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TED
H§: Where will you be able to live in 20 years
i1=:l : Cnrol rarbotko and Ingrid Boas

r Mohammadpur has always had a unique relationship with the

weather. Located at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal, this coastal
coastal
village
village was built on top of the Meghna River delta. Deltas are a m--,-,J,ta
kind of landmass fonned when sediment carried by rivers is
depositcd'whcre that river meets a larger body of water. River landmass
deltas are incredibly fertile ecosystems capable of supporting
abundant agnculture and marine life.
"·*llili
sediment
••a••t~~~~~~-##~i¥i*to
i~ i¥J ?To, i!-t~ ~,J,~~ -r* .t~ ?T-=-il'l irl! ZJ:o -=- il'J irl!
nJJi:i.fE@J
C ~~.,~&ktOC~,~M£~Ai¥J deposite
*~+4o ~~-=--~~•t•~~i¥J1.~t~,~~~# v.~. Mt¥
k f:i¥J *ft~~ ~~1.#Jo
fertile
0 However, their borders gradually change as rivers bring more
ecosystems
sediment in and storms wash sediment away. The residents of
Mohammadpur are well accustomed to managing the ebbs and
0 flows of this ever-shifting landscape. But lately, an abundance of
agriculture
intense cyclones have caused frequent flooding that impedes
n.~
farming and fishing. These floods also erode the coastline,
allowing later storms to wipe away land altogether. Since 2000, the accustomed to
Meghna River has overtaken the coastline by 2.5 kilometers, 3=Ji!r
forcing many villagers to move inland or to nearby cities.
cyclone
~~•-t~~atLfi¥JOC~#J, ~~X4~~kOC~#J, n.MEJxl., MJxl.
~-~~i¥}~~0·~--•ti¥i•~~-~~1~i!+~
*~~i¥J.~¾40~~-~kti¥J&~A~•1~•i¥i*
Q *, ~~T*~~~~oi!~**A~T~~~,il$~i¥J
X.J.~,4ilk~#t~o ro2000.+~, *.t~ ~t~A!i±~,lf-~2.5
+~, kt#~~~-~~MA•~i¥i~*o
e
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 Du y: Uate:

Mohammadpur isn't the only place where erratic weather is erratic

impacting people's mobility. Repeated typhoons in the Philippines weather
have displaced thousands from their homes. In Fiji, the
government is already moving many coastal villages inland to get
0
permafrost
ahead of predicted land loss. And in the United States, melting
pennafrost is causi ng chunks of the Alaskan coastline to erode.
n.~~i!i=±
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n.~
l ~,~M~~~*•*~*#Aa8~M,~~~*~~
~ti. o -k 00 , ,tldt :1jO.f- Jk 1 ~iiJ ~i.,t~ hu ilq.- )f-
'ii o

In some ways, this is nothing new. Humanity has always adapted livelihood
to changing weather and moved to regions that best support n.~i.t
cultural lifestyles and livelihoods. However, scientists agree that
this rise in extreme weather is a by-product of Eart's rapidly by-product 0
changing climate. Global warming increases the frequency and n.i'.IF~
intensity of storms, flooding and drought, while also melting polar
intensity
ice caps and raising sea levels.
n.M 0
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½4~-•~1A., **~+~~-·~R~,~~ 0
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7 .ftJ: 1t .;I!!,*)II ;fp 1f- ifj ilq.- -t 0

These factors are changing the environment much faster than they
have in the past. Even for communities with the resources to take
action, the variable pace and nature of these changes makes them
difficult to adapt to. And the vulnerable populations most impacted
by climate change are often those least responsible.
0
a¾tt~~-~,
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-86-
 Day: Date:

e Many facing climate mobility live in farming and fishing dramatica1ly

communities in countries that generate dramatically fewer adv.ilJr.!HiB,
emissions than their larger counterparts . BJ.l.mUiB
emission
00~~-~~ff±?I•~~-~t o n.~~n
C Bangladesh is one such country . The nation has a unique
combination of low-lying geography and heavily populated coastal combination
regions. Most of these vulnerable coastal families, like those in n.~e~,
Mohammadpur, don't want to abandon their homes and livelihoods. e~
And for others, leaving Bangladesh isn't financially practical. So to
stay with their communities, many have moved a few meters inland
and built more resilient homes on higher ground or elevated stilts.

C o--~~~~~•Ao k§Aft*~~~-,~-~a~
~~-#,

e ,%£0

Others have tried to buy land on newly emerging islands in the delta
e ((ielta, while some have sent family members to find work in
nearby cities. A handful ofo ndiv..iduals might even cross
n.=ffi;ffl

international borders, if they have family, friends, or work individua1s

connections on the other side. But many of the residents who've n.-t-A., 1'~
left are eager to return home.

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F-FJ!L.~, ~U:li-J!L.;ff~111~~-, M~, ~:;t-i~*$

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 Da: Date:

Unfortunately, it's unclear when weather extremes will die down, die down
0
and the government has repeatedly delayed projects to build ~.ll:
concrete em6ankments that would prevent further erosion .
embankmentO
~~~~--*~*~~•½*~'*A•M- n..fflfl!

In other parts of the world, people couldn't move inland even if

they wanted to. The low-lying Pacific Island nations of Kiribati
and Tuvalu are only 81 I square kilometers and 26 square
kilometers, respectively; so migration would mean moving to a migration
different country altogether. n.$~
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,~ 1'. + if Eh IE ~-2. e.$.Jr:fa 00 lf.. p 1,J J; iiJ ;fY- _g .:tj" 811 +
~+*:fa~+~+*o~~~$%~~-~1-+~±~M
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Instead, their governments and citizens have united in physically, fortify
legally, and politically fortifying their countries. Island residents V.~T,
are planting coastal mangrove forests, and building up low-lying iffisj ®
areas of land with dredged sand to shield themselves against
storms and rising sea levels. And the islands' governments have mangrove
repeatedly lobbied on the global stage for countries with the n.i l ~ Q
highest emissions to reduce pollution and take responsibility for
climate change. lobby
V.~5t
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~irett-~~-~#!.ffl~IE~o ~~ffl~#~~~k~#,
~~~·:fa~-t-iili~o~~
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il~ffi~~~-, *A~~-~~l*o
Q

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 Da r: Date:

e The challenges fucing each coastal community are unique, and the
diversity of the people's experiences can make climate mobility a diversity
difficult phenomenon to measure and define. But as new n.~~f!
0 communities are endangered by exterme weather, it' s more
important than ever to listen to those on the front lines of this crisis.
*AAfilf#~&m

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