Women, climate justice, and the road ahead in Bangladesh

Bangladesh stands on the frontline of the global climate crisis. Although the country contributes only about 0.4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Resources Institute and the Global Carbon Atlas, it faces intensifying cyclones, salinity intrusion, riverbank erosion, and rising sea levels.

Climate change is not gender neutral. Its impacts are uneven, and women carry a disproportionate share of the burden. This reality is especially visible in coastal districts such as Khulna district, Bagerhat district, Satkhira district, Chattogram district, Cox’s Bazar district, and Bhola district. In vulnerable upazilas like; Mongla upazila and Shyamnagar upazila, women’s lives show how climate risk, poverty, and human rights challenges overlap.

Climate injustice becomes most tragic when measured in lives lost. During the devastating 1991 cyclone, official records and research by the London School of Economics showed that women accounted for nearly 70 per cent of the 138,000 deaths. Women were about five times more likely to die than men, largely because social norms restricted mobility, limited access to warnings, and often prioritised men in rescue efforts. Although disaster preparedness has improved since then, gender gaps have not disappeared.

Later disasters show progress but also continuing inequality. Data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief show that Cyclone Sidr caused more than 3,400 deaths in 2007, while Cyclone Aila caused around 190 deaths in 2009. Reporting by gender has improved, yet global research published in Nature Climate Change confirms that women and girls remain more vulnerable during climate disasters in developing countries. Worldwide, UN Women reports that women and children can be up to fourteen times more likely to die in climate related disasters. These figures show that climate injustice has a strong gender dimension.

Health impacts deepen this inequality. A 2024 study in the Journal of Migration and Health explains how climate hazards in southwest coastal Bangladesh undermine women’s rights to health, water, safety, and livelihoods. In Mongla and Shyamnagar, more than 90 per cent of respondents reported more frequent cyclones and worsening salinity.

About 72 per cent of households depend on saline contaminated water for daily use. Research by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (iccdr,b) and BRAC University links salinity exposure to widespread skin diseases and reproductive health problems. Surveys show that between 53 and 65 per cent of women in affected areas suffer from reproductive tract infections.

Climate stress also increases gender based violence and social risks. Reports from UNFPA Bangladesh and ActionAid Bangladesh describe rising harassment and insecurity in cyclone shelters and during long journeys to collect safe water. After disasters, child marriage often increases in vulnerable districts such as Satkhira, according to UNICEF Bangladesh. Long school closures raise dropout rates among adolescent girls, and once girls leave school, the risk of early marriage grows sharply.

Economic impacts add another layer of vulnerability. The 2025 update of the Groundswell Report by the World Bank estimates that about 4.2 million people in Bangladesh face internal displacement caused by climate pressures. Displaced women often live in informal urban settlements or fragile embankment areas where sanitation, safety, and job opportunities are limited.

Despite women’s central role in supporting families and local economies, gender responsive climate financing remains very limited. The Climate Budget Report for fiscal year 2023 to 2024 by the Ministry of Finance Bangladesh shows that about 7.5 per cent of the national budget is tagged as climate relevant. However, analysis by the International Institute for Environment and Development and UN Women indicates that less than 1 per cent of climate funds directly support adaptation programs focused on women. Some civil society reviews estimate that funding dedicated to women led climate initiatives is below 0.1 per cent of the total national budget. This shows a serious gap between policy promises and financial commitment.

Bangladesh is widely recognised for leadership in climate adaptation. Major policy frameworks such as the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, the National Adaptation Plan 2023, and the Climate Change and Gender Action Plan 2023 show strong institutional intent. The Cyclone Preparedness Programme is considered a global model for community disaster response. According to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, women now make up half of its 80,000 volunteers, which has helped reduce female mortality compared to 1991.

At international forums such as COP28, Bangladesh has highlighted women’s leadership in climate resilience. The Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan also promotes inclusive green growth and women’s participation. Yet strong policy does not automatically ensure justice. Gaps remain in health services, land rights protection, shelter conditions, and access to finance for women entrepreneurs.

Important weaknesses persist. Gender concerns are still poorly integrated into mitigation policy. Many cyclone shelters lack privacy, proper sanitation, and menstrual health facilities, as reported by WaterAid Bangladesh. Monitoring systems often lack consistent gender based climate indicators. Women led grassroots groups face procedural barriers in accessing climate funds. Reproductive health services during disasters remain limited, especially in remote coastal regions.

Civil society organisations including BRAC, Naripokkho, ActionAid Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies are calling for clear reforms. They urge allocating at least 10 per cent of climate finance to women led adaptation and livelihood programs, ensuring direct access to the Green Climate Fund for grassroots groups, mandatory gender audits of climate projects, stronger enforcement of laws preventing child marriage in climate vulnerable districts, recognition of unpaid care work in national economic accounting, safer shelter infrastructure, and stronger accountability in climate budget tracking.

There is no single global index dedicated only to women and climate justice, but related indicators offer insight. In the Global Gender Gap Report 2024 by the World Economic Forum, Bangladesh ranks 59th out of 146 countries, showing progress in political participation but continued gaps in economic equality. The Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index ranks Bangladesh among the most climate vulnerable nations, though readiness for adaptation has improved over time.

Overall, Bangladesh shows mixed performance on women and climate justice. The country is strong in disaster preparedness and community mobilization, moderate in policy frameworks, but weak in dedicated financing and structural gender equality. Women in coastal regions continue to face serious health risks, displacement, economic loss, and rights violations. Past disasters show disproportionate female mortality, while current data shows limited funding for women centered climate action.

Bangladesh has earned global recognition for adaptation planning and disaster risk reduction, yet major gaps remain in financing, health services, gender integration, and accountability. Climate justice and gender equality are inseparable. Without sustained investment, institutional reform, and empowerment of grassroots women leaders, fair climate resilience will remain out of reach.

The path ahead requires moving beyond policy language toward measurable investment, transparency, and rights based implementation. Only then will women not just endure climate change but help lead the solutions that shape Bangladesh’s sustainable future.

*  The author is a freelance writer.