Vulnerable Population to Climate Change in Bangladesh: Livelihood Constraints and Adaptation Strategies
[1]
M. A. Awal, Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Crop Botany, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Geographically Bangladesh is a worst hit country to climate change. Consequently many people especially rural poor are adversely affected every year; no study has yet quantified the number of people whose livelihood is affected by extreme weather events like flood, cyclone, irregulars rains, drought, erosion etc. The study has utilized both secondary and primary sources of data. To assess the number of the households or population that are affected by climate shocks, secondary data from Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2010 and Population Census 2011 data are analyzed across all the seven administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Primary data are mostly qualitative, collected with focus group discussion, participatory rural appraisal and case studies from all seven divisions of the country covering most of the climate shock hotspots. The study has estimated that more than 2.8 million rural poor where 1.7 million live with extreme poverty were exposed to some common weather events throughout the country in 2010 (a good year when no such extreme weather shock was occurred). The figure would account as 3 to 5 times as many if any extreme weather event occurs in a year. Highest number of climate poor was found in Rangpur Division (943 thousand rural poor of which 73 percent are extreme poor) followed by Dhaka and Khulna divisions. How does climate shock impact rural poor, and how they respond, adapt or cope with extreme weather events are discussed. Livelihood constraints of rural climate poor in terms of human, physical, natural, financial and social resources are also reported.
Affected Households or Population, Climate Shocks, Coping Strategies, Extreme Weather, Livelihood Constraints, Rural Poor
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