Climate change-related migration in Bangladesh

This policy brief, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in July 2013, examines the relationship between climate change and migration in Bangladesh. Based on research from the Sussex Centre for Migration Research and the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, the document argues that migration should be viewed as a proactive adaptation tool rather than a failure of local interventions or a social threat. It identifies significant gaps in existing national policies and provides recommendations to integrate migration into climate resilience strategies, protect migrant rights, and improve access to financial and vocational resources for climate-vulnerable populations.

• Research projects that approximately 9.7 million people in Bangladesh will likely migrate over the next 40 years due to climate stresses such as riverbank erosion, storm surges, and inland flooding, although fewer than one million will migrate solely because of climate change.
• Migration can serve as an effective adaptation strategy, allowing households to reduce vulnerability and access income sources less affected by disasters. Remittances from migrants facilitate agricultural adaptation and help households recover from losses in the post-disaster phase.
• Climate-vulnerable communities in districts such as Satkhira, Munshiganj, and Chapai Nawabganj utilize short-term and circular internal migration to cope with climate variability, often moving to nearby towns or major cities like Dhaka and Chittagong to work in the informal sector.
• Existing Bangladeshi policy documents have failed to adequately address the links between climate change and migration. For example, the 2005 National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) framed migration as a threat, and the 2008 Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) viewed it as a problem of unplanned urbanisation.
• The document recommends that the government frame a comprehensive climate change policy that recognizes voluntary migration as an adaptation strategy and establishes the rights of displaced people regarding state-owned (khas) and flood-related (diluvian) land.
• To improve the resilience of climate-vulnerable populations, the brief suggests expanding Technical Training Centres (TTCs), establishing Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) offices in affected areas, and providing migration finance loans through the Prabashi Kallyan Bank.

APA

Siddiqui, T., Islam, M. T., Kniveton, D., Black, R., & Martin, M. (2013). Climate change-related migration in Bangladesh. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/PB-5-max-29102013.pdf

Chicago

Siddiqui, Tasneem, Mohammad Towheedul Islam, Dominic Kniveton, Richard Black, and Maxmillan Martin. Climate change-related migration in Bangladesh. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/PB-5-max-29102013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Siddiqui |first1=Tasneem |last2=Islam |first2=Mohammad Towheedul |last3=Kniveton |first3=Dominic |last4=Black |first4=Richard |last5=Martin |first5=Maxmillan |title=Climate change-related migration in Bangladesh |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/PB-5-max-29102013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{siddiqui2013climate, author = {Siddiqui, Tasneem and Islam, Mohammad Towheedul and Kniveton, Dominic and Black, Richard and Martin, Maxmillan}, title = {{Climate change-related migration in Bangladesh}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/PB-5-max-29102013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }