18 dead in India, Bangladesh floods; millions without homes
CBSDec 30, 2021
The Facts
Catastrophic floods that began in Mar. and Apr. - nearly three months before "official" monsoon season - have struck Bangladesh and India. Extreme downpours brought areas of Bangladesh 970mm (38 inches) of rain on Sun. alone.
The floods have claimed over 100 lives in the past two weeks, and have stranded >9.5M people with little access to food and water. In Bangladesh, UNICEF warned that 4M people urgently need assistance, with 90% of health facilities impacted.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The recent torrid heatwaves and torrential floods in India and Bangladesh both bear the clear, unmistakable fingerprints of a climate emergency throughout the region. Very sadly, both nations have failed to invest adequately in climate resilience and adaptation, and it's the poor who must bear the brunt of these twin climate disasters because of improper government planning.
Pro-establishment narrative
The governments are doing the best they can. Unfortunately, while the richest nations are preoccupied with short-term inflationary and supply issues, the developing world faces the massive and irreversible effects of climate change with little help. Successive empty promises mean poorer countries are alone fighting an economic, social, and environmental battle that their vulnerable infrastructures are unprepared to deal with.
Narrative C
It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.