Women in Bangladesh are suffering severe health impacts from saltwater intrusion, a consequence of climate change that could soon affect other parts of the world.
Saltwater intrusion in Bangladesh is causing reproductive health issues, including irregular menstrual cycles and infections, particularly affecting women.
The rise in sea levels, intensified by climate change, is pushing saline water inland, contaminating drinking water supplies and driving migration from rural areas to cities.
Similar threats from rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion are emerging globally, affecting countries like Egypt, Vietnam, and the U.S.
Key quote:
“The people are trapped. When you don’t have water to drink, how do you live?”
— Zion Bodrud-Doza, researcher at the University of Guelph.
Why this matters:
As sea levels rise, saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies is a growing global health crisis, especially impacting women's reproductive health and driving mass migrations. Read more: Of water and fever.
The crisis, worsened partly by climate change, has been accompanied by soaring food prices and could have consequences for hunger, elections and migration worldwide.
Flood risk and climate change are pushing millions of people to move from their homes, according to a new study by the risk analysis firm First Street Foundation.
Federal efforts to protect communities from climate disasters with buyouts and resilience projects are often fractured and poorly coordinated. Is there a better way?
In Maine, as in other places, the impacts of climate change are already being felt, with ocean temperatures warming quickly and the state experiencing higher than average levels of precipitation.
Suella Braverman is right when she says there is a “hurricane” of migration coming, but the UK home secretary has no plan to weather the storm and her actions leave us all exposed.
