climate

May 28, 2023

Me, my sunflowers and the climate crisis: A farmer’s diary

In coastal Bangladesh, extreme levels of salinity in the soil is rendering thousands of hectares of farmland barren for most of the year. Forcing millions of farmers to give up farming because of this slow-onset impact of the climate crisis. But all is not lost yet as farmers find hope to adapt to climate change is an unassuming crop - sunflowers. Read the first-person account of one such farmer who is tackling the climate crisis with a field full of smiling sunflowers
March 22, 2023

Climate crisis: Youngsters taking charge of local water conversations

Young people have the most at stake in the climate crisis but their representation in climate leadership and decision making is still negligible. With one-fourth of the population of Bangladesh belonging to the 15-29 age-group, it’s high time their voices on climate crisis are heard and their suggestions heeded. Local conversations on safe water seems like just the perfect platform to start developing local youth leadership on climate change.
January 5, 2023

3 key insights from Frugal Innovation Forum 2022

At Frugal Innovation Forum 2022, we revisited the fundamental pillars of development with the post-pandemic world in mind. We reflected on the lessons learnt from the pandemic and together identified three key thematic focus areas in our quest to build back better.
November 6, 2022

How friendships build resilience to climate change

As the world increasingly faces rising disasters, crises and conflict, insights from Bangladesh share how the most vulnerable communities can build resilience, and how supporting people to form the right networks is a more powerful investment than we may realise.
April 21, 2022

Tackling water scarcity by harvesting the sky

Bangladesh is home to nearly 800 rivers. In Mongla, a region off the southern coast, water stretches out in every direction, but there is not a drop to drink. Communities there have taken to harvesting from the sky: through storing rainwater.
April 21, 2022

Time for ground-up climate policy

This Earth Day begins with the largest study on perceived climate risks ever conducted in Bangladesh. Commemorating Hugh Brammer’s work in Bangladesh, findings from the study drive home the need for ground-up, evidence-based experience to inform climate policy. 
September 14, 2021

Climate solutions from Bangladesh: Climate-resilient housing

With global warming set to intensify in the next decade, climate change adaptation is vital. The new normal must incorporate resilience at the heart of community, infrastructure, planning and policymaking. What would housing look like in the future? Here’s an example from Bangladesh, a country that is already facing the impacts of a warming climate.
September 5, 2021

Demonstrating the impact of client-centric microfinance

In the past two years, we have heard from over 5,000 clients across seven countries in 10 languages. Together with social performance management activities, these phone-based perception surveys are now part of our ongoing efforts to keep ourselves accountable to the impact bottom line. Read an excerpt from our Microfinance Impact Report:
August 19, 2021

A super cyclone, flooding and a pandemic: The year Bangladesh had three humanitarian crises at the same time

Germany and China experienced severe flooding this year, while Turkey, Australia and the US faced wildfires of catastrophic proportions. These events signify what looks to be our collective future. Alongside mitigation, we need to be looking for new ways of responding to a changing climate. Bangladesh, a country often referred to as the ground zero of climate change, has worked with communities to tackle disasters for half a century. What has it learnt? Build resilience at the community level.
July 6, 2021

Putting farmers first: Introducing seasonal loans from BRAC Microfinance

Where does the food on your plate come from? In Bangladesh, food security is primarily maintained by the agricultural sector. However, challenges exist in financing agricultural activities, particularly for farmers living in vulnerable conditions.
June 5, 2021

5 ways BRAC supports people to adapt to climate change

Bangladesh has been often called the ground zero of climate change. Geographically located at one of the world’s largest deltas, with more tropical cyclones occurring than any other country, means that its population of 163 million deal with the impacts brought on by the changing climate every day. On World Environment Day 2021, we look at five examples from BRAC on how to adapt to climate change.
May 20, 2021

Amplifying the voice of the Global South in climate science

It is essential that countries in the Global South, particularly those vulnerable to climate change, lead the way in generating scientific knowledge. The global recognition of Saleemul Huq’s work shows that Bangladesh is well poised to take on this challenge.