What once were hundred-year extreme storms in Bangladesh could now strike the country once a decade or more due to climate change, a recent study from MIT shows.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, with more than 170 million people living in an area about the size of New York state. Much of the country is made up by the huge, low-lying Ganges Delta, making it especially susceptible to flooding and extreme weather from climate change.
The study found that the “return period,” or the amount of time between these massive storms, is increasing dramatically due to climate change and that these massive storms will become more devastating, with some areas of Bangladesh potentially seeing the tide from these storms rise by more than a meter in height.
Sai Ravela, one of the study’s authors and principal research scientist for Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences at MIT, told EcoWatch that this is a first-of-its-kind study for Bangladesh that models future climate scenarios.
The researchers used complex computer models capable of quickly simulating tens of thousands of simulations to model storm surges, tides, sea level rise and cyclones under different warming scenarios.
“The results are quite stark. No matter where you look, whichever scenario you look at. And by the by the end of the century, if you look at what a 100-year return period looks like in future climate versus present climate, you see an order of magnitude change. 100-year return periods have become 10 years,” Ravela said.
In addition to the low-lying nature of the country, Bangladesh has more than 100 polders, or low-lying land area, which were built about 60 years ago to combat coastal flooding and salinity (saltwater) intrusion into crops. But these polders might not be the best solution.
As climate change worsens, there is also an increasing overlap between the late monsoon season, which occurs between June and October, and the cyclone season. “This has never happened before,” Ravela said. “I mean, you never see cyclones in the monsoon season. Why would you?”
People wade through floodwaters in Feni, southeastern Bangladesh on Aug. 24, 2024. Sultan Mahmud Mukut / Drik / Getty Images
Because the monsoon season is worsening and lengthening, and the ocean continues to warm, the country will see these two seasons increasingly overlap.
The study also suggests that back-to-back cyclones are becoming increasingly likely.
“What’s happening is that outside the polder, where the channels and rivers are, there’s silt that’s getting deposited. So the river bed is rising, the land inside the polar is sinking. So when there’s a flooding event, there’s a huge amount of water that’s deposited,” Ravela said.
He explained that because certain pieces of infrastructure, like pumps and sluice gates, don’t have the proper capacity to operate under these storms, there’s an enormous amount of saltwater deposited, salinating the soils and threatening agriculture as a result.
“And in this comes a cyclone. And what the cyclone does is it generates an enormous amount of strong tide, and the tidal amplification takes that water much further inland because of the way the river bed is, and it deposits a whole bunch of saline water inside these polders… And the economy just upends completely. [You] go from agriculture to no agriculture after just one cyclone. It takes eight years for that salinity to leech.”
Ravela said that one of the uses for the research is to understand which policies would help the country adapt to these storms. The polders, for example, are about four to five meters, which he said is not enough to compare these storms.
“It’s a controversial point, but do you even need the polders? Are they doing any good? Why wouldn’t we just, for example, remove the poulders and let it flood?” Ravela said. “But along with that flood comes so much sediment that it makes it very appealing to grow for part of the year on it. So there are other sustainable strategies that are born out of nature-based solutions, natural wisdom… I mean it’s unbelievable how much technology we dump without really thinking through it.”
Because the salinity renders cropland unusable, like in southwest Bangladesh, many people turn to shrimp farming, Ravela said. “Everybody tries to be a shrimp farmer. But the problem with shrimp farming is it’s so capital intensive that people who own their land before doing farming — and you need large pieces of land to do shrimp farming — turn to shrimp farming, and they become indentured laborers in their own farms, because these farms are now owned by somebody outside putting in a lot of money, and then that loss of ownership is a part of their story.”
Solving creeping problems like salinization likely requires broader governmental action, like negotiating with India to allow for more freshwater to flow into Bangladesh, he said.
With so many people facing natural disasters and the loss of their land and livelihood, many are fleeing. But as one goes farther north and away from the coast, the threat of salinization diminishes, although the risk of intense storms is still present. In these middle areas, Ravela explained, people are implementing agrivoltaics, aquaculture or even going back to rice farming as the soil in certain areas, like the southwest, is leeching away salt.
