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Climate Change and Natural Hazards Vulnerability of Char Land (Bar Land) Communities of Bangladesh: Application of the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI)

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Abstract

Bangladesh is one of the disaster-prone countries and vulnerable to global climate change and natural hazards. The present study examines the degree of vulnerability and adaptability against natural hazards in rural char land (bar land) communities of the river Jamuna of Bangladesh, by calculating the livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) with reference to the IPCC vulnerability framework and the sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF). The index consists of household parameters of all the three dimensions of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability. Data for desired parameters were collected from household survey, focus group discussion, related organizations, and scientific literatures. Then, data were integrated using composite index and differential vulnerabilities contribute to produce an aggregate level on vulnerability to natural hazards. Results found that, study area consists of index value 0.513, which indicates moderate level of vulnerability against natural hazards. Study also depicted that, study area is most vulnerable in terms of financial capitals (0.685) following by human capitals (0.521), natural capitals (0.501), social capitals (0.477) and physical capitals (0.388) respectively. From the results of IPCC-VI, index value found at 0.0163, indicates more expose to the impacts of natural hazards than it has capacity to adapt. Adaptive capacity index (0.415) exceeds the exposure index (0.453) and sensitivity index (0.429) respectively, of studied community. Therefore, for the sustainable livelihoods in study area, government should take proper development programs targeting to enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience.

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Abbreviations

CBO:

Community-based organizations

FGD:

Focus group discussion

HHs:

Households

IPCC:

Intergovernmental panel on climate change

LVI:

Livelihood vulnerability assessment

NGOs:

Non-government organizations

SLF:

Sustainable livelihoods framework

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to acknowledge local NGO’s for their willing support during field survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Gausul Azam

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, 1342, Bangladesh

    Gausul Azam, Mohammad Emadul Huda & Mohammad Amir Hossain Bhuiyan

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh

    Mohammad Mohinuzzaman

  4. Institute of Surface Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Mohammad Mohinuzzaman

  5. Climate Change Programme (CCP), BRAC, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh

    Md. Bodrud-Doza

  6. School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    S. M. Didar-Ul Islam

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  1. Gausul Azam
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  3. Mohammad Amir Hossain Bhuiyan
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  4. Mohammad Mohinuzzaman
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Correspondence to S. M. Didar-Ul Islam.

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Azam, G., Huda, M.E., Bhuiyan, M.A.H. et al. Climate Change and Natural Hazards Vulnerability of Char Land (Bar Land) Communities of Bangladesh: Application of the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI). Glob Soc Welf 8, 93–105 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-019-00148-1

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