Rural Bangladesh has always been just above the high tide mark at the coastline. The people there are used to farming the low lands in winter, and retreating to the hills during the monsoon season. However this pattern is changing as sea levels rise five feet this century. Their way of life is vanishing as the world leaves them to their fate.
The Stark Choice Facing the People of Rural Bangladesh
Traditional crops no longer flourish in earth soaked in salt by the tides. Rural Bangladeshis must either change their lifestyle, or retreat elsewhere usually to a city slum in hope of work. This is an unspeakable tragedy for people who lived here for 20,000 years in what was once a paradise.
The climate crisis will steadily worsen things, as violent storms and tidal surges flood them more frequently. The people who live in rural Bangladesh used to return to their farms when the monsoon ended. They are beginning to realize this is not viable says Joyce Chen, an economist at Ohio State University. So what is to become of these people, what will they eat?
Will They Move On, Or Cross Over to Aquaculture?
The rice paddies are vanishing along the coastline. Shrimp farming is taking over because the tiny creatures thrive in salty environments. The people are resilient, says Joyce Chen, but how many people can earn money this way? Others are building dykes to create artificial islands instead.
There is conflict over scarce resources. The shrimp farmers want to flood more land while farmers wish to retain it. One hundred thousand people have already left for city slums in the hope of creating a new life. But what life is that for them, for people accustomed to building their homes and harvesting their food from what nature freely provides. Perhaps that’s why so many choose to stay and build their homes on stilts.
Some schools have moved onto boats to escape flooding. The most vulnerable people may have to stay in rural Bangladesh because they have nowhere else to go. How do we address the needs of these victims of heavy industry. Or shall we simply let them fade away.
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Preview Image: Cyclone Strikes Low-Lying Bangladesh
