Journal of Geography  & Natural Disasters
Open Access

Abstract

Climate Change, Natural Disaster and Vulnerability to Occupational Changes in Coastal Region of Bangladesh

Md. Habib Torikul, Sonia Farjana and Shah Muntamin Mujtaba

Numerous disasters like cyclone, floods, river bank erosion, salinity intrusion etc are gradually escalating as consequence of climate change which is increasing risks and vulnerability for the coastal people of Bangladesh. The present study is concerned with climate induced risks and vulnerabilities that affect the lives of coastal inhabitants of Bangladesh. Study findings demonstrated occupational displacement during disaster and post disaster periods. The paper reveals that, in study areas, most of the inhabitants are strained to displace from their usual livelihood and enforced to depend on short term investment for temporary occupation, making them unable to recuperate swiftly after disasters. This phenomenon has also created an utter of unemployment and contributed to growing child labor among the coastal communities. People are forced to migrate into urban and sub-urban areas and take different occupation to survive. The paper is designed to build in job displacement experiences apart from the adverse impact of natural disaster namely tropical cyclone, storm surge, river erosion, flood and drought. Drawing from the last disaster this paper will attempt to identify more explicitly the mechanism behind the scarring effect of job displacement.