Publications
Publications
- February 2023
- HBS Case Collection
Bangladesh: Into the Maelstrom
Abstract
In the fall of 2018, Rohima Begum considered her options as the small island, or “char,” on which her family’s house rested slowly but inescapably eroded into the mighty Brahmaputra River in northern Bangladesh. Should she move to another island or into the city on the mainland, or risk a dangerous journey to Europe?
While much of the world looks on climate change as a looming threat, vulnerable countries like Bangladesh already feel its impacts. Seasonal rains and storms, increasing snowmelt from the Himalayas, and rising sea levels create floods that can cover most of the country’s land mass – and threaten most of the country’s 169 million people, with millions displaced each year. While the government of Bangladesh invests billions into adaptive measures, from coastal tree-planting to water treatment to embankments, it cannot hope to address the destruction of a global crisis alone.
While much of the world looks on climate change as a looming threat, vulnerable countries like Bangladesh already feel its impacts. Seasonal rains and storms, increasing snowmelt from the Himalayas, and rising sea levels create floods that can cover most of the country’s land mass – and threaten most of the country’s 169 million people, with millions displaced each year. While the government of Bangladesh invests billions into adaptive measures, from coastal tree-planting to water treatment to embankments, it cannot hope to address the destruction of a global crisis alone.
Keywords
Citation
Hussam, Reshmaan, Sophus A. Reinert, and Jaya Y. Wen. "Bangladesh: Into the Maelstrom." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 723-050, February 2023.