Climate and development outlook: Bangladesh
Bangladesh has always been prone to natural hazards such as cyclones and floods. Impacts of climate change have only increased the frequency and intensity of these extreme events, accompanied by rising sea levels. The country also suffers from the effects of over-population and low development making it one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, consistently ranked at the top of various climate vulnerability indices. These effects are only going to be exacerbated in the years to come, adversely impacting agricultural production as well. On the other hand, led by a booming export-oriented textile sector, the economy of Bangladesh has been growing at a very healthy rate during the past decade – at an average of over 6% per year – enabling it to achieve the per capita income level of low middle-income countries. The challenge is to sustain this robust economic growth while adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. CDKN’s Bangladesh programme has been contributing to deeper understanding of climate-related loss and damage in the country and to the knowledge base on how Bangladeshi businesses can mobilise resources to address climate change effectively. In this edition: Showing the big emitters how it’s done; A loss and damage initiative prioritises action on the ground; Climate finance readiness in the private sector; and Bangladesh climate migration.