Other ways Bangladesh can prepare for these storms, he said, are by embracing old ways of agriculture. “Eight months out of the year, you grow. Four months out of the year, you let it flood, and it brings a fertile soil and the water recedes, and you can live the rest. You put your house on stilts and you migrate seasonally. You can slow down the storm tide. For every kilometer, you can drop a meter. And there are other benefits from the perspective of biodiversity and conservation that also that brings in,” Ravela said.
“Insofar as extreme events are concerned [like] the episodic modification of the soil properties, I think we can have a handle on that in this vulnerable mid portion north of Gabura, but South of safe zones like Keshabpur and Jessore.”
The post 100-Year Storms Now Expected at Least Once a Decade in Bangladesh, Study Finds appeared first on EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/bangladesh-extreme-weather-climate-change.html
Thoreau wrote in Walden that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in,” which reminds us that life is short and nature fills it beautifully. What are you looking for that can’t be found during an afternoon in nature?
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Time Is but the Stream appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-time-is-but-the-stream/
Green Living
Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action
Turn back the clock with this classic interview that will get you ready for Spring yard care planning. A lawn may be beautiful but it can take a heavy toll on the environment, accounting for between 30% and 60% of residential water use in the United States. Rob Moir, Ph.D., is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI works with residential lawn owners to heal damaged ecosystems by restoring coastal areas to lessen the destructive impacts of climate change. The benefits of a natural lawn reach far beyond reduced local water pollution, eliminating chemicals that can contribute to cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cellular diseases. Natural lawns are also better for local pollinators and store much more carbon than heavily fertilized lawns. If you considered removing your lawn to play a part in the battle against climate change, this interview may change your mind — a healthy lawn is a powerful carbon sink.
The Ocean River Institute is recruiting Massachusetts communities, town by town, to take a pledge to follow natural lawn practices in the Healthy Soils for Climate Restoration Challenge. You don’t need to live in Massachusetts to participate and learn about the alternatives to the traditional, chemical-intensive lawn practices that use Roundup, a source of glyphosates that kills soil-dwelling fungi and local pollinators, and fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers. You can learn more about the Ocean River Institute at www.oceanriver.org.
Rob has contributed many articles about climate change and the history of environmental change since this interview, including:
- Finding a Northwest Passage to the Sea
- Turning the Tide—How Land and Water Shape Our Climate Future
- Learning from Captain Scoresby’s Ten-gallon Fir-Cask
- Earth Savvy?
- Let the Ground Keep Falling Rainwater
- The Sultans of Swag Versus Looking at Clouds from Both Sides Now
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on May 30, 2022.
The post Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-the-ocean-river-institutes-natural-lawn-challenge-for-climate-action/
Choosing your perfect gown can be one of the most exciting decisions for your special day, but for the eco fashionista, it can be a challenge to find a dress that fits your values and style — but these brands have exceptional sustainable wedding dresses you’ll swoon over!
Using earth-minded materials like hemp, cruelty-free peace silk, deadstock recycled fabrics and vintage lace, and producing consciously, either in small batches or handcrafting each individual piece made-to-order, the brands below meet high standards for transparency, ecological sustainability, and fair labor.
[For more sustainable wedding dresses, check out this guide to secondhand wedding dress sites!]
Note that the guide contains affiliate links. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability we love, that we think you’ll love too!
1. Christy Dawn
Dreamy dress brand Christy Dawn does not disappoint with their romantic bridal collection! Each piece is more swoon-worthy than the next.
Their three sustainable bridal gowns are made from regenerative silk charmeuse —sourced through BOMBYX, an innovative silk producer using best practices — and colored in a beautiful pearl silk with non-toxic dyes. Each dress is ethically cut and sewn by makers in Los Angeles earning living wages, as with the rest of Christy Dawn’s collections.
