BANGLADESH is a flat deltaic country where 80% of the land is less than 12 metres above sea level. Coastal southern Bangladesh is mostly at sea level. Because of the geographical setting and physical characteristics, the country is regularly inundated by riverine and coastal flooding.

Climate change will make the country highly vulnerable to sea level rise, intense cyclones and storm surge flooding. A recent special report entitled "Bangladesh is set to disappear under the waves by the end of the century" by Johann Hari, published in the British daily Independent, has drawn significant attention around the world. It has sent a shockwave through the people, scientists and policy-makers, in Bangladesh.

However, will Bangladesh completely disappear under water by 2100 as claimed in the Independent, which cited National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa)? This issue deserves discussion in the context of the findings of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that was released in 2007, and the scientific developments that have taken place since then.  Read rest…