Case Studies: Contrasting Vulnerabilities to Climate Change (SL IB Geography)

• Bangladesh is mostly a low-lying, flat delta 
• It is vulnerable to any changes in sea levels and flooding because:
  • 75% of the country is less than 10 m above sea level
  • The Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers converge in Bangladesh
  • 80% of the country sits on the low-lying floodplains of the delta 
  • The country is already prone to flooding and tropical monsoon conditions
• Seasonal flooding is normal and necessary to provide fertile soil and irrigation
• But the size, intensity, and frequency of these events have increased
• The monsoon rainfall is predicted to rise by 40% by 2030 
  • In 1998, 75% of Bangladesh was flooded, making 30 million people homeless
  • Over 1,000 people died
  • 700,000 hectares of crops were destroyed
• Bangladesh's Flood Action Plan, 1988, aimed to protect the country from future flooding 
• It was funded by the World Bank and a number of HICs
• Measures included:
  
  • Monitoring of flood levels 
  • Effective flood warning systems
  • Construction of levees and embankments, which also provide protection from flooding by tidal waves and storm surges
  • Building 200 flood shelters on stilts for evacuated people
  • Creating flood water storage systems
  • Diverting flood water from buildings with 5000 km of drainage channels
  • Reducing deforestation
• The FAP was not considered a success because:
  
  • Many parts of the project were never completed, including the dams and floodwater storage areas, due to inadequate funding and corruption
  • There was later a recognition that some flooding was necessary to maintain agriculture in many areas
  • 8 million people were forced to move to accommodate the FAP constructions
  • Changing the channel upstream meant that areas downstream suffered more
  • The government cannot afford the maintenance costs 

• Ghana is one of Africa's fastest-growing economies
• But 45% of the workforce is still employed in agriculture
• Ghana is vulnerable to drought and reduced rainfall, which threaten food and energy security
  • Rainfall is expected to decrease 4% by 2040
• Ghana is also expected to become hotter and drier in the future
  • Mean annual temperatures have increased by 1°C from 1960
  • Projected to increase by a further 1-3°C by the 2060s
• 25% of the population live in rapidly developing urban areas along the coast
  • Sea-level rise is expected to be 75–190 mm by 2100

Key Climate Change Impacts

• The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) aims to address climate change impacts in an "integrated, coordinated and sustainable manner"
• Adaptations have included:
  • Infrastructure development of dams, levees and seawalls
  • Preserving and restoring natural habitats, such as mangrove swamps, to provide ecosystem-based services
  • Capacity development through teaching people new techniques and how to empower themselves

Comparison of Contrasting Vulnerabilities to Climate Change