Living on the edge: climate-induced displacement and livelihood adaptation among char communities in Bangladesh

Every year, a large number of people in Bangladesh are displaced in char land (riverine island) areas due to climate change. These internally displaced people suffer from socio-economic crises and struggle persistently for a livelihood. This paper investigates the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of displaced char land dwellers, their coping mechanisms, and the obstacles they face. To achieve this, the study collects primary data from 270 internally displaced households and employs a mixed-methods approach, uncovering some interesting findings. The results reveal that frequent floods, river erosion, and the loss of housing and income sources are the main causes of displacement, and social relations among char land dwellers are strained. Displaced people also report that rising temperatures in summer and winter, recurrent floods, severe river erosion, and disease outbreaks are significant indicators of climate change. Most households face food insecurity, loss of employment opportunities and housing, inadequate drainage systems, and poor sanitation as consequences of climate change. To cope with these crises, displaced people adopt various strategies to improve their livelihood resilience, such as reducing household expenditures and food consumption, working as day laborers, and rearing livestock. However, fragile housing, financial insolvency, and lack of cultivable land remain major barriers to sustainable adaptation. Therefore, this paper recommends that government and non-governmental organizations implement effective initiatives to support the productive resettlement of internally displaced people, including skills development training and seed funding for their sustainable livelihood initiatives.