societies with contrasting vulnerability

Bangledash

Location

Bangladesh is mostly a low-lying, flat delta

75% of the country is less than 10 m above sea level

80% of the country sits on the low-lying floodplains of the delta

Swiss Alps location

Swiss Alps: The Swiss Alps are located in the southern part of Switzerland, south of the Swiss Plateau and north of the national border with Italy, France, Austria, and Liechtenstein

Problem bangledash

It is vulnerable to any changes in sea levels and flooding because:

The country is already prone to flooding and tropical monsoon conditions

Seasonal flooding is normal and necessary to provide fertile soil and irrigation

But the size, intensity, and frequency of these events have increased

The monsoon rainfall is predicted to rise by 40% by 2030

In 1998, 75% of Bangladesh was flooded, making 30 million people homeless

Over 1,000 people died

700,000 hectares of crops were destroyed

Respond bangladesh

Bangladesh's Flood Action Plan, 1988, aimed to protect the country from future flooding

It was funded by the World Bank and a number of HICs

Measures included:

Monitoring of flood levels

Effective flood warning systems

Construction of levees and embankments, which also provide protection from flooding by tidal waves and storm surges

Building 200 flood shelters on stilts for evacuated people

Creating flood water storage systems

Diverting flood water from buildings with 5000 km of drainage channels

Reducing deforestation

sucess bangladesh

The FAP was not considered a success because:

Many parts of the project were never completed, including the dams and floodwater storage areas, due to inadequate funding and corruption

There was later a recognition that some flooding was necessary to maintain agriculture in many areas

8 million people were forced to move to accommodate the FAP constructions

Changing the channel upstream meant that areas downstream suffered more

The government cannot afford the maintenance costs

swiss alps Problem

Swiss glaciers are melting rapidly, with many expected to vanish completely by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced.

Since 1980, 10-20% of the remaining ice in the Alps has been lost.

By 2050, about 75% of the glaciers in the Swiss Alps are likely to have disappeared

Thawing permafrost leading to increased rockfalls, landslides, and slope collapses.

Floods cause the most economic damage, and many densely populated Alpine areas have been hit severely by floods in recent years. For flash floods, evacuation is not always possible.

Glaciers lost >40% ice (2000–2022)

Respond

swiss alps

Winter ski resorts rely on adaptation strategies, mainly artificial snow-making; other measures include grooming of ski slopes, moving ski areas to higher altitudes, and diversification of tourism revenues.

Early warning systems, engineering (e.g., nets, relocation planning for 100+ hazard zones), hydropower shifts, and tourism diversification; GDP per capita ~US$90k funds responses

Reservoirs adapt for dry periods, providing extra storage amid glacier loss (hydropower = 60% of Swiss electricity); reoperation of dams ensures supply despite 40% ice reduction.

success of swiss alps

Highly effective, decentralized governance allows for local and national climate action plans (e.g., Swiss Adaptation Strategy). Strong building codes and enforced land-use planning limit exposure.

Managed risks—no mass displacement; villages like Blatten evacuated pre-landslide