Social Impacts
Over time, climate change has affected the social dynamic and activities of the population of Bangladesh, and will continue to do so well into the future.
In the past, some key characteristics about Bangladesh's social scheme are:
In the past, some key characteristics about Bangladesh's social scheme are:
- ever since its independence in 1971, the population has been rising, making the already dense population even more crowded [1]
- poverty existed, and many people lived in the slums
- urbanization was growing and people were moving to cities [2]
- about 55% of the population had access to water sanitation, and pumped groundwater was prone to poisoning - especially arsenic [3]
- there was a high immunization rate against diseases [4]
- a gender gap between male and females was apparent in labour, wages, and the home life [5]
- family and relations were very important and highly valued [6]
As for current, present-day life, things are looking a little different but still have relative similarities:
- it is more difficult for people to begin a family because it would be too expensive (this is especially true of families in poverty) [7]
- poverty has centralized in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh [8]
- hundreds of thousands to millions of people have already been displaced by rising sea levels - since they lived on the coast, they were forced to move elsewhere, and most commonly, this means moving to the slums in Dhaka [9]
- saltwater intrusion from rising sea levels is poisoning the groundwater that the country relies on for drinking [10]
- the shrinking amount of cultivatable land for agriculture means that it can no longer provide for the growing population [11]
- people's homes and land are simply being washed away by floods and higher waters, destroying communities and connections
- houses must be raised on platforms so they will not be affected by rising sea levels [12]
- male and females are nearly equally represented in the workforce, as women now have a higher need to work and provide for their families [13]
- when storms and other dangerous weather situations occur, families are often separated and it can be difficult to reunite [14]
And finally, what does this mean for the future of society in Bangladesh?
- rising sea levels can and will displace millions of people, forcing them to emigrate or live in the crowded slums
- if sea levels rise just 1 meter (3 feet), 15% of Bangladesh's land will be underwater and 30 million people will be displaced [15]
- within 25 years, ruined farmland and poisoned drinking water will affect upwards of 10 million people [16]
- there will be higher media coverage of such events as they worsen
- students in the government-funded primary schools will (hopefully) be educated about climate change, the impacts of it, and how they can cope with or improve the effects of it
- poverty will become an even larger issue as crops fail at a higher rate, and less people are able to survive off of the land
- poverty will also increase due to the amount of people who will have their belongings destroyed in the increasingly frequent and dangerous weather (ie. cyclones, longer and higher flooding, longer droughts, worse storm surges)
- water-borne and air-borne diseases are expected to become more common as sea levels rise and floods, storm surges, and violent weather increases [17]
- low-land lying or coastal communities will be destroyed by water levels
1 "Welcome to Bangladesh." Virtual Bangladesh. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
2 "Climate change and Bangladesh." The Daily Star. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/climate-change-and-bangladesh-4891>.
3 "Climate Change & Its Impacts on Bangladesh." NCDO. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
4 Ibid.
5 "News." Warming Climate to Hit Bangladesh Hard with Sea Level Rise, More Floods and Cyclones, World Bank Report Says. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
6 "Impacts of Climate Change Bangladesh." Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
7 "Climate change and Bangladesh." The Daily Star. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
8 "Climate change forcing thousands in Bangladesh into slums of Dhaka | Toronto Star." thestar.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/02/16/climate_change_forcing_thousands_in_bangladesh_into_slums_of_dhaka.html>.
9 "Bangladesh Resisting Climate Change."Interest Geo. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
10 "Bangladesh Is Drowning Because of Climate Change." The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/alex-mifflin/bangladesh-climate-change_b_4150220.html
11 "Global Development of Climate Change."The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/mar/10/climate-change-talks-bangladesh-donors>.
12 "Geography - Bangladesh." Infoplease. Infoplease. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
13 Ibid.
14 "Global Development of Climate Change."The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
15 "News." Warming Climate. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
16 "Bangladesh Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
17 "Climate change forcing thousands to slums." thestar.com. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
2 "Climate change and Bangladesh." The Daily Star. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/climate-change-and-bangladesh-4891>.
3 "Climate Change & Its Impacts on Bangladesh." NCDO. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
4 Ibid.
5 "News." Warming Climate to Hit Bangladesh Hard with Sea Level Rise, More Floods and Cyclones, World Bank Report Says. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
6 "Impacts of Climate Change Bangladesh." Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
7 "Climate change and Bangladesh." The Daily Star. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
8 "Climate change forcing thousands in Bangladesh into slums of Dhaka | Toronto Star." thestar.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/02/16/climate_change_forcing_thousands_in_bangladesh_into_slums_of_dhaka.html>.
9 "Bangladesh Resisting Climate Change."Interest Geo. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
10 "Bangladesh Is Drowning Because of Climate Change." The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/alex-mifflin/bangladesh-climate-change_b_4150220.html
11 "Global Development of Climate Change."The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/mar/10/climate-change-talks-bangladesh-donors>.
12 "Geography - Bangladesh." Infoplease. Infoplease. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
13 Ibid.
14 "Global Development of Climate Change."The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
15 "News." Warming Climate. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
16 "Bangladesh Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
17 "Climate change forcing thousands to slums." thestar.com. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.