Climate migration and urban changes in Bangladesh

Abstract

The impact on human settlements has been startling, demonstrated by extreme climate events such as Hurricane Katrina in the USA, Cyclones Sidr and Aila in Bangladesh and Nargis in Myanmar. Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people, mostly in low-lying coastal zones, face forced displacement and will need to migrate in search of alternative livelihoods. In most cases the destinations of such displaced populations are the nearest urban area. Bangladesh represents a region where a complex set of climate driven outcomes has been already evident as land is inundated and populations migrate in large numbers. This research seeks to define climate change impact levels from the primary impacts on natural systems, through secondary population displacement and migration due to extreme climate events in Bangladesh. Tertiary impacts are defined as social and economic effects on the urban system, so the scope of the chapter is the interconnection between climate change, migration and urbanization.