Focus Area
Our initial work is focused on the Upazilas of Shyamnagar, Assasuni and Keshabpur in coastal, southwest Bangladesh. These regions were selected by BRAC.
Information products and decision support tools developed for these regions will be adapted and scaled to other parts of Bangladesh and other countries.
To the left: A regional map identifies the focus areas for our research. Click the image to see it more detail.
Climate Phenomena
Our work focuses on studying climate phenomena that pose significant threats to human populations.
Heat Stress & Drought
Rising temperatures are projected to increase the number and severity of extreme heat events. By modeling these events, we can identify particularly vulnerable areas and help inform solutions to keep people safe.
Cyclone Flooding & Windspeed
Increases in windspeeds and cyclone variability pose significant threats to physical infrastructure. Understanding what windspeed might look like in the future can help to inform building codes and infrastructure plans to improve physical safety.
Flooding & Salinity Intrusion
An increase in ground water and soil salinity threatens food and water security. We are modeling salinity intrusion and flooding to understand what areas are most vulnerable and developing solutions to improve the reliability of safe water supplies. Rising temperatures are projected to increase the number and severity of extreme heat events. By modeling these events, we can identify particularly vulnerable areas and help inform solutions to keep people safe.
Sea Level Rise & Land Subsidence
In the face of climate change, flood hazards from cyclones like Remal will be amplified by sea-level rise and land subsidence . Our team is overcoming this challenge by quantifying sea-level rise, land subsidence, and sedimentation across southwest Bangladesh.
Accounting for different possible futures
The future is uncertain. We use two different scenarios in our models to try to understand how fossil fuel usage will impact climate phenomena in the future.
Scenario 1: SSP1-2.6
Assumes that the development of renewable energy technology minimizes the use of fossil fuels (CO2 Concentration of 432 ppm in 2100), leading to environmentally sustainable economic growth.
Scenario 2: SSP5-8.5
Assumes the high use of fossil fuels (CO2 Concentration of 1089 ppm in 2100) and the indiscriminate development of cities, with a focus on rapid industrial technological advancements.
Socioeconomic Impacts
The objective of the socioeconomic workstream is to enhance strategic planning in Bangladesh to increase its climate resiliency. Our tools and expertise consider many complex socio-economic relationships and feedbacks, such as changes in management and land-use allocation, shifts in demand for food, crops, and aquaculture products as prices and incomes change, and changing patterns of domestic and international trade. Using information on biophysical impacts from the other workstreams of the JO-CREWSnet project, the integrated environmental-socioeconomic framework will enable an assessment of economic impacts of various climate-related changes and types of responsive actions under a wide range of stressors.
We will connect the decision-making at local, regional, and national levels. Integrating physical and socioeconomic impacts will allow for a consistent evaluation of different impact channels and support development planning in Bangladesh. Based on actions outlined in the National Adaptation Plan of Bangladesh for 2023-2050 and Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan, we will enhance the understanding of opportunities and challenges for building climate resilience through effective adaptation and mitigation strategies to foster a robust society of Bangladesh and achieve a sustainable economic development.
Focus Areas
Water Security
Agriculture & Livelihoods
