Publication: Bangladesh: Enhancing Coastal Resilience in a Changing Climate
Loading...
Date
2022
ISSN
Published
2022
Editor(s)
Abstract
As the World Bank and government of Bangladesh celebrate 50 years of development cooperation this year, a key highlight is the journey towards addressing climate change and improving the resilience of the coastal zone. From the outset, the World Bank has been a long-standing partner in the government’s efforts to reduce the risks from disasters and enhance coastal resilience, resulting in a number of noteworthy achievements. Bangladesh demonstrated how investments in the entire chain of disaster risk reduction saves lives, reduces economic losses, and protects development gains. Proactive policies and sound investments in strengthening resilience across multiple fronts over the last five decades have resulted in a drastic decline in the number of casualties from cyclones. Bangladesh’s approach has been an integrated one, from grassroots strengthening of community-level adaptation and community-based early warning systems, to investing in key protective infrastructure and promoting innovations, all founded on a strategic policy framework. With the success of these initiatives, Bangladesh has emerged as a global leader in climate resilience. Although there has been significant progress, with the coastal population and economy expected to grow, and the intensity and magnitude of extreme events projected to increase due to climate change, hazard impacts still pose a great threat to the development ambitions of the country. Thus, further actions are needed to improve the resilience of the coastal zone. This report provides new perspectives and insights into how to address the impacts of climate-related hazards in the coastal zone. The report provides evidence of the drivers of risks in Bangladesh’s coastal zone, analyzes what has been achieved so far in reducing these risks, and reviews the lessons learned from these achievements. Supported by in-depth analytical work, the report explores innovative solutions illustrated with artist impressions and puts forward seven key recommendations to enhance coastal resilience in Bangladesh and build shared prosperity for decades to come. What is clear from the report is that investing in coastal resilience will bring multiple benefits, and that the time to act is now.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Kazi, Swarna; Urrutia, Ignacio; van Ledden, Mathijs; Laboyrie, Jean Henry; Verschuur, Jasper; Haque Khan, Zahir-ul; Jongejan, Ruben; Lendering, Kasper; Mancheño, Alejandra Gijón. 2022. Bangladesh: Enhancing Coastal Resilience in a Changing Climate. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/38004 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Wave Reduction by Mangroves during Cyclones in Bangladesh(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)This paper investigates how mangrove foreshores can be integrated into embankment designs in Bangladesh. The effect of mangroves on surges has already been studied for the design conditions of Bangladesh. However, the impact of wave attenuation by mangroves on embankment designs is not known. A model is thus developed to estimate the wave height reduction by a mangrove forest, and how such wave attenuation would influence the design of a landward embankment. Model simulations suggest that mangrove belts with a width between 100 and 1,000 meters (perpendicular to the coast) could provide wave attenuation rates between 7 and 55 percent (compared to a situation without mangroves) at potential afforestation sites identified in previous studies. Such wave attenuation rates would reduce the embankment height by 0.09–0.30 meters, diminish the slope revetment thickness by 13–46 percent, and decrease the wave shear stresses at the embankment toe up to 25–70 percent. Relatively wider mangrove belts not only cause a larger reduction of the embankment design requirements, but also host larger biodiversity and are more resilient against pests and extreme events. The model results are highly sensitive to the mangrove properties, and collecting data on the local mangrove species is recommended to reduce uncertainty in the predictions. Moreover, the results also suggest that trees older than 10–20 years might collapse during storms. Expanding the mangrove stability model, including other pioneer species in the analysis, and exploring the option of canopy pruning are thus advised to ensure the integrity of any future afforestation efforts. Overall, this paper provides a methodology that could be applied to design nature-based solutions in Bangladesh.Publication Welfare and Climate Risks in Coastal Bangladesh(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-03-23)It is widely recognized that climate hazards impact the poor disproportionately. However, quantifying these disproportionate hazard impacts on a large scale is difficult given limited information on households’ location and socioeconomic characteristics, and incomplete quantitative frameworks to assess welfare impacts on households. This paper constructs a household-level multidimensional poverty index using a synthetic household dataset of 43 million people residing in the coastal zone of Bangladesh. Households are spatially linked to the critical infrastructure networks they depend on, including housing; water, sanitation, and hygiene; electricity; education; and health services. Combined with detailed cyclone hazard data, the paper first quantifies risks to households, agriculture, and infrastructure. It then presents a novel framework for translating critical infrastructure impacts into the temporary incidence of service deprivations, which can contribute to temporary deprivations and hence multidimensional poverty. The paper uses this framework to evaluate the benefits of various adaptation options. The findings show that asset risk due to flooding is US$483 million per year at present, increasing to US$750 million per year in 2050 under climate change. Households face an average infrastructure service disruption of two days per year, which is expected to increase to 4.6 days per year in 2050. This, in turn, would incur a temporary increase in multidimensional poverty (7.2 percent of people are multidimensionally poor at the baseline) of up to 94 percent (2.9 million people) 30 days after an extreme cyclone event (a 1-in-100 years