Page - 456 - in Loss and Damage from Climate Change - Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

456 M.Haqueet al. Fig.19.3 Riverembankment inBangladesh. SourceBangladeshClimateChangeTrust Cyclones Cyclonescauseuntolddamagetolivelihoods,propertyandlivestockofthemostvul- nerablepeople(WorldBank2010).Onesevereeventoccursevery3yearsaccording to theBangladeshClimateChangeStrategy andAction Plan (BCCSAP).Cyclone Sidr, which hit the Southern coast in 2007, caused total economic losses of USD 1.7billion, or about 1.2%of annualGDP inBangladesh (GoB2008). The country lostanestimated6%ofGDPtostormsfrom1998to2009(Wright2014).Although the death toll from cyclones has been reduced significantly, the destruction, both economicandnon-economic, is still prevalent today. Drought Mostprevalent in thenorthwest ofBangladesh, droughthasoftencaused famine in theregion.Thepast50yearshaveseenabout20droughtperiodswithalmostroughly 23.000 sq. kmof land affected bydrought each year during the seconddry season occurringbetweenJune toOctober (Nishat et al. 2013).Droughts affect about47% of the landand53%of thepopulation. SeaLevelRise Risingsealevelsimpacttheagriculturalproductivityofarablelandandhasanimpact onlivelihoodsofpeoplelivinginthecoastalregionofBangladesh.TheIPCCreports that approximately 27millionpeople are estimated tobe at risk fromsea level rise by the year 2050 inBangladesh.According toRabbani et al. (2013), sea levels at thecoast of theBayofBengal,which lines theSoutherncoast ofBangladesh, have already risen by an average of 2.5mmper year since 1950 and by an average of 5.3mmperyear from1977to2002.Theauthorsalsociteprojections that showthat by 2030 sea levels could rise by a further 30 cm and by 2050 by 50 cm. Further