ClimateWire's Flooding, Food and Climate Change in Bangladesh

LISA FRIEDMAN is writing a series of stories on Bangladesh and climate migration for ClimateWire. Here are some excerpts from first two installments of that series.

Thanks,
Babu

Bangladesh endures ugly experiments in 'nature's laboratory'
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/03/09/09climatewire-ugly-experiments-in-natures-laboratory-10035.html

"Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries on earth, has almost no control over the cause. Here, the average person emits about 0.3 tons of carbon dioxide each year -- compared to about 20 tons annually for the average American."

"But when it comes to seeing the effects of climate change, Bangladesh has a ringside seat."

"Already, hydrologists in Bangladesh say, catastrophic floods that once were expected every 20 years are happening almost every four years."

The road from growing rice to raising shrimp to misery
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/03/09/09climatewire-the-road-from-growing-rice-to-raising-shrimp-10034.html

"Water risks are a part of life in this low-lying country dominated by the reaches of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. But scientists and environmental activists said the September flood, which happened during a lunar high tide, was deeply unusual for the time of year."

"For many years, floods have been bringing saline water further inland, destroying the rice fields that once sustained the villages. Shrimp farms, many built with World Bank investment, have rapidly replaced the rice paddies."

"But residents say the shrimp farms employ a fraction of the people needed to harvest rice. At the same time, a cheap form of food, rice, is being replaced with a pricey one. The Bangladesh government earns more than $400 million annually in shrimp exports, but few Bengalis can afford to eat it themselves."

"Now villagers in Gabura and parts of flood-prone southwest Bangladesh say it might finally be time to leave for good. Dozens of families interviewed along the coast said they have lived the close-knit village life for generations, and they're familiar with the rhythm of temporarily moving along when things get bad. The difference now, they say, is that brothers, husbands and uncles are leaving for the cities in greater numbers than ever before -- and this time, they're not coming home."