event) at present and 153.9 percent (4.8 million people) in the future. The paper quantifies the large welfare benefits of upgrading embankments, showing how apart from significant risk reduction, these interventions reduce service disruptions by up to 70 percent in some areas and can help up to 1.6 million (0.23 million under current and proposed programs) people from experiencing some form of temporary poverty. Overall, the paper identifies poor households exposed to climate impacts, as well as those prone to falling into poverty temporarily, both of could help to mainstream equity considerations in new adaptation programs.Publication Mangroves for Coastal Resilience in Bangladesh(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-21)Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events due to its frequent exposure to floods and extensive low-lying areas. Coastal flood risks are expected to increase due climate change. Therefore, Bangladesh has been upgrading its coastal embankment system to enhance flood safety. This initiative includes not only hard flood defense infrastructure, but also nature-based solutions through planting mangroves on the seaside of embankments. Mangroves, serving as natural flood barriers, have been utilized in Bangladesh for coastal protection since the 1960s. However, their integration with embankment designs and their benefits in carbon sequestration remain underexplored. This paper consolidates current knowledge on the role of mangroves in coastal resilience in Bangladesh, incorporating recent studies and new analyses on their benefits on (i) flood risk reduction, (ii) livelihood enhancement, and (iii) carbon sequestration. The estimated benefits are mapped along the country's coastal system. The study identifies some of the most beneficial mangrove sites to be combined with embankment designs, such as a belt south of polder 45 (Amtali) with an average width of 1.77 kilometers, and a belt around the Kukri-Mukri polder with an average width of 1.82 kilometers. These mangrove forests can reduce the required thickness for slope protection by up to 80 percent, offer carbon service benefits of US$13,120 per hectare (over 2022–50, at a 6 percent discount rate), and provide livelihood benefits of more than US$22,000 per hectare. Other wide mangrove belts are found in Sandwip and Mirersarai. The findings aim to guide future investments in integrating mangroves into coastal protection systems, highlighting their triple dividends for building resilience.Publication The Bangladesh Delta(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-01-25)This case study report discusses current development strategy for the Bangladesh Delta, which reflects an integrated approach to disaster risk management and water resources management. In this context, special attention is given to the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and the role of the World Bank in Bangladesh’s transition toward sustainable, climate-resilient development. The report goes over key building blocks of the government’s current delta management and highlights some aspects of the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 that may also be relevant to other deltas.Publication Resilient Shores(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-10-20)In a country that is among the most exposed to natural hazards, Vietnam’s coastline often bears the brunt. Typhoons, storm surges, riverine flooding, coastal erosion, droughts, or saline intrusion are all-too-familiar threats to most people living along the coast. Yet despite these risks, coastal regions host thriving economic sectors, providing livelihoods for a growing and rapidly urbanizing population. The coastal regions could be a powerful engine for Vietnam’s continued socioeconomic development, but rapid urbanization, economic growth, and climate change mean that disaster risks are bound to increase in the future. Although the government of Vietnam has made impressive progress in reducing and managing natural risks, current trends show that the work is far from complete. To guide effective action, this report provides an in-depth and multi-sectoral analysis of natural risks in coastal Vietnam and reviews current efforts in risk management, proposing a concrete action plan to balance the risks and opportunities of coastal development. These actions, if taken decisively, are an opportunity to strengthen the resilience of coastal communities and hence the prosperity of coming generations.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-05-21)This report provides an up-to-date overview of existing and emerging carbon pricing instruments around the world, including international, national, and subnational initiatives. It also investigates trends surrounding the development and implementation of carbon pricing instruments and some of the drivers seen over the past year. Specifically, this report covers carbon taxes, emissions trading systems (ETSs), and crediting mechanisms. Key topics covered in the 2024 report include uptake of ETSs and carbon taxes in low- and middle- income economies, sectoral coverage of ETSs and carbon taxes, and the use of crediting mechanisms as part of the policy mix.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Unlocking Blue Carbon Development(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-11)The purpose of this paper is to provide a practical framework to guide governments in catalyzing and scaling up public and private investment in Blue Carbon as part of their blue economy development. It does this by describing in detail a Blue Carbon Readiness Framework, a step-by-step, well-illustrated guide with simple checklists. Client countries can use the illustrations and checklists to determine their readiness to catalyze and scale up investment in blue carbon credit finance. The Blue Carbon Readiness Framework consists of three pillars: 1. Data and Analytics; 2. Policy and Institutions; 3. Finance.Publication Ten Steps to a Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation System : A Handbook for Development Practitioners(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2004)An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), civil society, international organizations, and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a 'readiness assessment' and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way.