Bangladesh: A Catastrophe in the Making

Scientists predict within 50 years rising sea level will flood
coastal cities like Bangladesh displacing millions.

Not every country can afford to spend billions on sea defenses. In Bangladesh, many of its 150 million inhabitants live at, or just above, sea level. Only a 3 feet rise in sea level will have a devastating effect on the country's population. Turns out, the area of the world that would be most vulnerable to sea level rise would be Asia. The rice growing river deltas in Asia are very close to sea level. Even a modest 3 foot rise would put half the rice land in Bangladesh underwater.

Bangladesh at Risk

Bangladesh has over 100 to 220 million people, and that number is rising fast. A great deal of the land will get covered by water and once you have salt water coming up it's not just the land is covered, it's the intrusion of salt. Even a 3 foot sea level rise wipes out half the rice crop. The Bangladesh population is going up third as their land is becomes short by a third. Scientists predict Bangladesh is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Much of Bangladesh is vast muddy Delta that cannot be defended. 6 feet of sea level rise would spell disaster for the entire population.

Nowhere to Go

By modest estimates, scientists predict tens of millions would be displaced. India has already built a wallbetween Bangladesh along its borders. The displaced millions would have nowhere to go. The government of India already anticipate there is going to be a lot Bangladesh refugees looking for a place to go. Bangladesh itself is already one of the most densely populated countries on earth. Another 18 or 20 rice growing river deltas in Asia would be affected in varying degrees by rise in sea level.

The World Project

By the end of the century, scientists predict cities and coastlines around the world will be under siege from the rising tides. Everywhere, people will be building levees and sea defenses to fight back. But scientists predict sea level rise will not stop at 6 feet, but are likely to rise at an even faster rate. As the predicted melt of Greenland and Antarctica accelerates, exposed cities may not have time to build new sea defenses.

Clues about the speed of future sea level rise can be found during the time of the last ice age. As global temperatures rose, the planet's ice melted into the sea. Sea level was increased by a staggering 390 feet until they settled to today's levels. Scientists are currently working to discover how long it took for this to happen. They hope the answer may help predict how quickly sea levels could rise in the next century to provide us with a timeline to defend our coasts.