Perception of Climate Change in Three Ecological Zones of Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh is the seventh most vulnerable countries to climate change and also one of the most disaster prone countries in the world. Climate change has become the targeted hot topic for research in Bangladesh during the last decades; central focus has been given to the topic of impact, vulnerability, and adaptation. Notably, ethnographic study exploiting emic and cross-cultural approach to reach at the bottom line of the climate problem merely took place in Bangladesh. Therefore, anthropological insight is indispensable for understanding local beliefs, practices and attitude about climate change. In this regard, this study remains influential in the regime of climate science with its applicability. It mainly focused on peoples’ beliefs and perception about (a) the changing trend of climate; (b) the impact of climate change on lives and livelihoods; and (c) the cultural dimension of adaptation strategies. This work is divided into nine consecutive chapters. First chapter contains introductory information. It explain why conducting research on this issue was crucial considering present climate situation of Bangladesh. This chapter explores its importance in various policy formation both in local and national level. The second chapter deals with previous study reports, books, and articles and with other published materials on the topic. Literatures are categorized well into many subdivisions depending on the themes they covered. Chapter three includes methods and materials have been used throughout the research work. Along with a number of qualitative and quantitative methods including participant observation, KII, FGD, survey etc., it presents how collected data were analyzed for generating report. Theories and concepts are explained in connection with the relevance of the present study in the chapter four. The cultural theory of risk perception analyzes how climate risk is perceived, cultural and political ecology present distinct interplay among state, politics and local people. Chapter five explores about the study people and sites. On ground of two selection criteria, namely a) ecosystem and ecology, b) climate change impacts and vulnerability, Charhajari union of Noakhai, Pratapnagar union of Satkhira and Porsha union of Naogaon had been selected. Discussion of the findings starts from chapter six. With a variety of qualitative tools, maps, and matrix, this chapter shows that study participants from all three fields view that climate situation is deteriorating gradually comparing to last decades. This chapter shed light into a lot of issues i.e. climate change indicators, perception and causes of climate change, impacts and vulnerability etc. Chapter seven endeavored to account climate change narratives from the members of various occupational groups. Chapter eight illustrates how local people adapt to challenges climate change poses to local community. Chapter nine draws conclusion with recommendation. The anthropological study concludes that climate change impacts are ecosystem based but perception is culture specific. In this regard, it emphasis on further place-based ecosystem wise perception research with a view to generate findings comparable to across sites.