On Climate Change Damages for Bangladesh

Posted by E. Frank Stephenson of the Division of Labor blog.

"Yesterday's "All Things Considered" on NPR included an interview with Munjurul Hannan Khan who is a Bangladeshi negotiator at the U.N. climate talks. Mr. Khan blames global warming for raising sea levels and making some coastal regions of Bangladesh no longer suitable for farming. He seeks $100 billion per year in compensation from rich countries to offset the damage.

I doubt the damage is $100 billion per year--the CIA factbook puts the country's total gdp at about $300 billion and indicates that only 17% of gdp comes from agriculture. I'm not even sure there are any damages; maybe, maybe not.

What I am fairly sure about, however, is that bad policies in Bangladesh have inflicted great harm--probably more than whatever might have been caused by global warming--on the people of that country. Bangladesh consistently ranks in the bottom third of countries in the Economic Freedom of the World Index, though its absolute score has improved a bit in recent years. Perhaps Mr. Khan should also be seeking compensation for Bangladesh's people from its politicians."