There are two major outcomes and messages on adaptation to climate change that have been mentioned in the recently published Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of Working Group II (WG2) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The first one says that the impacts of climate change are evident all around the world—in both poor countries and rich—necessitating a much …

Extreme weather, an undesirable consequence of global climate change, is already seriously affecting the lives and livelihoods of people all around the world, especially in Bangladesh.  A low-lying terrain and a high frequency of extreme events such as floods and tropical storms put Bangladesh and its 170 million people at a high risk in terms of climate vulnerability. Indeed, Bangladesh …

The following article is an account of the life of Md Rafiqul Islam from Bazar Road, Morrelganj Upazila in Bagerhat district. Rafiqul is a sanitation entrepreneur, trader, and businessman in Morrelganj. With an extended family including his parents, two sisters, wife, and two children. His family belongs in the lower-income class. However, he was able to complete his Bachelors’ degree, …

The development gains and hard-earned productivity of Bangladesh are at risk of being inverted if the 1.5 degree Celsius limit of the Paris Agreement is breached. To that end, it remains imperative to equip vulnerable communities, key sectors and the government with vital instruments to bring about resilience and stability for all. At the end of last year, Bangladesh’s Prime …

Sitting on a plastic chair inside a small brick house in Cox’s Bazar, the light from the evening sun shining on his tired face, 70 year-old Mahmud* recalls the day when a five-metre tidal wave engulfed his home and land on Kutubdia island, killing his wife and two sons. The ‘1991 cyclone’ was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones to ever …

This paper aims to understand how environmental stressors influence people’s livelihood options in the coastal belt of Bangladesh. We argue that environmental stressors such as cyclones, riverbank erosion, salinity intrusion, and floods have negative impacts on people’s lives by reducing their livelihood options. Twelve in-depth interviews (Livelihood Histories) and twelve Focus Group Discussions (FGD) based on two Participatory Rural Appraisal …

An overview of research findings from the 2013 to 2018 Gibika project. Understanding how environmental stress and climatic changes influence people’s livelihood resilience and lives in Bangladesh. By: Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson Contributing authors: Kees van der Geest and David Wrathall Introduction A climate-resilient and sustainable future for people in vulnerable countries starts with resilient livelihoods. There is an urgent need to …

The three day long Second Annual National Conference on Urban Resilience to Climate Change has already started from 25th November 2017. The International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN), Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) along with multiple other partners are organizing this national conference from 25 to 27 November 2017 at the …

C. Emdad Haque one of our Visiting Researcher share his story.   Learning resilience from the people of Bangladesh By C. Emdad Haque In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a panel of experts on CNN suggested that if any country or society needs to learn about resilience to natural disasters, they should look to Bangladesh. This is because Bangladeshis have confronted …

The last day of the First Annual Urban Conference kicked off with the topic “Financing the Sustainable Urban Development Agenda” hosted by BCAS. The topic’s main focus was to uphold clear and sustainable financing in the urban context. The session was chaired by Dr. Atiq Rahman executive director at BCAS and the chief guest for this session was Dr. Samsul …