Editorial IV

CLIMATIC ARMAGEDDON

For most of us, concerns over global warming are of a distant, somewhat abstract variety. Perhaps you’re considering a hybrid car for your next auto purchase or you’ve attempted to reduce the frequency with which you let your engine stay idle. Beyond this however, you’re life has not been measurably altered or significantly impacted by what skeptics refer to as an unproven theory.

To those who have doubts, I urge to you to request proof from the people of Bangladesh.

Last year, Fakhruddin Ahmed, chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, appealed to the United Nations on behalf of those who have been done asunder by global warming.

"This year we in Bangladesh have witnessed one of the worst floods in recent times . . . there is little we can do to prevent significant damage . . . a one-metre sea level rise will submerge about one-third of Bangladesh, uprooting 25 million to 30 million people. I speak for Bangladesh and many other countries on the threshold of a climatic Armageddon," he said.

Don't fool yourself, this is an existential threat, despite the fact that it's usually marketed as a hip trend. Where are 25 to 30 million people going to go? With Bangladeshi cities being pushed beyond capacity as it is, displaced people will surely be heading to India, where they have already adopted a defensive posture by sealing their borders. A conflict is imminent, if not inevitable.

As for those sticking it out, the rise in water levels and salinity, has made life nearly unlivable. South Asia’s Venice, this is not. More like a nightmarish Atlantis. A portent of our future? Quite possibly.

For more on the drowning of Bangladesh, check this out: