Climate Change and Uncharted Social Challenge in Existing Urban Setup in Bangladesh

The impact of extreme climate events on human settlements has been startling, demonstrated by events such as Hurricane Katrina in the USA, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and Cyclones Sidr and Aila in Bangladesh. People, particularly those living in vulnerable coastal zones, face forced displacement due to such extreme climate events and need to search for alternative livelihoods. In most cases they ended up in nearest cities for income and livelihoods. Bangladesh represents a region where a complex set of climate-driven outcomes is already evident, as land is inundated, and populations migrate in large numbers in search of livelihoods. Using the region as an example, this research examines climate change impacts ranging from the primary impacts on natural systems, through secondary population displacement and migration, to the eventual outcomes of rapid urbanisation and urban poor. Tertiary impacts are defined as social changes in the urban system and deprivation of social justice for those migrants. The scope of this paper is to understand the issues and challenges associated with climate-induced displacement and policy applications to ensure social justice for those migrant communities.