Perception of people on climate-induced migration issues in coastal areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

Climate change impact is one of the major burning issues all over the world where Bangladesh is one of the most affected areas. The aim of this study was to understand the climate-induced migrationrelated issues in the coastal areas of Chittagong. A total of 120 individual surveys and six key informant interviews were done in six unions of Banshkhali Upazila in Chittagong district. The result showed that agriculture and fishing practices are reducing compared to the past and people are more interested in migrating abroad. Among the six villages, the highest percentage of migration was found to be from the areas closer to the coast compared to others. Despite less awareness on climate change terms, most of the respondents have positively replied to the changes in the frequencies of climatic hazards. Several forms of driver, e.g. environmental, social and political are also discussed. The linear regression showed that the factors which positively influence the peoples' decision to migrate are average family age and social status. The dependency on agriculture, business near coast and fishing has a coefficient of −0.18, −0.36 and −0.24, respectively. Identification of community-based needs is important to ensure safe migration as an adaptation against climate change.

Climate change impacts and adaptations on health of Internally Displaced People (IDP): An exploratory study on coastal areas of Bangladesh

“…Climate change is happening globally, with significant effects on life and resources (Cubasch et al, 2013;IPCC, 2010). Because the of geographical location and socioeconomic conditions of Bangladesh, the climate change-related push factors, e.g., sea-level rise, cyclones, flash floods, riverbank erosion, salinity intrusion, are increasing, for which ultimately the number of the displaced people is rising at an alarming rate (Hasnat et al, 2020;Hossen et al, 2019). It is projected that a mean sea level of 3 m will inundate 69% of the exposed areas (Alam et al, 2018).…”

Analysis of the livelihood and health of internally displaced persons due to riverbank erosion in Bangladesh

“…These rivers are morphologically active and constantly changing; they create islands, or chars, between their braided channels and destroy these depositional features and the major riverbanks. In Bangladesh, approximately 2400 km of riverbanks ( Islam and Rashid, 2012 ; Hasnat et al., 2020 ) and 30% to 40% of the country's population live in riverine areas that are vulnerable to erosion ( Paul et al., 2021 ). In recent decades, riverbank erosion has increased by 10–20 times as a result of climate change and unforeseen human activities ( Uddin and Basak, 2012 ).…”

“…Furthermore, natural disasters, including river erosion, saline intrusion, and rainfall patterns, are common in coastal locations. Migration to neighbouring cities is a result of all of these reasons ( Hasnat et al., 2020 ). As a result of the eroding land, poverty, food insecurity, job loss, and perilous and unpredictable migration have all been exacerbated.…”

“…Bangladesh, considered the least capable of combating natural catastrophes and least equipped to adapt to climate change, is deeply concerned about the threat of future climate change. Changes in temperatures, rainfall, waterlogging, pollution, river erosion, cyclones, and the possibility of rising sea levels are all factors that contribute to climate change in nations like Bangladesh ( Ali et al., 2019 ; Hasnat et al., 2020 ; Chiba et al., 2017 ). According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, natural catastrophes accounted for around 2% of total internal displacement ( BBS, 2011 ).…”

Impact of Climate Change on the Coastal Natural Resources of Bangladesh: Mitigation Strategies

“…Bangladesh is experiencing both predictable and unpredictable climate change impacts every year (Khan 2019Haque et al 2020;Ali et al 2019;Hasnat et al 2020;Chiba et al 2017;Alam et al 2020;Billah 2018;Dastagir 2015;Rahman 2020;Rahman 2021;Rahman et al 2021;Rahman 2022b). Sea level rise, increased salinity and drought have become very familiar to our country.…”