Climate change to take heavy toll on Bangladesh: U.N. By Ruma
Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - Disaster-prone Bangladesh is among the
countries most vulnerable to climate change, which could worsen
water scarcity and force mass displacement, the United Nations
said on Tuesday. The U.N. Development Programme in its latest
report warned that climate change will hit the world's poorest
countries by breaking down agricultural systems, worsening water
scarcity, increasing risks of diseases and triggering mass
displacement due to recurring floods and storms. The report said
more than 70 million Bangladeshis, 22 million Vietnamese, and 6
million Egyptians could be affected by global warming-related
flooding. "The near-term vulnerabilities are not concentrated in
lower Manhattan and London, but in flood-prone areas of
Bangladesh and drought-prone parts of sub-Saharan Africa," said
Kevin Watkins, the lead author of the Human Development Report.
Dhaka has proposed setting up of an International Centre for
Adaptation to study cou