Climate change refugees struggle to survive in slums of Dhaka. The city faces a population explosion, with inadequate infrastructure.
As my long-term personal and professional interests are in the field of mitigating climate change induced sea-level rise, specifically as it relates to forced population migration (refugees), this article was especially topical. However, the purposes of this blog are to connect those issues to globalization. Although this piece from 2013 does not directly highlight the intersection of climate change refugees and globalization, it is easy to infer their interrelation from this article. The "glocal" concept is timely in that most of the consequences of climate change (specifically, sea-level rise) that are negatively impacting the lives of previously coastal dwelling Bangladeshis are a direct result of GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions from industrialization from countries in the Global North - and now parts of the Global South, as well. With the socio-political-economic fallout from the neoliberalist philosophies of capitalism's offshoot system, globalization, industrialization (and GHG emissions) moved to areas within the Global South in a race to the bottom for worker's wages and to the top for shareholder's portfolios. This expansion of GHG emissions spurred - and continues to spur - global warming, which has caused (is causing) undeterrable global climate change, which, in turn, is causing sea-level rise that displaces coastal dwelling Bangladeshis to the megacity of Dhaka. Add in the limitations or plain stagnancy of local governance within a city of that size with so little resources, the suffering of refugees are compounded.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Sep 8, 2010 - globalpost.com: Dhaka, Fastest Growing Megacity in the World
Part one of "A five-part, multimedia series on the coming dystopia that is urbanization."
This five part series on urbanization in Dhaka speaks to the horror of overpopulation. Yet, this part is the least accurate characterization of urbanization and it's causes of the entire series. There are very reductive and dismissive phrases that undermines the drive individuals and families have to migrate from one desperate situation to another, while constantly being on the fringe of society. The third part (?) called "Disasters Drive Mass Migration to Dhaka" better matches the causes of overurbanization within Dhaka to the effects of the process, as highlighted within part one. However, beyond Global North induced climate change and the resulting sea-level rise, is a lack of local and national governance to blame for Dhaka's suffering citizenry?
This five part series on urbanization in Dhaka speaks to the horror of overpopulation. Yet, this part is the least accurate characterization of urbanization and it's causes of the entire series. There are very reductive and dismissive phrases that undermines the drive individuals and families have to migrate from one desperate situation to another, while constantly being on the fringe of society. The third part (?) called "Disasters Drive Mass Migration to Dhaka" better matches the causes of overurbanization within Dhaka to the effects of the process, as highlighted within part one. However, beyond Global North induced climate change and the resulting sea-level rise, is a lack of local and national governance to blame for Dhaka's suffering citizenry?
An Amazing Resource for the Global South, in Dhaka - ICCCAD
The International Centre for Climate Change and Development
The International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Dhaka is a think tank attempting to research and raise awareness around (1) climate change, (2) mitigation of it's impending (and already happening) effects, and (3) provide adaptation solutions for Bangladesh and the globe. The institute is a valuable resource. The embedded video is from a talk Dr. Saleemul Huq (the Director of ICCCAD, speaking from his personal - not professional - perspective) gave in June 2014 at the Bonn conference about calling out polluters for what they are: climate criminals.
The International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Dhaka is a think tank attempting to research and raise awareness around (1) climate change, (2) mitigation of it's impending (and already happening) effects, and (3) provide adaptation solutions for Bangladesh and the globe. The institute is a valuable resource. The embedded video is from a talk Dr. Saleemul Huq (the Director of ICCCAD, speaking from his personal - not professional - perspective) gave in June 2014 at the Bonn conference about calling out polluters for what they are: climate criminals.
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