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Protecting Houses against Floods through Microcredit and Microlending
Summary:
The following case study is featured in the Meister Consultants Group study: *Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World*.
Bangladesh is one of the countries that will be most affected by climate change. Two thirds of the country is located in low lying coastal wetlands less than five meters above sea level, so rising sea levels pose an especially serious threat. In the past, Bangladesh has frequently been hit by natural disasters, and climate change threatens to make such catastrophes even more common. Despite its financial constraints, the country is trying to prepare for these enormous threats as much as possible in order to minimize the number of potential victims and economic impacts. In this regard, Bangladesh’s case offers some best practices. For instance, in the event of an imminent flood the population is alerted through an early warning system that uses volunteers to alert people via megaphones as well as over the radio. Given the massive threats and its limited financial means, Bangladesh depends on international support for its measures to adapt to climate change.
_Source: Dr. Hans-Peter Meister, I. K., Martina Richwein, Wilson Rickerson, Chad Laurent. Additional contributors: Jeff Snell, Elisa Burchert, Florian Lux. (2009). *Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World.* Boston: Meister Consultants Group. p. 21._
For more detailed information and references refer to: [Floating Houses - Full Report](http://files.mc-group.com/clst/Study%20Climate%20Change%20Adaption.pdf).
[Meister Consultants Group](http://www.mc-group.com/)
Adaptation Experience:
The Grameen Bank has become famous for its microcredit program. In 2006, the founder, Muhammad Yunus, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering work in the field of microfinance. These small loans are paid back on a weekly basis. The microcredit system builds on a system of shared responsibility: Families and communities support each other, thereby realizing a payback rate of close to 100 percent.
The Grameen Bank plays an important role for the adaptation to the impacts of climate change. Since 1984, the bank has given out credits for the building of houses, and supports the population by funding preventive measures against flooding. The approach has become very important for the adaptation strategy in Bangladesh. To date, 600,000 houses have been funded with credits of the Grameen Bank.
Source: Flood-resistant housing through micro-loans in Bangladesh. UNFCCC, database of local coping strategies: http://maindb.unfccc.int/public/adaptation/adaptation_casestudy.pl?id_project=38 Mainstreaming and Financing of Adaptation to Climate Change, Ancha Srinivasan and Toshihiro Uchida Oxfam: Up in Smoke? Asia and the Pacific. The threat from climate change to human development and the environment.Oxfam, 2007.
Results and Learning:
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