Climate change induced human displacement in Bangladesh: Implications on the livelihood of displaced riverine island dwellers and their adaptation strategies

Babul Hossain; Guoqing Shi; Chen Ajiang; Md Nazirul Islam Sarker; Md Salman Sohel; Zhonggen Sun; Qi Yang

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.964648

Climate change induced human displacement in Bangladesh: Implications on the livelihood of displaced riverine island dwellers and their adaptation strategies

Front Psychol. 2022 Oct 13:13:964648. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.964648. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Babul Hossain¹, Guoqing Shi², Chen Ajiang³, Md Nazirul Islam Sarker⁴, Md Salman Sohel⁵, Zhonggen Sun⁵, Qi Yang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Management Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.
² National Research Center for Resettlement, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.
³ Research Center for Environment and Society, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.
⁴ School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
⁵ Asian Research Center, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.
⁶ Department of Sociology, School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

In Bangladesh, many people are being displaced in riverine island (char) areas every year due to climate change and its associated natural catastrophes. This study intends to investigate the impact of climate change on internally displaced char people's lives and livelihoods along with local adaptation strategies and hindrances to the coping mechanism. Data have been collected from 280 internally displaced households in two sub-districts. A mixed-method approach has been considered combined with qualitative and quantitative methods. The results disclose that frequent flooding, riverbank erosion, and crop loss are the leading causes for relocation, and social relations are impeded in the new place of residence. Increasing summer and winter temperatures, recurrent flooding, severity of riverbank erosion, and expanding disease outbreaks are also important indicators of climate change identified by displaced people, which are consistent with observed data. This study also reveals that almost all households come across severe livelihood issues like food shortage, unemployment and income loss, and housing and sanitation problems due to the changing climate associated with disasters in the former and present places. In response to this, the displaced people acclimatize applying numerous adaptation strategies in order to boost the livelihood resilience against climate change. However, fragile housing, financial conditions, and lack of own land are still the highest impediments to the sustainability of adaptation. Therefore, along with the government, several organizations should implement a dynamic resettlement project through appropriate scrutiny to eradicate the livelihood complications of internally displaced people.

Keywords: adaptation obstacle; climate change perception; internally displaced char dwellers; livelihood resilience; livelihood vulnerability; natural disasters.