erosion every year in Bangladesh. Millions of people are projected to be at risk
from coastal flooding due to sea level rises.

As a low lying tropical country Bangladesh is on the front line of the consequences of global
warming. Already the storms are becoming more violent. Recent heavy rainfall and many
deaths in Chittagong due to land sliding are also prior notice for alarming future. People
along the shoreline have noticed a rise in the sea level. Many have already been forced to
move several times to higher ground. The planting of crops has been affected. Most crops do
not farewell as salt water moves into the water table. World Bank reported in 2001 sea level
rising about 3 mm/year in the Bay of Bengal. It warned of loss of Bengal tigers in the
Sundarbans, world's largest mangrove heritage, and threats to hundreds of its flora and fauna.
The one meter sea level rise will inundate 15 to 20 percent of Bangladesh. This
means predicted sea level rise, at a rate that is increasing, will not only affect millions of
people -- estimates are 13 to30 million -- but will also flood out much rice production. The
World Bank warned of a decline of rice crop up to 30percent with predicted sea level rise.

If there is an increase in temperature of 6 °C, the maximum predicted by the IPCC, then
the greater flow of water through Bangladesh's three great rivers will inevitably lead to
between 20 and 40 per cent mo re flooding. On the southern coast, erosion driven in part
by accelerating glacier melt and unusually intense rains will cause relentless sufferings
to millions of people. In the dry northwest of the country, droughts are getting more
severe. If the sea rises by a foot, which some researchers say could happen by 2040,
the resulting damage would set back Bangladesh¶s progress by 30 years and up to 12
percent of the population would be made homeless. And if sea level rises by 3feet by the
turn of the century, as some scientists predict, a fifth of the country will disappear. As
many as 30 million people would become refugees in their own land, many of them
subsistence farmers with nothing to subsist on any longer. It will result in more density of
population. If it happens, tomorrow's poverty will bear worse than today¶s. Bangladesh
does not have preparations for the fallout of global warming as well as any capacity or
planning to go through a real challenge under climate change, biodiversity, and
desertification.


 
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or at least 200 years, two dynamics have driven the global economy. One is the
enormous growth of material wealth underwritten by humankind's rampant exploitation of
fossil fuel. The other is the relentless widening of the gap between the rich and the poor.
Now, everyone agrees that the rich/poor divide fuels conflict. Since World War II,
industrial nations have pumped an increasing amount of CO2 into the atmosphere every
year. Many scientists believe this buildup of CO2 is why the 1990 was the hottest
decade ever recorded. This warming also affects climate, and may be the reason for a
surge of tornados in the U.S., landslides in Italy, droughts in Africa, and flooding in Asia
and Australia.
The planet has seen climate shifts before -- ice ages and warming trends -- but nature
was never this fast. This climate change, say many scientists, is likely the work of man
and it could cause hunger for millions with a sharp falling crop yields. So, how will the
world cope with multi millions of p oor homeless people migrating to who knows where?
Who will take the starving hordes in? Who will house them, who will feed them, who will
provide medical?
Care, which will see to their welfare? Will it be the industrialized nations like the US, the
largest polluter in the world that contributes about 25 percent of greenhouse gas
emissions with a population lesser than 5 percent of the world¶s total?

Climate change is undeniably the most urgent problem facing the world today. Scientists
who do take global w arming seriously are becoming more concerned that global
warming is taking place at a faster pace than first projected. They also are convinced
that no matter how hard the nations of the world try to stop and to reverse the process it
is already too late. Politicians and world's leaders who had previously dismissed global
warming as a far-off problem are starting to see it as a clear and present danger,
although US government, has done virtually nothing, even has not signed the Kyoto
Protocol till now, despite the fact that US is the world's largest contributor of greenhouse
gases.. The world will face some unpleasant consequences from greenhouse gas
emissions largely caused by human activity no matter what collective actions are now
taken. We humans and the animals and vegetation of our
Planet will pay a dear price for our often careless rush into the massive burning of fossil
fuels. We have only one earth -- care and share it.