Climate change and natural hazards in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens

The document analyzes how socio-economic vulnerabilities—including gender, age, disability, and minority status—increase the risk and impact of climate-related hazards in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It highlights that disadvantaged groups are more likely to live in hazard-prone areas and lack the resources to adapt. The brief argues for inclusive policymaking and warns that both adaptation and mitigation strategies can lead to 'maladaptation' or detrimental socio-economic effects if not carefully designed to protect the most vulnerable populations.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina is particularly vulnerable to climate change due to its geography, limited adaptive capacity, and economic dependence on forestry and agriculture, sectors that employ nearly 20% of the workforce and contribute 5.6% to the GDP.
• Specific disadvantaged groups—including children, the elderly, disabled persons, migrants, war returnees, and the Roma minority—face higher vulnerability because they often reside in hazard-prone areas and lack necessary coping resources.
• Gender inequality increases vulnerability through differentiated time use (such as unpaid care work), limited access to credit and assets, and exclusion from policymaking spaces.
• The 2014 floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina caused approximately 2 billion EUR in damages (15% of GDP), killed over 20 people, and displaced 90,000, disproportionately affecting unemployed persons, children, and persons with disabilities.
• Roma communities are especially exposed to environmental hazards due to low income, poor construction materials, and residence in degraded or flood-prone sites; 45% of interviewed Roma families had their houses completely destroyed by the 2014 floods.
• Climate mitigation and adaptation policies can result in 'maladaptation' or negative socio-economic outcomes, such as job losses in carbon-intensive sectors or increased prices for essential services like energy and transport.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per capita are approximately 15% lower than the EU-28 average, but the GHG intensity of its economy is more than four times the EU average, suggesting significant potential for energy resource efficiency.

APA

Strambo, C., Jahović, B., & Segnestam, L. (2021). Climate change and natural hazards in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-db-gesep-and-climate-change-final-eng.pdf

Chicago

Strambo, Claudia, Belma Jahović, and Lisa Segnestam. Climate change and natural hazards in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-db-gesep-and-climate-change-final-eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Strambo |first1=Claudia |last2=Jahović |first2=Belma |last3=Segnestam |first3=Lisa |title=Climate change and natural hazards in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=October 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-db-gesep-and-climate-change-final-eng.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{strambo2021climate, author = {Strambo, Claudia and Jahović, Belma and Segnestam, Lisa}, title = {{Climate change and natural hazards in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-db-gesep-and-climate-change-final-eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }