Bangladesh+Climate+Adaptation+Plan

Negative team: Seth M. and Adam T.
Affirmative team: Kristi F. and Ashtin N.

//Improving Bangladesh:// //A Multi-Step Plan to Cope with Global Warming
 * The Affirmative's plan**//

Bangladesh is a country often hit with natural calamities such as floods, tropical cyclones, tidal waves, and droughts. However, the largest factor by far is flooding, with 1/2 the country being flooded during the worst of storms, and 1/3 of the country being flooded normally. These floods are destroying their economic development as a country and could be caused by global warming (Shrestha, Nanda R.). Bangladesh has "one of the most densely populated, low-lying, coastal zones in the world, with 20-25 million people living within a one-metre elevation from the high tide level," (DiMento, Joseph F.).

Since global warming is causing the polar ice caps to melt, this means that there will be higher water levels, as well as fiercer storms due to the changing composition of the oceans. Both of these contribute to the problems Bangladesh is experiencing. This threat is causing Bangladesh's economy to crumble because of the devastated crops and cities. There is also huge loss of life due to flooding (CIA-The World...). The government has approved some climate change steps with the assistance of western nations. However, most of the peasants believe the flooding actually enriches their crops and do not want Western help (Stamets, Reena S.). Since Bangladesh's government is democratic, President Zillur Rahman cannot implement these policies without the peasants’ support (CIA-The World...).

The government needs to take more actions to persuade the people to accept Annex I nations’ help (Stamets, Reena S.). The U.S. needs to reach out to the peasants and persuade them if the government cannot. The government also needs to prepare to implement the plans that will save their economy and their citizens. Specifically President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheik Hasina Wajed need to work with the legislative branch and the people to improve the flood conditions (CIA-The World...).

Specifically, the government needs to work on combating the rivers that run through Bangladesh as there are a lot. To do this, they can terrace hills, construct floodways, levees, dams, dikes, reservoirs, retention ponds, bunds, and weirs ("Flood Control-Wikipedia..."). This will not be easy because they are a third world country and will need money and labor to do this. It is important that Annex I nations, or western nations let Bengladeshis do this so that they don't become reliant on Americans and establish national pride in what they have done ("China-Relations with...").

The essential ideas for this life changing, empowering, and remarkable plan, or Improving Bangladesh: A Multi-Step Plan to Cope With Global Warming are outlined here:

Step 1. The government prepares for flood relief by getting sandbags, etc ("Flood Control-Wikipedia...").

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Step 2. The government sequesters money for construction and sets it away so it is not used. The government can take money from previous FAPs or Flood Action Plans to give to this one so as not to disrupt the economy and taxes being paid by Bengladeshis (Islam Nazrul.). This should provide adequet funding as, “It is now several decades that Bangladesh has been regularly spending about 20 percent of her budget on water development projects,” (Islam, Nazrul.). However, if it does not, step three should occur. ======

Step 3. The U.S. adds to these funds what is needed to get the project in motion, as well as get it finished. This can be achieved by giving money from the Millennium Challenge Accounts, an account designed for funding developing countries and giving aid (“Millennium Challenge Account...”). This would be a better place for it to go than most, as some of this money ended up in the hands of corrupt dictators over the course of time (Powell, Benjamin...).

Step 4. Nations around the world, Annex I nations, Bangladesh itself, and any others that care for human life, work to convince the peasants that something needs to be done or global warming will finish them (Stamets, Reena S.).

Step 5. These same nations work to encourage self-reliance for the labor of the project (“China-Relations with...”). (It is important to note that these nations would not just be persuading by mouth, but also by the use of international service projects and money. If this is bribery then it is for a very good cause, perhaps the noblest in bribery’s history.)

Step 6. The money that was sequestered is used to build flood controlling structures ("Flood Control-Wikipedia..."). There are “roughly 10,000 square kilometers of water in Bangladesh,” (Geography of Bangladesh.). A levee costs about $1700 per linear foot. This means that if we only wanted to build levees our project would cost roughly $30,000,000,000 (Strong Levees.).

Step 7. The flood damage is reduced over a period of years and Bangladesh is free to grow (CIA-The World...).

The first benefit would be that the Bangladesh floods will be reduced, resulting in fewer lives lost and a more vibrant economy (CIA-The World...). This could even result in Bangladesh having the ability to grow out of its third world nation status because of the greater time they would have to dedicate to improvement. This plan involves building structures that will reduce the floods in Bangladesh. Bangladeshis can do this by building dams that trap and store water and let it out in a controlled way. They could also build embankments along rivers to raise the river so it is capable of holding more water, or by building flood walls, storage areas, washlands, and many more structures to control flooding. By building things like these, floods will be controlled, lives will be saved, and the economy will be restored ("How Can You...").

