Research:

Climate Change Adaptation Policy and Flood Hazard in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impacts of climate change, especially when it comes to flood hazards, which the country already experiences regularly. Climate change can affect a range of factors that influence flooding including the intensity, frequency and size of floods. Climate also affects the timing of monsoon rainfall in the summer, which threatens food production and people’s livelihoods. In order to prevent or reduce the impact of flooding on communities, new policies need to be enacted that manage flooding and help people adapt.

For his MSc research, Jahed assessed existing national water policy in Bangladesh along with the links between its water policy and climate change strategies to prevent future floods. He examined methods to help make communities more resilient to flooding by including in policy ways to lower the probability of flooding and reduce damages. Substantial increases in flooding in Bangladesh caused by climate change has made it one of the most frequently cited countries in reports on climate change from international organisations, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Jahed is researching what impacts climate change adaptation policy in Bangladesh will have on the most vulnerable people living in the country, namely the poor. He is interviewing experts, NGO representatives, government officials and local communities about climate change adaptation. This research has large implications for how Bangladesh can develop suitable policies that address both the needs of government and the communities they must support in adapting to environmental hazards caused by a changing climate.