The Britta Dress and Fitzgerald Dress are 1920s inspired while the Athena Dress is a more modern (but equally romantic) option. All of these dresses are made-to-order with an estimated timeline of 4 weeks.
Conscious Qualities: Regenerative silk and organic non-toxic dyes, ethically made-to-order in Los Angeles
Price Range: $2,500 – $3,000
Size Range: XS – XL
2. Pure Magnolia
Blending the traditional with the modern, Pure Magnolia designs classic-inspired sustainable wedding dresses with contemporary touches. And each dress is made in their Canadian studio by seamstresses earning fair wages from eco-fabrics, such as organic cotton and hemp silk.
The brand sources recycled fabrics whenever possible as well, and recycles their scrap fabric through FABCYCLE.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, locally and fairly made, recycles scrap fabrics
Price Range: $845 – $3,300 CAD
Size Range: 0 – 28
3. Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris crafts each of their creatively designed bohemian-inspired gowns ethically in their Sydney, Australia studio. Unconventional yet undeniably striking, Lost in Paris’ dresses are made from vintage lace and cotton.
Investing in a dress from Lost in Paris is seamless — the brand offers at-home sample try-ons, offers train and sleeve adjustments on several styles, ships their dresses worldwide for free, and even accepts returns. Oh, and, if one of their ready-made sizes doesn’t work for you, you can get a dress designed to your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses vintage lace, locally made
Price Range: $950 – $3900 AUD
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing options
For More Slow Fashion Content:
4. Wear Your Love
Wear Your Love creates feminine, effortless dresses in their Northern California studio that are — in contrast to the majority of wedding dresses on the market — actually comfortable! The brand’s free-spirited designs are made with soft, earth-minded fabrics like organic cotton and each dress is made to order for each bride to their exact measurements.
There are also customizations available for each eco-friendly wedding dress such as train or no train, skirt or sleeve linings, back coverage, skirt style, and more.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model, locally and transparently made
Price Range: $680 – $1,700
Size Range: N/A; dresses are made to your measurements
5. Larimeloom
Based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Larimeloom crafts exceptional custom-made dresses by hand in their atelier. The brand creates comfortable minimalist dresses from durable natural fabrics and colors them with natural or non-toxic dyes.
Larimeloom has also implemented zero waste design techniques, cutting their patterns strategically in order to minimize fabric waste.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, zero-waste designs, natural fabrics and dyes
Price Range: 650€ – 2,650€
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sister Organics
Sourcing quality earth-friendly natural fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, Sister Organics creates classic, eco-friendly wedding dresses for UK-based brides.
Each dress is made to order in England, so you can select a pre-defined size, customize the length of a size, or get an entirely different dress made for your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model
Price Range: £125 – £390
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing
7. Indiebride London
Indiebride’s vintage-inspired sustainable wedding dresses are delicate and romantic yet free-spirited, offering a unique collection for the bride that wants to skip the conventional wedding gown and choose a piece that fits their individual style.
The brand’s conscious wedding dresses are handmade in London using majority natural fibers and can be altered or customized to your specifications.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses many natural fabrics, locally made
Price Range: £1,200 – £1,700
Size Range: 8 – 16 (UK sizes)
More Resources For Your Eco Wedding:
10 Secondhand Wedding Dress Sites for the Eco Bride
7 Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement and Wedding Rings
17 Brands with Conscious Dresses (great options for bridesmaid dresses in here!)
The post 7 Best Sustainable Wedding Dresses for Your Special Day appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
-
Greenhouse Gases7 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Climate Change7 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago
Bill Discounting Climate Change in Florida’s Energy Policy Awaits DeSantis’ Approval
-
Climate Change2 years ago
Spanish-language misinformation on renewable energy spreads online, report shows
-
Climate Change2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change Videos2 years ago
The toxic gas flares fuelling Nigeria’s climate change – BBC News
-
Carbon Footprint2 years agoUS SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rules Spur Renewed Interest in Carbon Credits