The second benefit would be that the people will be empowered. Since we would allow them to do this themselves they would begin to feel like they could do something instead of having to wait for Westerners to do things for them ("China-Relations with..."). This national pride will once again give them the power to “pull themselves up by their own bootstraps,” (Martin, Gary.) as the saying goes. “Pride is the pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself,” (Pride | Define Pride...).

The advantages of this plan over all others are obvious. The first plan made by the government is slow to be implemented and there is not a lot they want to get done (Hossain, Akhtar.). Our plan is bigger and better for the common people and the economy. As Daniel Burnham's motto was, "Small plans have no magic to stir men's brains," so this shall be our motto (Orlando Park Public...). Bangladesh has a plan in place, but it is a five-year plan (Hossain, Akhtar.). So far in Bangladesh, 5,000 people have died, and 7 million homes have been destroyed. With the flooding getting more intense, the death and damage toll could be raised by much more ("Floods in Bangladesh).

Our plan is also better than the US and other Western nation's plans because it involves the natives (Bangladesh: Strategic Flood..."). If we let them become too dependent on our money and our labor, then they might not be able to accomplish other things on their own because they think they can't ("China-Relations with..."). For instance, imagine that terrorists wanted to stage a coup and the Bangladeshis didn't fight back because they thought they needed American aid to do anything. If this occurred then we would find Bangladesh becoming a launching pad for terrorist attacks against the U.S. (Rosenberg, Joel C.) and we would only have our faulty plan to blame. However, if we implemented Improving Bangladesh: A Multi-Step Plan to Cope With Global Warming this could be avoided.

Our way is the best way for a few simple reasons that we have outlined

previously. We respect the natives national pride, we have big ideas to “stir men’s brains,” we are ready to present this plan for implementation by the government, and we will save lives and finances. One could see in all of our earlier paragraphs how our plan has advantages, as well as benefits. The other plans move too slowly or too fast, but ours is just right. Other plans have too much native involvement or too little, but ours is, again, just right. This is why our plan is the best.

//**Works Cited**//

"Bangladesh: Strategic Flood Control and Water Management." United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. United Nations, 29 Oct. 2003. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

"CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site ? Central Intelligence Agency. 1 Apr. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

"China - Relations with the Third World." Country Data. Ed. Ronald E. Dolan. Federal Research Division Library of Congress, July 1987. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

"Cyclone Relief Efforts Slowed by Myanmar Junta : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. NPR, 10 May 2008. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

DiMento, Joseph F., and Pamela Doughman. Climate Change: What It Means for Us, Our Children, and Our Grandchildren. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 2007. Print.

"Flood Control - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia." Main Page - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, 8 Apr. 2010. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

"Floods in Bangladesh - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia." Main Page - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

"Geography of Bangladesh - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia." Main Page - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, 16 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

Hossain, Akhtar. "Bangladesh: Flood Management." WMO/GWP Associated Programme on Flood Management. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

"How Can You Manage Floods." Upload & Share PowerPoint Presentations and Documents. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

Martin, Gary. "Pull Yourself up by Your Bootstraps." The Meanings and Origins of Sayings and Phrases | List of Sayings | English Sayings | Idiom Definitions | Idiom Examples | Idiom Origins | List of Idioms | Idiom Dictionary | Meaning of Idioms. The Phrase Finder, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

Islam, Nazrul. "Flood Control in Bangladesh." Welcome to the [|Www.ben-center.org]. Bangladesh Environment Network. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

"Millennium Challenge Account - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia." Main Page - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, 4 Mar. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

Orlando Park Public Library. "ORLAND PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY | The Burnham Plan Centennial." Home Page | The Burnham Plan Centennial. The Burnham Plan Centennial. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

Powell, Benjamin, and Matt Ryan. "U.S. Money Aids World's Worst Dictators by Benjamin Powell, Matt Ryan." Third World Traveler, Third World, United States Foreign Policy, Alternative Media, Travel. Third World Traveler. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <[] >.

"Pride | Define Pride at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">[] >.

Rosenberg, Joel C. Inside the Revolution. Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale House, 2009. Print.

Shrestha, Nanda R. Nepal and Bangladesh: a Global Studies Handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Print.

Stamets, Reena S. "World Bank Plan to Stop Floods Horrifies Bangladeshis." Worldandnation: World Bank Plan to Stop Floods Horrifies Bangladeshis. 13 Oct. 2006. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. <<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">[] >.

Strong Levees. Strong Levees, 2009. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. <<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">[] >.