Last year a report by Sir Nicholas Stern, The Economics of Climate Change, predicted that “by the middle of the century, 200 million more people may become permanently displaced due to rising sea levels, heavier floods, and more intense droughts” as a result of global warming. The world is currently struggling to deal with 35 million refugees and internally displaced people forced from their homes by conflict, so the prospect of 200 million environmental refugees is daunting, to say the least.
Although we often think that the main victims of climate change will be in the developing world, the impact will be much greater. Rising sea levels could also pose risks to Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, London, Miami, New York, Shanghai, St. Petersburg, and Tokyo.
Bangladesh’s response to Sidr shows that we can mitigate natural disasters with planning and enlightened public policies. The same applies to expected problems from climate change. The first challenge, of course, is to reduce hydrocarbon fuel consumption and greenhouse gases as quickly as possible. The next is to start thoughtful systematic planning for dealing with the consequences of a warmer planet characterized by rising sea levels, more devastating droughts, and radically changed growing patterns.
All of these preparations—such as sea walls, planned population movements, stiffer building standards, new agricultural, and irrigation techniques—will be complex, controversial and costly. They will also take time. An early start will reduce the potential human toll of climate change; a late start will increase future death, displacement, and destruction. The decision should be a no-brainer.
By: Ken Bacon
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