“We are the people of coastal area, Our sufferings know no bounds, We have to survive fighting various disasters.” —Shagorika Mondol, song sung to pattachitra scroll on disaster awareness How do you creatively inform the community about dealing with a tragedy that regularly befalls them? Or encourage them to stand back on their feet after a natural calamity strikes? A …

LOCAL CLIMATE ADAPTORS: As of July 2021, the world has already entered the era of human-induced climate change, which is causing adverse impacts around the world in both poor as well as rich countries.  Tragically, many people are losing their lives and livelihoods from these extreme events, which include heat waves, wildfires, floods, cyclones and droughts.  At the same time, …

What is Vulnerability? Vulnerability to climate change is a complex and dynamic phenomenon. However, the term ‘vulnerability’ does not have a universal definition. Robert Chambers defines vulnerability in the context of international development as a consequential outcome of the poverty and deprivation faced by communities at risk of disasters. According to him vulnerability is the ‘exposure to contingencies and stress, and difficulty …

Over the past eight months we—in our capacity as Action Track Chairs for the UN Food Systems Summit—have received well over 2,000 written submissions from around the world on how to transform food systems so that they can deliver access to safe and nutritious foods for all, in ways that deliver sustainable consumption, use approaches that are positive and regenerative …

In recent years, cyclones have battered the coastal fringes of Bangladesh, with one following closely after another. In Satkhira district, a combination of tidal flooding, inundation by storm surges, and saltwater intrusion has led to a rise in salinity in groundwater and fresh-water ponds. This is a problem for local people, who mainly make a living from farming and fishing, …

On the 31st March 2021, the UK government will convene the Climate and Development Ministerial meeting to discuss practical next steps on priority issues for climate vulnerable countries and communities ahead of COP26. Professor Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, provides his insights on priorities in conversation with Professor Fiona Nunan. Which major challenges facing low and middle-income …

The highway to zero carbon is marked by high profile milestones, strung out like market towns on the Grand Trunk Road. COP26 in Glasgow is one such. But lying between the market towns are the lay-bys and wayside inns where people meet, conversations are held, networks are formed, and deals are struck. They are intrinsic to the success of the …

In a time of many seemingly insurmountable challenges, there is something that we can fix. One thing, which if changed could simultaneously accelerate the end of hunger, ensure everyone has access to a healthy diet, dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reverse biodiversity loss, and make societies and economies more equitable and resistant to devastating pandemics such as COVID-19. Does that …

Rebecca Eldon one of our Visiting Researchers shares her story. Researching Bangladesh’s Nationally Determined Contribution Since my first visit to Bangladesh, the country has stood out to me as one of the most unique places in the world. There is incredible beauty, seen both in the population’s love for art and culture, and in the deeply rooted kindness and hospitality …

“I will never forget those voices and those faces sitting in front of me,” Sarah Johnson, a student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), said over coffee at a campus café recently, as she described a meeting she had with a group of elderly rice farmers in the Charlands of western Bangladesh this past summer. Johnson made the trip …