Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Bangladesh Processes, Assessment and Effects Conclusion and Recommendations

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the major findings of this book. These are: (1)since 1954 no study has focused comprehensively on community input toassessment of V & A; (2) the consequences of failed adaptation havebeen assessed in the light of vulnerable farmers' household information:socio-economic, demographic, and biophysical; (3) if these consequencesprevail for a long time, and increase in frequency with each episode offlooding, it would eventually cause human insecurity; (4) the adaptationcapacity of the agricultural community is generally very resilient, asevidenced in recent three EFEs; (5) V&Aassessment guidelines outlinedby the IPCC, UNEP, and USCSP have been reviewed, and new assessmentsteps have been adopted in order to assess, weight, rank and categoriseV&A issues in the context of the case study area. This chapter has alsodrawn some realistic recommendations: formation of mauza-based farmers'data bank; formation of CBAC, which would act on the basis ofprioritizing local vulnerability and adaptation needs; and wouldallocate adaptation funds (proposed in the Copenhagen Accord); includingtheir rationale, policy implications, conceptual contributions andrecommendations for future research. This chapter argues that anintegrated assessment of rural vulnerability and community-basedadaptation is needed in order to ensure sustainable changes in responseto future climate change regimes in Bangladesh.