Ageing with resilience: inclusive climate action for older people in Bangladesh

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Bangladesh is at the heart of the climate crisis, with its population increasingly feeling the impacts of extreme weather events.  

Among its citizens, older people are particularly vulnerable, yet they remain a largely overlooked group in climate action.  

I can feel how the temperature, rain, cold, and even the harshness of the river and sea have changed drastically over the years. As an older person, I have to keep fishing to support myself, but the extreme weather conditions are wearing me out.

Male, 79-year-old.

Recent research by HelpAge International in collaboration with the UKRI GCRF Living Deltas Hub and the Bangladeshi Resource Integration Centre sheds light on the challenges and strengths of older people and outlines key recommendations to ensure older people are active participants in building climate resilience. 

The growing number of older people in Bangladesh 

Bangladesh is experiencing rapid population ageing, with approximately 15.3 million people aged 60 and over.  

This demographic shift brings both opportunities and challenges. Older people often face heightened risks from climate change due to physical limitations, reliance on younger family members during disasters, and limited access to resources. 

However, they also hold immense potential to contribute to their communities’ resilience. 

Coping with climate impacts 

Our research shows that older people in Bangladesh are adopting various strategies to manage climate-induced hazards. Common approaches include staying at home during disasters and taking loans to rebuild their lives. Their intimate knowledge of the environment and natural resources plays a crucial role in supporting their households and communities. 

However, systemic barriers often prevent them from fully participating in climate action. Addressing these barriers is essential to creating inclusive and effective solutions. 

I don’t know if the government is thinking about people like us. It feels like they may not recognise the deprivation and suffering we endure from the recent climate changes and disasters.

Woman, 59, Sundarbans regions.

Ensuring inclusive climate action in Bangladesh

Poverty in old age remains a critical challenge in Bangladesh. Poverty amongst older people is higher compared to the national average – 57 per cent of older people are economically vulnerable, with more women being at risk of poverty compared to men.

Access the report here.

The way forward: recommendations for inclusive climate action 

  • Build the climate resilience of older people through a universal, gender-, and disability-responsive social pension. 
  • Enhance interdepartmental cooperation to strengthen adaptive and shock-responsive social protection systems. 
  • Shift perceptions of older people as passive by recognising their resilience and environmental expertise. 
  • Encourage older people’s active participation in planning, implementing, and assessing climate actions at the community level. 
  • Empower local authorities to develop and fund age-, gender-, and disability-inclusive adaptation initiatives. 
  • Provide information tailored to older people’s needs, considering gender, disability, and local challenges, while promoting capacity-building. 
  • Support older people’s organisations to monitor climate policies and advocate for inclusive climate action. 
  • Ensure older people are integrated into the design and implementation of national climate frameworks like the National Adaptation Plan. 
  • Promote income-generating activities for older people, such as revolving funds subsidised by local governments. 
  • Develop policies that recognise and showcase older people’s contributions to climate justice and action. 
  • Invest in intergenerational programmes to foster collaboration on climate adaptation and conservation. 
  • Incorporate ageing into climate research and collect disaggregated data to address inequalities. 
  • Invest in long-term intergenerational programmes which bring younger and older generations together. 
  • Integrate ageing into climate research. 

A call for inclusive climate action 

Older people in Bangladesh are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Their vulnerabilities must be recognised, but so too should their knowledge, experience, and resilience. Empowering them as active contributors to climate solutions will not only safeguard their wellbeing but also benefit their communities and the nation as a whole. 

By adopting these recommendations, Bangladesh can lead the way in ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight against climate change. 

 

Explore more about our work improving income security for older people around the world.

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