While
reading The Windup Girl, I was reminded of a project I am working on for my
Capstone class this semester. The novel is set in the future in Thailand, where
global warming has taken a catastrophic toll on the world. The big corporations
are based in agriculture and are in complete control of food manufacturing and
distribution. Often entire populations are wiped out due to rapid spreading of
diseases. Granted, this is a highly dramatized version of what could happen
with climate change, but much of it isn’t all that unrealistic with the growing
patterns we see in the real world.
For my Capstone final project, we were instructed to
conduct research regarding the rising sea levels in major coastal cities. We
were to look into what would happen to our assigned country over the next 60
years, challenges they will face, and possible solutions. Thailand was actually
one of the cities assigned, however my group was assigned to Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world with its
population exceeding 15 million. It is low-lying and located near many rivers
and water sources, it is very susceptible to flooding, as well as droughts,
from the water not being able to be distributed properly, and ultimately
wasted. With climate change brings increases in frequency and severity of
storms, furthering the poor conditions that this city already experiences.
Dhaka has a large percent of the population living below the poverty line, and
directly along the coast. These are the people who will be the most vulnerable
to what climate change will bring.
Currently, half of the workforce works in sweatshops,
usually earning around $5 a day. The city brings in money through exporting
garments, textiles and other related goods. A staple in the Dhaka diet is rice,
which is grown in the country. Both rice and garments or textiles, require a
certain type of climate, which wouldn’t be provided with climate change. The
country is politically corrupt, which only adds to the struggles. There is a
transport shortage, meaning that many who need to transport their goods in
order to sell them, are now out of business. And with a rice shortage becoming
a real possibility, the city has to worry about lack of food, water, shelter,
and land.
This situation very much reminds me of The Windup Girl.
In Dhaka, climate change is quickly eliminating large chunks of land, leaving
the poor completely vulnerable and desperate to find a way to live. These
people are completely at the mercy of the government to do whatever they have
to do in order to survive. With markets having to shut down rice sales due to
increased taxes and decreased transportation, the government is in charge of
finding a way to feed the country. With the current corrupt state of the
government, it is plausible for large food production corporations to have
complete control over food and be in power. Also, with less arable land for agriculture and freshwater, a solution must be found to have crops that can withstand harsh weather conditions, and GMO could easily be that solution. With flooding already occurring in
Dhaka, infectious diseases are on the rise, wiping out communities rapidly,
similar to the plague infecting many in The Windup Girl.
Although The Windup Girl might have seen extreme and
unrealistic at times, I don’t think it is unreasonable to assume that similar
problems are likely to be seen with the rising sea levels, and decreasing land
mass, especially for corrupt cities.
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