Title: Climate Change and Institutional Responses in Bangladesh: Challenges and Pathways for Adaptation and Mitigation
Authors: Nazifa Ifrit, Imran Hossain, A.K.M. Mahmudul Haque
Volume: 9
Issue: 9
Pages: 86-101
Publication Date: 2025/09/28
Abstract:
Bangladesh is globally recognized as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, facing recurrent cyclones, floods, salinity intrusion, droughts, and urban heat stress. These hazards pose severe threats to agriculture, water resources, health, and urban systems, compounding existing socio-economic inequalities. This manuscript critically examines the institutional responses to climate change in Bangladesh, highlighting national policies such as the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP), sectoral initiatives in agriculture and water management, and the role of local governments, NGOs, and community-based adaptation. Despite policy innovation and domestic climate financing mechanisms, governance challenges persist, including fragmented mandates, weak coordination, inadequate finance, and limited inclusion of marginalized groups. The paper proposes pathways for strengthening adaptation and mitigation through mainstreaming climate risks into development planning, decentralizing authority to local governments, ensuring financial transparency, and enhancing science-policy linkages. By situating vulnerability within socio-political contexts, the study underscores that sustainable climate resilience in Bangladesh requires integrated, inclusive, and multi-level governance frameworks with lessons for other climate-vulnerable nations.