Climate Migration Pushes Bangladesh’s Megacity to the Brink
Minus Akther wakes up before dawn every day in a 100-square-foot shack she shares with her husband and two children. She opens the creaking door, snakes through the zigzagging alleys, and waits for a gas burner in the communal space shared by 10 other families. Akther, 32, is one of the nearly 200,000 people living in the Korail slum in Dhaka, the megacity capital of Bangladesh. She used to live on the southern coast of the country where her family grew rice and raised cattle on half an acre of land, but a monsoon washed away everything. With her home and livelihood gone, her family moved to Dhaka. Climate change is prompting mass migration in many parts of the world, but Bangladesh’s low sea level, high population density and inadequate infrastructure make it particularly vulnerable. This has been particularly evident in recent weeks as torrential monsoon rains killed at least 60 people, submerged villages and inundated major rivers. The country, which is approximately the same size as New York State, has a population of 168 million. It is beset by over 10 million climate refugees, and an estimated 2,000 people are moving to Dhaka every day, according to the Mayors Migration Council. Since Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971, Dhaka’s population has shot up from 1.5 million to 22 million. The population growth became so overwhelming that in 2011, the city was split into two to provide better social services. The government predicts that by 2050, one in every seven Bangladeshi citizens will be displaced by climate change.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.