Climate Change, Resilience, and Adaptation in Bangladesh

The Mershon Center for International Security Studies welcomes Mahbuba Nasreen, Professor, University of Dhaka, and Md. Mizanur Rahman, Projecct Director Bangladesh Delta Plan. They will present Climate Change, Resilience, and Adaptation in Bangladesh in Scott Laboratory E100.

Climate change has become a global concern, especially since the international forums’ urge to take immediate collaborative actions to meet the challenges of climate change and its effects. Climate change instigates to increase frequency and severity of disasters with adverse impacts on humans, natural ecosystem and quality of human survival. Bangladesh is recognized by the world communities as one of the most vulnerable countries susceptible to global warming, climate change and disasters. Some of the impacts of climate change on agriculture based country have already been observed: irregular monsoon and very little rainfall in dry period; increased frequency, intensity and recurrence of floods, cyclones; crop damage due to flash floods and monsoon floods; crop failure due to drought; salinity intrusion along the coast leading to redundancy of prevailing crop practices. The most alarming prediction about the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh is that more than 25 million people will become climate refugees and food insecure only due to sea level rise in the coming decades. Climate induced disasters displace millions of people. Human health is also at risk from growing incidence of diseases linked to rising temperatures and rainfall variability. Increasingly saline drinking water is resulting acute health hazards. Climate induced disasters affect all people: children, women and men.

However, in a gendered culture and economics women and girls face number of problems due to their gender identity. Government of Bangladesh and her people have been taking many initiatives and adaptive measures for reducing the adverse impacts of climate change. However, addressing climate change issues is becoming challenging due to its multifaceted and multilayered governance. Lack of integration in taking initiatives combining climate change and disaster related crises. Urgent attention at local and international levels is a prerequisite in this regard.

This event is co-sponsored by the School of Environment and Natural Resources, the Sustainable and Resilient Economy Initiative, the Institute for Population Research, the Environmental Policy Initiative, the Global Water Institute, and the School of Earth Sciences.