Climate change is rapidly becoming a threat multiplier for Bangladesh’s poor, pushing millions deeper into poverty and increasing their vulnerability to future shocks, warns the Bangladesh Poverty Watch Report 2024 released on Thursday.
It was jointly prepared by the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM) and the Center for Inclusive Development Dialogue (CIDD), according to a press release.
The third edition of this flagship report focuses on the critical nexus between poverty and climate change in Bangladesh—one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.
It underscores that climate change does not impact all populations equally: the poorest, most marginalized communities bear the brunt of its devastating effects.
Over 30 million people in Bangladesh still live below the poverty line, and many of them reside in disaster-prone areas.
The report, using upazila-level poverty and climate risk mapping, finds that all 30 of the country’s most poverty-stricken upazilas suffer from either high or moderate levels of climate vulnerability.
Seven districts—Chuadanga, Naogaon, Bhola, Sunamganj, Kurigram, Satkhira, and Bagerhat—were selected to represent various types of climatic risks.
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From recurring floods and river erosion to saline intrusion and cyclones, the analysis reveals sharp regional disparities in vulnerability and emphasises the need for region-specific disaster management and poverty reduction strategies.
The report points to a pressing need to recognise the social dimensions of climate change. “While physical impacts on nature and infrastructure often dominate policy focus, the socio-economic toll on poor and marginalized groups remains severely under-addressed,” the report notes.
Groups such as char dwellers, Dalits, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, elderly people, and third-gender individuals face compounded risks. Their traditional coping strategies—such as rainwater harvesting or raising the plinth of homes—often fall short in the face of intensifying natural disasters.
To combat this growing crisis, the Report calls for inclusive, climate-informed development. It outlines five strategic pillars for action: Inclusive and poverty-sensitive climate adaptation and mitigation, Climate-sensitive poverty reduction programmes, Leveraging cross-sectoral synergies, Coherence and coordination among institutions, and Strengthening and supporting local initiatives.
It also highlights transformative interventions like investments in green infrastructure, energy-efficient urban transport, afforestation, skills development, and rural economic restructuring to reduce physical labor exposure in high-temperature environments.
The report stresses that tackling poverty and climate change must be done together. “Poverty elimination and climate resilience are not separate goals.
When approached together, progress in one area can drive gains in the other,” it notes.
Bangladesh, despite being at the frontline of the climate crisis, has an opportunity to lead by example.
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It urges both national actors and the international community to invest in climate justice—providing financial, technological, and institutional support that ensures no one is left behind.