Environmental injustice pushing millions into poverty

Staff Reporter :

Climate change is rapidly becoming a powerful threat multiplier for Bangladesh’s poor, deepening existing poverty and increasing vulnerability to future shocks, according to the Bangladesh Poverty Watch Report 2024, released on Thursday.

The report – jointly prepared by the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM) and the Centre for Inclusive Development Dialogue (CIDD)-warns that climate-induced hardships are accelerating economic inequality and forcing millions closer to displacement and destitution.

Now in its third edition, the report focuses on the crucial intersection of poverty and climate vulnerability in Bangladesh, one of the countries most at risk from climate change. It highlights how the effects of climate change are not evenly distributed, with the poorest and most marginalised communities bearing the greatest burden.

More than 30 million people in Bangladesh still live below the poverty line, many of whom reside in disaster-prone regions. Using upazila-level poverty and climate risk mapping, the report finds that all 30 of the most poverty-stricken upazilas experience either high or moderate levels of climate vulnerability.

Seven districts-Chuadanga, Naogaon, Bhola, Sunamganj, Kurigram, Satkhira, and Bagerhat-were studied as representative of diverse climate hazards, including recurrent flooding, river erosion, saline intrusion, and tropical cyclones. The findings reveal stark regional disparities and underscore the urgent need for targeted, area-specific poverty and disaster response strategies.

Crucially, the report calls for a shift in focus from just infrastructure damage to the human and social costs of climate change. “While physical damage often dominates policy discussions, the socio-economic toll on the poor and marginalised is routinely overlooked,” the report states.

Vulnerable groups-including char dwellers, Dalits, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and third-gender individuals-face compounded risks and limited capacity to adapt. Traditional coping mechanisms, such as rainwater harvesting or raising housing plinths, are increasingly proving inadequate in the face of escalating climate threats.

To address these compounding challenges, the report proposes five strategic action pillars i.e inclusive, poverty-focused climate adaptation and mitigation, climate-sensitive poverty reduction initiatives, leveraging cross-sectoral synergies, enhanced coordination between institutions and empowerment and support of local initiatives The report also promotes transformative investments in green infrastructure, energy-efficient public transport, afforestation, climate-resilient skills development, and the restructuring of rural economies to reduce dependency on manual labour in high-heat environments.
It argues that climate resilience and poverty reduction must be pursued in tandem.

“These are not separate objectives. When addressed together, gains in one area can reinforce progress in the other,” the report notes.
Despite its vulnerability, Bangladesh is uniquely positioned to lead global efforts in climate-resilient development.

The report urges both national stakeholders and international partners to invest in climate justice – ensuring financial, technological, and institutional support reaches those most at risk, so that no one is left behind.