Rising sea level in an LEDC

Rising sea level in an LEDC

1. Contribute to sea level

   • Melting of polar ice caps - ice is turning into water
   • Glaciers melting and not freezing - pressure from glaciers - when melted the land will change shape.
   • All the water will go into the sea

2. Bangladesh is in South East Asia. Next to India and above it are the Himalayas

3. One of the poorest countries in the world (146 out of 187)

4. Has a population around 160 million

5. Tropical monsoon climate with hot rainy summers and dry winters

6. Most places receive 1525mm rain per year and in the hills it can be up to 5090mm

7. Most of the country is 1 or 2 metres above sea level

8. Around 80% of all people live in rural areas, with 54% of the total population working in agriculture

   • Because of this many people live around rivers which help to create fertile soils when they flood (most people grow rice, which grows well in these conditions)

9. If the sea level rises

   • If the sea level rose 1 metre, 15 million people would be affected and 17,000km ² of land would be submerged
   • If it rose 1.5 metres, 18 million people would be affected and 22,000km ² of land would become submerged
   • Up to 20 million people are at risk in low-lying Bangladesh
   • Scientists predict that salty water could reach far inland making it hard to cultivate food like rice
   • Embankments have been built along many rivers but as sea levels rise they cannot contain the water
   • In May, cyclone Aila left thousands homeless, killed many and caused widespread flooding and damage
   • The government is appealing for £3 billion over 5 years to combat climate change