Category: Blog
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Centring human rights, choice and agency in forced climate displacement policy design in Bangladesh
[quotes quotes_style=”bquotes” quotes_pos=”center”] Rural to urban climate-linked displacement is increasing worldwide, stretching urban slum capacity Conditions in Dhaka’s temporary settlements in the slums are inhuman, with poor access to basic services In the short term, investment is needed to make conditions liveable in the slums In the long term, a robust protection framework that centres…
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Doing climate adaptation better
I have written about the need to ramp up adaptation in order to avoid the worst impacts of human-induced climate change around the world, as lead author on adaptation for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for over a decade. So the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC containing that message was nothing new.…
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Community perceptions about social research in informal settlements
‘What benefit will we get by talking to you?’ is one of the most common questions residents ask researchers in informal settlements in Bangladesh. Both extreme and slow-onset climate change-induced events are increasing the vulnerability of people, especially those who are already socially and economically marginalised. As this trend is becoming more prominent globally, social research on…
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Why COP26 failed to address loss and damage from climate change
On 9 August 2021, the science working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report showed that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are responsible for approximately 1.1°C of warming since 1850-1900. Climate change is not just what is happening now and will happen in the future but also what has been happening…
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PRINTING THE CALAMITY: PATTACHITRA SCROLLS ON TROPICAL CYCLONES AND NATURAL DISASTERS IN SHYAMNAGAR, SHATKHIRA
“We are the people of coastal area, Our sufferings know no bounds, We have to survive fighting various disasters.” —Shagorika Mondol, song sung to pattachitra scroll on disaster awareness How do you creatively inform the community about dealing with a tragedy that regularly befalls them? Or encourage them to stand back on their feet after…
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Local Climate Adapters network
LOCAL CLIMATE ADAPTORS: As of July 2021, the world has already entered the era of human-induced climate change, which is causing adverse impacts around the world in both poor as well as rich countries. Tragically, many people are losing their lives and livelihoods from these extreme events, which include heat waves, wildfires, floods, cyclones and…
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Nine more harvests to transform our food systems: Let’s make them count for everyone, everywhere, and for all time
Over the past eight months we—in our capacity as Action Track Chairs for the UN Food Systems Summit—have received well over 2,000 written submissions from around the world on how to transform food systems so that they can deliver access to safe and nutritious foods for all, in ways that deliver sustainable consumption, use approaches…
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FACED WITH DEVASTATING CYCLONES, HOW ARE WOMEN IN COASTAL BANGLADESH BUILDING RESILIENCE?
In recent years, cyclones have battered the coastal fringes of Bangladesh, with one following closely after another. In Satkhira district, a combination of tidal flooding, inundation by storm surges, and saltwater intrusion has led to a rise in salinity in groundwater and fresh-water ponds. This is a problem for local people, who mainly make a…
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Priorities for the 31 March Ministerial Meeting on Climate and Development
On the 31st March 2021, the UK government will convene the Climate and Development Ministerial meeting to discuss practical next steps on priority issues for climate vulnerable countries and communities ahead of COP26. Professor Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, provides his insights on priorities in conversation with Professor Fiona Nunan. Which major…
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Four lessons from the UK-Bangladesh Climate Partnership Forum – and four actions needed by policy-makers
The highway to zero carbon is marked by high profile milestones, strung out like market towns on the Grand Trunk Road. COP26 in Glasgow is one such. But lying between the market towns are the lay-bys and wayside inns where people meet, conversations are held, networks are formed, and deals are struck. They are intrinsic…
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Locally led adaption to climate change: the start of a 10-year learning journey
In early 2021, a fast-growing group of experts will meet in Gobeshona to define a 10-year learning agenda to advance principles for critical locally led adaption to climate change. Saleemul Huq and Clare Shakya explain the importance of this group and the journey ahead. Collectively, the world has failed to respond to the triple crises…