Morgan: (enthused) Hey...Looks like a good day for whale watching. Keep an eye out for any belugas.

Ryan: (sounding queasy) I'm safer out here with my eyes closed thanks...I don't feel so good.

Morgan: (teasing) What? Can't handle a few waves?

Ryan: Let's just say I'm no arctic sailor

Inukshuk: No beluga whales out here I'm afraid. Sharks, more likely.

Morgan: Sharks?! You're not telling me that arctic seas will soon be swarming with sharks thanks to climate change?

Inukshuk: No one knows for sure what climate change may bring to your seas. I wouldn't worry about sharks though. There are already a few species up north, like the Greenland Shark. Quite harmless really. I've watched your ancestors catch these with their bare hands...

Ryan: (interrupting) Now there's a trick - not for me of course!

Inukshuk: (ignores Ryan's concern) What we do know is that climate change will bring higher, stormier seas . And this can spell big trouble for coastal dwellers no matter where they live.

Morgan: We're already feeling it. I've seen big hunks of our shoreline drop into the sea and... (suddenly realizes she can't recognize the coastline) wait a second...That sure doesn't look familiar.

Inukshuk: We're a far cry from the Arctic. But the story here is not so very different.

Ryan: Where have you brought us this time?

Inukshuk: Welcome to Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated countries on earth. Much of it is built on a low fertile delta created by three large rivers that drain into the Bay of Bengal. If the sea level rises one metre - as some climate models predict - almost 20% of the country could be permanently underwater.

Ryan: Rising waters...low ground...tons of people. Sounds like a recipe for disaster!

Inukshuk: Bangladesh has had its share of floods over the years all right. And more to come I'm afraid. With 840 people per square kilometre, there's not a lot of extra space for people to move away when the floods hit.

Morgan: Wow! I've seen caribou in densities like that but not people.

Inukshuk: Where you live, there is roughly one person for every 60 square kilometres.

Ryan: (incredulous) You mean...about 1/60 of a person per square kilometre?

Inukshuk: (almost chuckling) That's one way of looking at it. Two vastly different worlds. And yet, the problems caused by climate change are similar.

Morgan: How so?

Inukshuk: Many people in developing countries like Bangladesh live very close to the land, just like your people, so they are the first ones to feel the impacts of climate change. When seawater floods their land or rain become less reliable, their food supplies and land-based work suffer. For instance, some farmers who once grew two crops of rice a year can now only grow one. Their families often go hungry. Coastal and riverside communities get hit the hardest.

Morgan: Most of our communities are along the shore too. Some of our docks, buildings and traditional campsites have been washed away by freak storms and high water.

Inukshuk: And, as up north, it's not only people who are at risk, but also the plants and animals. Bangladesh is home to the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world.

Ryan: They look pretty spindly. What good are they?

Inukshuk: These trees like salt water and grow along the ocean coast, stabilizing it and providing important habitat for the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger. As coastal farmlands erode away or get swamped by seawater, these forests come under increasing pressure from people who need a place to live.

Ryan: (concerned) And when the forests go, goodbye tigers!

Morgan: Sounds pretty hopeless. What can people do?

Inukshuk: There are solutions. But first you really need to understand the problems.As people learn more about climate change impacts, they are finding creative ways to adapt. Theatre groups in Bangladesh are using traditional songs and dances to spread the word about the risks of climate change and how to prepare for them.

Ryan: Like what?

Inukshuk: Like farming on water.

Ryan: You're not serious. That guy isn't actually walking on water is he?

Inukshuk: In effect, yes. He's tending a floating crop of okra, a popular Asian vegetable. As the land shrinks with rising sea levels, people are testing out new ways to farm on water to make a living and feed their families.

Morgan: So, the moral of the story is...if you can't beat back the rising water, work with it?

Inukshuk: Exactly. Your species seems to be very adaptable. Climate change presents some mighty big challenges. But the more people know about these problems, the easier they will be to solve.

Morgan: I guess that's true wherever you live!

Inukshuk: You guessed right, my friend.

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