The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis

Case Study
Bangladesh — A nation at the frontline
of the climate change crisis
Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country in the world to tropical cyclones and the sixth most
vulnerable to floods. 38 More than 68 million people 39 have been directly affected over the last eight
years, and millions of lives and livelihoods are threatened by frequent weather-related disasters. With
low-lying lands, coastline areas and floodplains occupying 80 percent of the country, Bangladesh is
highly exposed to both disasters and sea level rise. Of its 155 million inhabitants, half live below the
poverty line and over a third suffers from malnutrition and hunger. 40
A Bangladeshi rights group estimates that some 30 million people 41 in Bangladesh are already
exposed to climate change through extreme weather, rising sea levels and river erosion. 42 Since 2000
the country has experienced more than 70 major disasters. Tropical cyclones, local storms, floods
and droughts, have killed 9,000 people 39 and caused damages of more than $5 billion. One-fifth of the
country is flooded every year, and in extreme years, two-thirds of the country has been inundated. 40
To demonstrate the magnitude of the problem, agricultural production losses due to flooding in 2007
are estimated at 1.3 million tons. Although agriculture accounts for only 20 percent of GDP, over
60 percent of people depend on its products. Losses of both food and cash crops are common
occurrences, which seriously disrupt the economy, precipitating unplanned import requirements.
In 2006-07, agri-food imports represented approximately $1.9 billion (8 percent of total imports). In
addition to food security, weather-related disasters due to climate change cause outbreak of disease
such as diarrhoea that killed 20 percent of the children under 5 years of age in 2000. 43 Poverty and
environmental degradation have caused migration from rural to urban areas. Although 75 percent of
its population currently is rural, Bangladesh already has one of the highest population densities in the
world and migration into urban areas is increasing by over 2 million people each year.
Over the next 30 years, the population is expected to grow to 200 million and, although greater
success in disaster management has significantly reduced the lives lost in recent years, the numbers
are still very high and the potential for economic and infrastructural damage remains very significant.
Key Sources: OECD, UNDP and World Bank