Bangladesh, a South Asian country that believes climate change is responsible for repeated natural disasters, is asking rich nations to pay four billion dollars to repair present and future damage. Environment Secretary A.H.M. Rezaul cites a World Bank study and climate scientists in placing the blame on the big carbon emitters.

Located on the Bay of Bengal and bordered by India, Bangladesh is one of the world’s lowest emitters of greenhouse gases. It is also one of the 10 most populous countries in the world and has a high poverty rate. It expects to use the four billion dollars to build dams, cyclone shelters and infrastructure to cope with increasing numbers of natural disasters, some considered a direct result of climate change.

Rising sea levels are especially dangerous for the country, which has a 360-mile coastline and is low lying–most parts of the land are less than 39 feet above sea level. It is believed that 50 percent of the land would be flooded if the sea level were to rise by 3 feet.

Some groups are making dire predictions for the impoverished country: The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts rising sea levels will devour 17 percent of Bangladesh’s land mass by 2050, leaving at least 20 million people homeless. Scientist James Hansen, known for his early warnings about climate change, forecasts the entire nation will be under water by the end of the century.

According to the news article Bangladesh seeks billions to fight climate change (September 7), the small nation will present its demands to the British government and international donors in London this month. Atiq Rahman, a Bangladeshi environmental scientists and a co-author of the IPCC report on global warming, says, “We especially need help from those rich nations whose carbon emissions have created the problems — and they should also be prepared to open their doors to the millions of Bangladeshis who will become climate refugees.”