Assessment of environmental governance in disaster vulnerability context of rural Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh faces many climate‐driven hazards due to its geophysical position and is more vulnerable than most developing countries. The natural resources‐based livelihood of the riverine island (char) dwellers is frequently hampered by the adverse effect of environmental changes. This study intends to assess the status of environmental governance for protecting disaster‐prone communities in Bangladesh. Geographically isolated disaster‐prone riverine island areas of northern Bangladesh have been purposively selected for this study. A qualitative method has been applied to explore the extent of governmental intervention. The intervention of environmental governance has been measured by assessing the role of government in disaster management by engaging with a state, market, and community for char community. In addition, secondary data were used to substantiate the argument. This study reveals that environmental governance initiatives are not enough to protect char dwellers from frequent hazards and fail to ensure livelihood resilience. The status of environmental governance in char areas is very poor, weak, inactive, and unable to address the present problem and future challenges. The article suggests that a comprehensive disaster management strategy should be implemented in the char areas through strengthening local government capacity.

Urban Resilience for Urban Sustainability: Concepts, Dimensions, and Perspectives

“…Due to a lack of capability, political will, or funding to combat climate change, preventive action is considered significant or feasible if it leads to changes in the quality of urban life. Failure to ensure basic services creates social and economic urban vulnerability, while natural hazards increase urban vulnerability and reduce urban resilience [9].…”

The effects of environmental regulation on chemical industry location: Evidence from the region along the Yangtze River, China

“…Along with the increasing severity and complexity of environmental problems, environmental regulatory measures have been continuously enriched and improved, and have gradually shifted from command‐control and market incentives to government, enterprise, and citizen cooperation (Huang & Lei, 2021; Zhang, Sun, et al, 2020). Among them, multiple regulatory methods, especially voluntary environmental regulations, have gradually become a prominent approach (He et al., 2018; Huang & Lei, 2021; Sarker et al., 2021). A review of literature shows that influencing factors of environmental regulations implementation include three aspects: resistance from regulated objects (enterprises), pressure from implementation beneficiaries (public), and execution capabilities of the executive body (government).…”

Factors Influencing Farmers’ Awareness and Risk Perception of Environmental Degradation in Bangladesh

“…Easy access to extension contacts has a negative relationship with farmer awareness, which is similar to the results reported in previous studies [29,33], which further highlights how access to extension services could enhance productivity in the entire national agricultural sector via the dissemination of up-to-date information to farmers in a timely manner. However, there is still a gap between farmer communities and extension workers, considering not all farmers are aware of the increasing degradation of farmland and the potential adverse impacts [37]. Distance from industrial sites had a negative influence on awareness level which can be attributed to less exposure to adverse environmental impacts when compared to the impacts encountered by communities in areas close to industrial activities [38].…”